- lecture: th/do 11:15-12:45
- Seminar: tu/di 9:15-10:45
Both take place synchronously online in the BBB room BIS.SIM https://meet.uni-leipzig.de/b/gra-w2c-fhz-qnp.
The seminar is part of the advanced master module "Modelling of Sustainable Systems and Semantic Web", which also includes a lecture and an online lab with the TRIZ trainer of Target Invention.
The conceptual basis of the lecture and seminar is a systemic approach to descriptive structures that are significant in the real world. As an instrument of complexity reduction, the system concept is based on a set of viable components whose interaction in the given systemic context produces the specific emergent functionality. An aeroplane consists of several components, none of them can fly, only the specific interaction of the parts produces the new function.
This understanding of systems, which is also closely related to the topic of Component Software in computer science, has many facets. In such systems, not only the structure but also their processing plays an important role. Such aspects - a systemically based management concept - were in the focus of the seminar last semester. It turned out that most management theories assume an appropriately authorised individual leader as the decision-making authority and make his or her actions the object of investigation. This is unsatisfactory, as management processes in multi-stakeholder systems with distributed and rather consensus-oriented decision-making structures become increasingly important. Such structures can be observed above all in socio-ecological contexts and are thus central to the processing of sustainability issues. Often, parts of such structuring processes can also be described as phenomena of systemic self-organisation.
A more detailed study of such management phenomena is in the focus of the seminar topics this semester.
Another important focus of the course is thinking, analysing and resolving contradictions. Thinking in terms of contradictions and modelling (initially) contradictory situations is a fundamental engineering and management competence, its teaching in the context of a "General Theory of Strong Thinking" (OTSM-TRIZ) and its further development as the "Innovative Design Method" (IDM) is at the centre of our teaching programme.
The course has forced the biggest change in years in my way of approaching problems and analyzing them. The majority of the innovative solutions proposed by the method are better adapted to a research context where no solution is known, then to an industrial context where the desire is to reduce the cost of well-known solutions. Nevertheless, the problem analysis tools are extremely powerful in all situations. Over time I have noticed that the effects of the change in mentality are growing rather than fading away.
Source: http://www.trizminsk.org/d/Khomenko_Heritage(EN).pdf (Slide 21)
Ibid, slide 36
In order to be universal, the rules of problem solving methods should be as general as possible. But the more general the rules of problem solving are, the more general and the less practical the solution will be. And vice versa: when the rules (and methods) are specific and precise, they are helpful for solving a specific problem which is of practical use. However, the more specific they are the less universal they are as well.
Ibid, slide 40
Any problem can be stated as a contradiction between our subjective desires for something appearing in a specific context on the one hand, and objective laws that cause this specific situation, one the other hand.
Ibid, slide 42
Any element should be seen as a process and vice versa. This process, which is linked with a human being as soon as we are in a problem solving context, evolves in accordance with objective laws and takes into account specific objective and subjective factors.
We follow an Open Culture approach not only theoretically but also practically and make course materials publicly available. This also applies to the course materials you have to produce (presentations, seminar papers) as well as to (annotated) chat sessions of the seminar discussions, in which your names are also mentioned. We assume your consent to this procedure if you do not explicitly object. The discussions themselves are not recorded, but the chat protocols are published in an edited form.