Complexity and uncertainty have long been problems for organizations of all types. Organizational members do not do a very good job of dealing with the complexity and uncertainty as research shows that when faced with complex situations humans often turn to the same sources of information repeatedly (a practice that will eventually betray them), and/or reduce the amount of scanning that they do (Weick 1995; Boyd and Fulk 1996). Organizations often turn to information systems to help them deal with the complexity, but they often take a techno-centric view of knowledge that does not incorporate the human qualities needed for unstructured decisions (Malhotra 1997; Courtney 2001; Malhotra 2001). Additionally, there are times when the information systems that we are using may hinder the processes of dealing with the complexity (Weick and Meader 1993). Weick's (1995) concept of sensemaking is believed to help us to deal with this complexity. In his work with Meader (1993) he wonders what the effects of a sensemaking support system would have, but he does not have the answer because they state that it has not been asked. This dissertation answers the call of Weick and Meader as well as other scholars that have called for sensemaking and human intuition to be included in our information systems. This is accomplished by viewing sensemaking from an inquiring systems perspective (Churchman 1971) to develop a kernel theory that will be used in the context of design science to develop design requirements and principles for a sensemaking system. These design principles are then used to build an instantiation of the system in the form of SenseMan, a system designed to help a local government agency deal with complexity in the context of software updates. Finally the design is evaluated for its effectiveness in dealing with the complexity of in this context using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

The science education literature was examined in order to identify the methodologies that various authors considered to characterise inquiry teaching. On the basis of this examination, a new classroom environment instrument, the Is This an Inquiring Classroom or ITIC was developed. The final version of the ITIC contained forty items in five different scales, Freedom in Practical Work, Communication, Interpretation of Data, Science Stories and Uncertainty in Science.The Actual and Preferred Forms of the ITIC were administered to 2,207 Grade 7-12 students and 65 teachers from 15 different schools. The results of this investigation showed that both students and teachers would prefer there to be higher levels of inquiry behaviours in Tasmanian science classrooms, with teachers indicating a preference for significantly higher levels than students. The perceptions of different sub-groups within the student population were also analysed.An examination of the Tasmanian curriculum documents showed that they supported the use of inquiry teaching methodologies, as defined by the ITIC scales. From the above investigations it was concluded that it would be desirable for there to be higher levels of inquiry methodologies in Tasmanian science classes, and that the production of the ITIC provides a means of monitoring and measuring any change.

p. 1-98 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-03-20T20:35:03Z No. of bitstreams: 3 Capa dissertação.pdf: 124164 bytes, checksum: fffbc76d2eea34c28376e0b6f720ba56 (MD5) Dissertaçãoformatada ATUAL.pdf: 595991 bytes, checksum: c90730501d626aaa4f81d104d3b8380e (MD5) Anexos2.pdf: 406395 bytes, checksum: e5499bc5368aadebfc4531f69c113c39 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima(tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2013-04-03T19:05:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 3 Capa dissertação.pdf: 124164 bytes, checksum: fffbc76d2eea34c28376e0b6f720ba56 (MD5) Dissertaçãoformatada ATUAL.pdf: 595991 bytes, checksum: c90730501d626aaa4f81d104d3b8380e (MD5) Anexos2.pdf: 406395 bytes, checksum: e5499bc5368aadebfc4531f69c113c39 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-04-03T19:05:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Capa dissertação.pdf: 124164 bytes, checksum: fffbc76d2eea34c28376e0b6f720ba56 (MD5) Dissertaçãoformatada ATUAL.pdf: 595991 bytes, checksum: c90730501d626aaa4f81d104d3b8380e (MD5) Anexos2.pdf: 406395 bytes, checksum: e5499bc5368aadebfc4531f69c113c39 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004 / Este trabalho tem por objetivo colocar em evidência as questões relacionadas à sustentabilidade de um grupo específico de organizações atuantes no campo que se convencionou chamar terceiro setor: as organizações questionadoras. Destas, em razão de sua natureza reivindicatória e eminentemente política, interessa saber em que medida se modificam para atender as eventuais exigências das entidades que financiam suas atividades. Por atuar em uma zona que favorece o surgimento de conflitos, dada a natureza política destas organizações, é plausível que estas tenham características muito peculiares no que diz respeito ao seu financiamento. Assim sendo, os conflitos referentes a este aspecto específico (financiamento) passam a ocupar papel central, já que o item recursos é primordial para a continuidade das organizações. Este trabalho analisa as conseqüências resultantes destas organizações, que assumem um posicionamento mais político-ideológico para atuar, não deixando de levar em consideração nas suas atividades cotidianas seus valores e princípios. Para explorar tal tema, este trabalho opta pelo estudo de caso, centrando sua análise em duas organizações, que, pela natureza de suas ações, defesa do meio ambiente e questões agrárias, tendem a entrar em conflito com os atores dos dois outros setores, o Estado e o mercado. O intuito é verificar o grau de influência e interferência que os financiadores das organizações do terceiro setor podem exercer sobre seus financiados, no caso específico deste trabalho, sobre as organizações questionadoras. / Salvador

