Searching explains how to make the fundamental cultural change required for a desirable sustainable future. It describes the two-stage model of open-systems social science in action and covers two major methods: the Search Conference for strategic planning and community development; and the Participative Design Workshop for the genotypical design and redesign of organizational structures. The result of nearly 50 years of integrated conceptual and practical development, Searching shows that by replacing 200 years of mechanistic assumptions with concepts and principles which accurately capture human and social realities, these methods generate intrinsic motivation and release human potentials for change. Starting with the building blocks of this internally consistent theoretical framework, Part I explains the interrelations and shows how the power of the methods for achieving this cultural change is generated. Part II of the book describes the methods and illustrates their flexibility by discussing some of their most common variations.
2024. Social Fields: Knowing the Water We Swim in. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 60:4 ► pp. 677 ff.
Ataöv, Anlı & Ender Peker
2021. Co-designing Local Climate Action: A Methodological Framework from a Democratic Perspective. In Governance of Climate Responsive Cities [The Urban Book Series, ], ► pp. 147 ff.
Babüroğlu, Oğuz N. & John W. Selsky
2021. Toward Reconfiguring Sociotechnical Systems Design: Digitally Infused Work Systems and the “Platform-STS”. In Research in Organizational Change and Development, ► pp. 63 ff.
Austrom, Douglas & Carolyn Ordowich
2019. Calvin Pava. In The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, ► pp. 1 ff.
Austrom, Douglas & Carolyn Ordowich
2020. Pava, Calvin: Sociotechnical Systems Design for the “Digital Coal Mines”. In The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, ► pp. 1 ff.
Austrom, Douglas & Carolyn Ordowich
2021. Pava, Calvin: Sociotechnical Systems Design for the “Digital Coal Mines”. In The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, ► pp. 1293 ff.
Gausdal, Anne H.
2019. Managing Trust-Building in Public–Private Strategic Alliances. In Managing Trust in Strategic Alliances, ► pp. 273 ff.
Mohr, Bernard J. & Ezra Dessers
2019. Designing from a Socio-Technical Systems Perspective. In Designing Integrated Care Ecosystems, ► pp. 25 ff.
Dege, Martin
2017. Aktionsforschung. In Perspektiven kritischer Psychologie und qualitativer Forschung, ► pp. 317 ff.
Dege, Martin
2023. Pragmatic and Participatory Action Research – The Northern and Southern Traditions. In Action Research and Critical Psychology [Theory and History in the Human and Social Sciences, ], ► pp. 43 ff.
Athanasopoulou, Andromachi & John W. Selsky
2015. The Social Context of Corporate Social Responsibility. Business & Society 54:3 ► pp. 322 ff.
Gausdal, Anne Haugen
2015. Methods for Developing Innovative SME Networks. Journal of the Knowledge Economy 6:4 ► pp. 978 ff.
Arvidsson, Niklas
2014. A study of turbulence in the Swedish payment system – is there a way forward?. Foresight 16:5 ► pp. 462 ff.
Ney, Steven & Marco Verweij
2014. Exploring the Contributions of Cultural Theory for Improving Public Deliberation about Complex Policy Problems. Policy Studies Journal 42:4 ► pp. 620 ff.
Ney, Steven M. & Marco Verweij
2014. Messy Institutions for Wicked Problems: How to Generate Clumsy Solutions. SSRN Electronic Journal
Sørensen, Tom, Robert Kleiner, Andreas P.S. Sørensen, Paul Ngo, Nils Bøe & Jan F. Nygård
2014. Mental health promotion strategies and their effectiveness in local communities: sociocultural integration and multiple realities perspective. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 16:3 ► pp. 141 ff.
de Guerre, Donald W., Daniel Séguin, Alicia Pace & Noel Burke
2013. IDEA: A Collaborative Organizational Design Process Integrating Innovation, Design, Engagement, and Action. Systemic Practice and Action Research 26:3 ► pp. 257 ff.
Selsky, John W., Rafael Ramírez & Oğuz N. Babüroğlu
2013. Collaborative Capability Design: Redundancy of Potentialities. Systemic Practice and Action Research 26:5 ► pp. 377 ff.
Jabri, Muayyad
2012. Understanding and Managing Organizational Resistance. In Managing Organizational Change, ► pp. 219 ff.
Jabri, Muayyad
2012. Making Sense of Organizational Identity. In Managing Organizational Change, ► pp. 261 ff.
Lalonde, Carole
2011. Managing crises through organisational development: a conceptual framework. Disasters 35:2 ► pp. 443 ff.
Lalonde, Carole
2011. Changing the Paradigm of Crisis Management. In The Changing Paradigm of Consulting, ► pp. 63 ff.
Barton, John, John Stephens & Tim Haslett
2009. Action Research: Its Foundations in Open Systems Thinking and Relationship to the Scientific Method. Systemic Practice and Action Research 22:6 ► pp. 475 ff.
