Guy Walker – författare

Sport is increasingly being described as a complex system. This inherent complexity cannot be understood by examining components in isolation; rather, the system as a whole should represent the unit of analysis. Systems thinking is the answer to understanding this complexity and is gaining traction in sport. Systems thinking provides a philosophy and a set of associated methods which can be used to understand and optimise the behaviour of complex systems, such as those inherent within sport.

This book presents, for the first time, a practical guide to applying contemporary systems thinking methods in sport as well as case study applications demonstrating how their outputs can be translated in practice. The methods described in this book can be used for better understanding the systemic influences in a broad range of sport contexts, including performance, injury, team functioning, decision‑making, adverse incidents, sports organisation design and redesign, technology implementation, and proactive risk assessments.

Systems Thinking Methods in Sport provides a practical step‑by‑step guide for sports practitioners and stakeholders, as well as university students and academics in applying state‑of‑the‑art systems thinking methods to sport.

Sport is increasingly being described as a complex system. This inherent complexity cannot be understood by examining components in isolation; rather, the system as a whole should represent the unit of analysis. Systems thinking is the answer to understanding this complexity and is gaining traction in sport. Systems thinking provides a philosophy and a set of associated methods which can be used to understand and optimise the behaviour of complex systems, such as those inherent within sport.

This book presents, for the first time, a practical guide to applying contemporary systems thinking methods in sport as well as case study applications demonstrating how their outputs can be translated in practice. The methods described in this book can be used for better understanding the systemic influences in a broad range of sport contexts, including performance, injury, team functioning, decision‑making, adverse incidents, sports organisation design and redesign, technology implementation, and proactive risk assessments.

Systems Thinking Methods in Sport provides a practical step‑by‑step guide for sports practitioners and stakeholders, as well as university students and academics in applying state‑of‑the‑art systems thinking methods to sport.

The systems in which we work continue to evolve, creating emergent problems and often strengthening intractable issues. In order to remain relevant and impactful, the discipline of ergonomics needs its paradigms to evolve too. The aim of this book is to provide researchers and practitioners with new paradigms in the form of ideas, concepts, theories, methods, practices and values. The chapters take the reader on a journey through underlying theories, new ways to apply those theories and emerging domains in which ergonomics is expected to play a greater role. Readers of this book will be inspired by these new paradigms in ergonomics and seek to push the boundaries even further. The lifeblood of the science depends on continual evolvement and developments to take on the challenges we face in complex sociotechnical systems design and evaluation. Perhaps the most significant take-home message from this book is the demonstration of how theory maps onto practice. As such, the only remaining paradigm shift is for these ideas, concepts, methods and practices to be taken up more widely and the discipline advanced, until the next paradigm shift occurs.

The chapters were originally published as a special issue in the journal Ergonomics.

The systems in which we work continue to evolve, creating emergent problems and often strengthening intractable issues. In order to remain relevant and impactful, the discipline of ergonomics needs its paradigms to evolve too. The aim of this book is to provide researchers and practitioners with new paradigms in the form of ideas, concepts, theories, methods, practices and values. The chapters take the reader on a journey through underlying theories, new ways to apply those theories and emerging domains in which ergonomics is expected to play a greater role. Readers of this book will be inspired by these new paradigms in ergonomics and seek to push the boundaries even further. The lifeblood of the science depends on continual evolvement and developments to take on the challenges we face in complex sociotechnical systems design and evaluation. Perhaps the most significant take-home message from this book is the demonstration of how theory maps onto practice. As such, the only remaining paradigm shift is for these ideas, concepts, methods and practices to be taken up more widely and the discipline advanced, until the next paradigm shift occurs.

The chapters were originally published as a special issue in the journal Ergonomics.