International Federation for Systems Research

IFSR Newsletter 2012 Vol. 29 No. 1 September

I am very honored for the nomination and the election as one of the Vice Presidents of the International Federation for Systems Research. It is my personal intention to strengthen the socalled systems movement. We must overcome the fragmentation of our own research fields and activities to strengthen the scientific as well as social impact of Systems Research and Action. This task is not trivial. It might take us a long time. But the task became imperative in my humble opinion. The world calls upon us to provide our knowledge and our wisdom for the understanding of complexity and solutions which welcome the given complexity and thus create additional value and benefits for the people and the planet.
I believe that the systems movement, the cooperation of all organizations and individuals
in the systems communities, can be a major player in the scientific as well as political and economic realms. We have already a vast amount of value we can contribute and in cooperation we may co-create even more. But we must communicate and honor our value, overcoming our own resentments in our communities, and we must learn to communicate beyond our own systemic borders. I am not a typical researcher. I have no personal research agenda, no model, no theory, no publications to promote. People refer to me often as an activist, so I have a personal political agenda, even as a social system designer, consultant or university teacher. I hope that this agenda will create value for the members of the International Federation for Systems Research, too.
Is the objective reachable and is the International Federation the appropriate organization? I strongly believe so, if the members of the Federation agree on the political agenda next to their own business and work together, once a suitable infrastructure is in place. Of course we will learn while walking the talk and dancing the path. Learning will include failures. But learning together will also result in shared success and this is my personal intention for all involved stake-holders of the IFSR.
My tasks as Vice President will include the design of a viable business model, the creation of communication channels like an e-voting system, better visibility, usability, and attractiveness of the IFSR Web-site, and networking for all members of the IFSR.
I am looking forward to the next two years of sharing, learning, stumbling, working, succeeding, and celebrating, together.
Curriculum Vitae
I am an entrepreneur, a global knowledge nomad, developer, consultant, change agent, part time university lecturer, researcher, editor, and a life-long student working as a business & communication designer internationally from Europe to China.
Born in 1970 in Innsbruck, Austria – I am founder and Managing Director of Stefan Blachfellner Consulting e.U. – B original Business & Communication Design.
Since 1999 I have worked as a business developer and consultant in the areas of organizational development, corporate communication, knowledge management, strategic management and business excellence with broad experience in Fortune TOP 500 industries, and the service sector as well as in public administration and cultural and educational organizations.
Graduating from the University of Salzburg, I studied Communication, Management- and Social Psychology and Economic- and Social History.
In 2004 – 2006 I supported the development of the strategic focus “ICT&S – Information and Communication Technologies & Society” at the University of Salzburg, Austria, as the Center Manager.
I am currently part time university lecturer and thesis supervisor at the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences Campus Steyr and Hagenberg, CAMPUS 02 University of Applied Sciences Graz in Austria, and the Danube University Krems in Austria, teaching 10 subjects in six different curricula, including entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity and innovation, innovation & ethics, future studies, applied systems, complexity, and network theory, large systems interventions, public relations, information and communication technologies, and digital products and markets.
I am one of the co-founders and active ambassadors of the international Change the Game Initiative, where paradigm changers meet. We push boundaries connecting innovation, leadership, and ethics. I am interested in Ethonomics, leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, social innovation, systems research, and design thinking.
I am an active member in several international scientific communities dedicated to social and technological innovations and systems science and research.
Stefan Blachfellner Consulting e.U.,
stefan@blachfellner.com