Sterling, S. Revi, John O’Brien & John K. Bennett
2009. Advancement through interactive radio. Information Systems Frontiers 11:2 ► pp. 145 ff.
Ataöv, Anli
2008. Constructing Co-generative Search Processes: Re-thinking Urban Planning/Making Urban Plans Actionable. European Planning Studies 16:6 ► pp. 829 ff.
de Guerre, Donald W., Merrelyn Emery, Peter Aughton & Andrew S. Trull
2008. Structure Underlies Other Organizational Determinants of Mental Health: Recent Results Confirm Early Sociotechnical Systems Research. Systemic Practice and Action Research 21:5 ► pp. 359 ff.
Ataöv, A.
2007. Continuous learning processes in creating the public realm. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer 160:3 ► pp. 135 ff.
Barton, John & Tim Haslett
2007. Analysis, synthesis, systems thinking and the scientific method: rediscovering the importance of open systems. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 24:2 ► pp. 143 ff.
Selsky, John W., Jim Goes & Oğuz N. Babüroğlu
2007. Contrasting Perspectives of Strategy Making: Applications in ‘Hyper’ Environments. Organization Studies 28:1 ► pp. 71 ff.
Sterling, S. Revi, John O'Brien & John K. Bennett
2007. 2007 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, ► pp. 1 ff.
Wilkinson, Ian F. & Louise C. Young
2005. Toward a normative theory of normative marketing theory. Marketing Theory 5:4 ► pp. 363 ff.
Barton, John, Merrelyn Emery, Robert Louis Flood, John W. Selsky & Eric Wolstenholme
2004. A Maturing of Systems Thinking? Evidence from Three Perspectives. Systemic Practice and Action Research 17:1 ► pp. 3 ff.
Boonstra, Jaap
2004. Conclusion: Some Reflections and Perspectives on Organizing, Changing, and Learning. In Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning, ► pp. 447 ff.
Bradshaw, Patricia & Jaap Boonstra
2004. Power Dynamics in Organizational Change. In Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning, ► pp. 279 ff.
de Guerre, Don W. & Marilyn M. Taylor
2004. Graduate Leadership Education in a Socio-Ecological Perspective: Working at the Paradigmatic Interface. In Learning Toward an Ecological Consciousness: Selected Transformative Practices, ► pp. 65 ff.
Dick, Bob
2004. Action research literature. Action Research 2:4 ► pp. 425 ff.
Dick, Bob
2023. Democratic alternatives to hierarchy – why so few?. IJAR – International Journal of Action Research 19:1 ► pp. 50 ff.
O’Sullivan, Edmund V. & Marilyn M. Taylor
2004. Glimpses of an Ecological Consciousness. In Learning Toward an Ecological Consciousness: Selected Transformative Practices, ► pp. 5 ff.
Tobias, Lester L.
2004. The Thriving Person and the Thriving Organization Parallels and Linkages.. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research 56:1 ► pp. 3 ff.
Roberts, Gerry & Bob Dick
2003. Emancipatory design choices for action research practitioners. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 13:6 ► pp. 486 ff.
Ospina, Sonia, William Diaz & James F. O’Sullivan
2002. Negotiating Accountability: Managerial Lessons from Identity-Based Nonprofit Organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 31:1 ► pp. 5 ff.
Alvarez, Rossana C. & Merrelyn Emery
2000. From Action Research to System in Environments: A Method. Systemic Practice and Action Research 13:5 ► pp. 683 ff.
Barton, John & John W. Selsky
2000.
Afterword: Toward an Emery Model of Management: Implications and Prospects of Emery Open Systems Theory. Systemic Practice and Action Research 13:5 ► pp. 705 ff.
de Guerre, Donald W.
2000. The Codetermination of Cultural Change Over Time. Systemic Practice and Action Research 13:5 ► pp. 645 ff.
de Guerre, Donald W.
2002. Doing Action Research in One's Own Organization: An Ongoing Conversation Over Time. Systemic Practice and Action Research 15:4 ► pp. 331 ff.
Emery, Merrelyn
2000. The Current Version of Emery's Open Systems Theory. Systemic Practice and Action Research 13:5 ► pp. 623 ff.
Emery, Merrelyn
2004. Open Systems Theory. In Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning, ► pp. 43 ff.
Emery, Merrelyn
2010. Refutation of Kira & van Eijnatten's critique of the Emery's open systems theory. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 27:6 ► pp. 697 ff.
Emery, Merrelyn
2011. Fiddling While the Planet Burns: The Scientific Validity of Chaordic Systems Thinking. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 28:4 ► pp. 401 ff.
Emery, Merrelyn
2014. Better Late than Never: Open Systems Theory’s Plan to Deal with Climate Change. In Social Systems and Design [Translational Systems Sciences, 1], ► pp. 185 ff.
Selsky, John W. & John Barton
2000. The Third Track of the Open-Systems-Thinking School: An Application of Domain Theory to New Zealand Ports. Systemic Practice and Action Research 13:3 ► pp. 257 ff.
[no author supplied]
2016. References. In Positive Psychology and Change, ► pp. 227 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 22 march 2026. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.