Some problems confronted by managers include ill-formulated wicked planning problems, a type of problem that is difficult to solve because, in part, it is difficult to know what the problem is. The Churchmanian Knowledge Management Systems (CKMS) (Richardson & Courtney, 2004) is comprised of design principles for aiding system designers, managers, and clients who make decisions pertaining to these ill-formulated wicked planning problems. Problemography theory is proposed as a method for developing a CKMS. The method aims to measure CKMS development by using development tools that enables stakeholders and theoreticians to clarify CKMS development. A study was conducted to test a proof-of-concept development tool. The tool tested is a proposed list of processes that occur during CKMS development, processes derived from Churchman's (1971) Singerian inquiring systems theory. A gap analysis was performed whereby the proposed processes were compared with the processes found during a case study of people confronting issues related to the 'wicked' problem of Florida's invasive plant problem. A second study was conducted to explore possible design principles for developing a CKMS. Two proposed design principles, Every Person Principle and Connectedness Caretaker Principle, were used to develop a Describe a Wicked Problem Inquiring System (DAWP), a Web site which aims to enable inquirers to confront wicked problems. Participants in the study formulated problems related to Florida's native plants and suggested potential solutions. Using Wengraf's (2001) theory-driven qualitative research, interviews with participants were analyzed and the results suggest that the Web site being developed enabled the consideration of the ethical ramifications of knowledge.

Le présent travail porte sur l'influence de l'idéologie utilitariste sur la conduite de la Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Practical Administration and Operation of the Poor Laws de 1832-1834. Il jette un regard nouveau sur le rôle joué par les idéologies sur la conduite de la réforme la Commission, mais aussi sur la New Poor Law de 1834. Parmi les sujets traités, nous retrouverons la prise en charge de la pauvreté, la diffusion et la transformation des idées. Notre hypothèse de travail est que le Rapport de la Commission Royale de 1832 est le résultat d'un métissage idéologique dominé par l'utilitarisme. Ce métissage idéologique était particulièrement présent au sein des classes supérieures de la société britannique (bourgeoisie et aristocratie). Pour ce faire, nous avons analysé en profondeur le Rapport produit par la Commission: analyse du contenu et analyse du discours. Nous avons aussi adopté une approche biographique où l'on discute des principaux artisans de la Commission, de leurs allégeances politiques et idéologiques et de l'influence qu'ils eurent les uns sur les autres. Puis, nous avons analysé les principaux courants idéologiques de l'époque concernant la pauvreté, de 1795, date de mise en place du système de Speenhamland, jusqu'à 1834, date où la Poor Law fut modifiée en profondeur. Pour ce faire, nous avons utilisé des sources primaires comme les écrits de Jeremy Bentham ou de Thomas Robert Malthus par exemple. Nous avons aussi analysé certains articles de journaux publiés dans le Edinburgh Review et le Quarterly Review qui traitaient de la pauvreté ou des Poor Laws. Enfin, pour bien comprendre l'influence et les limites de l'idéologie sur la conduite de la réforme, nous avons analysé les débats parlementaires sur l'adoption de la New Poor Law de 1834. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Économie politique, Grande-Bretagne, Libéralisme, Malthusianisme, Parlement, Utilitarisme, XIXe siècle.