This Satellite aims at exploring questions and challenges such as, but not limited to:

• How can qualitative and quantitative methods interact in ways and what kinds of relations can be explored that generate novel methodological approaches, new layers of information and/or generative and emergent insights on complex systems?

• What qualities and features of complex systems and their complexity could best be captured through qualitative methods?

• Which characteristics of complex systems can best be captured through quantitative methods? 

• How and when to integrate first-person methods and methods based on experience with other approaches in investigating complexity?

• How can qualitative and mixed-methods approaches best contribute to understanding change and change processes in complex systems?

• How can qualitative and mixed-methods approaches best deal with issues of scale (temporal, spatial)?

• What kind of methodological thinking can guide the creative integration and interaction between qualitative and quantitative methods  in researching complexity and what are the core challenges?

• What are the core challenges to education and training towards promoting qualitative and mixed-methods methodologies in the domains of complex systems research?

• How can different philosophical approaches, and ontological and epistemological perspectives, inform different kinds of approaches to qualitative and mixed-methods research on complex systems?

• What conditions and initiatives could steer methodological innovation regarding the use of qualitative and mixed-method approaches to research and practice with complex systems?

This Satellite is organised in two parts: 

Part I includes contributed talks and keynote lectures which aim to address the challenge questions in ways that provide stimuli and input for the collective discussion in Part II.  

Part II includes a facilitated discussion, using the Relatoscope* method, a complexity-informed method to promote complex relational dialogues. This dialogue will focus on critical challenges and questions related to methodological creativity and innovation in qualitative and mixed-method approaches to support research and practice with complex systems.

Please note that participation in Part I is highly encouraged, but is not a prerequisite for Part II (subject to space limitations).

*

References

• Melo, A., & Campos, R. (2022). Facilitating scientific events guided by Complex Thinking: A case study of an online Inter/Transdisciplinary Advanced Training School. Informing Sci. Int. J. an Emerg. Transdiscipl., 25, 89–110. https://doi.org/10.28945/4934.  

• Melo, A. T., Caves, L. S. D., El-Hani, C. N., Renault, L., Gershenson, C., Soto-Andrade, J., … Morell, J. (Preprint - 2023, November 6). A Complexity-Informed Methodology for Interdisciplinary Dialogues: Key Questions and Challenges for Theory, Research and Practice on Modes of Thinking (In) Complexity. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/v6t2h

PROGRAMME

(Abstracts here)

PART I

09:30 Reception of participants

09:45-10:00 Welcoming and Introduction

Robin Purshouse

10:00-10:30 Framing presentations   [Opening framing presentation by the organisers]

"Weaving Time: Methods as Tempos in Mixed-Methods Complexity Research"

Emma Uprichard

"Mapping interdependencies: Methodological pluralism for social-ecological complexity"

Rika Preiser

"Complex methodological ecologies: Pragmatic contributions from a complex thinking framework"

Ana Teixeira de Melo

10:30-10:50 Contributing talk

Contributing talk 1 (15 min presentation + 5 min Q&A):

"Combining participatory and quantitative methods in complex policy modelling to capture the missing dimensions of lived experience"

Dr. Natalie Dewison-Koplinski, University of Glasgow, Policy Modelling for Health; Dr.Shraddha Ghatkar, University of Sheffield;Policy Modelling for Health; Dr. Clementine Hill O’Connor, University of Glasgow; Policy Modelling for Health; Professor Robin Purshouse, University of Sheffield; Policy Modelling for Health; Professor Ellen Stewart, University of Glasgow, Policy Modelling for Health

10:50-11:00 Contributing talk 2 (10 min presentation)

 "The Human, the Emergent and the Qualitative Dimensions of Social Systems"

Prof. Piero Dominici, CHAOS International Research and Education Programme, UNESCO IPL, WAAS and CSS Fellow, IETI EP of BoD.

11:00:11:30 Break with Poster Session (aligned with conference coffee-break)

11:30- 11:50 Contributing talk 3 (15 min presentation + 5 min Q&A):

"Exploring Incumbent Dynamics in Eskom, 1983-2023: A Retrospective Complex Adaptive System Case Study"

Ms Erica Johnson, Phd Candidate, Centre for Sustainability Transitions, University of Stellenbosch; Professor Mark Swilling, Centre for Sustainability Transitions, University of Stellenbosch

11:50-12:10 Contributing talk 4 (15 min presentation + 5 min Q&A):

"Human-nature relations and systems theory: Qualitative mixed-methods for understanding change processes in the urban context"

Ana Jones-Wilenius, Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics

12:10-12:40 Invited Keynote talk: “Towards socially robust complex systems research”

Prof. Ellen Stewart, University of Glasgow 

12:45-13:00 Introduction and overview: the Relatoscope Method

The Relatoscope is a relational method, designed to promote the performance of a selected set of complex thinking movements to facilitate the emergence of  creative and abductive ideas which can open new possibilities for thinking and acting in relation to complex systems. It has been used as a tool to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogues (Melo et al, 2023; Melo & Campos, 2022). The Relatoscope method will be used to facilitate the emergence of new ideas in the insights during the dialogues regarding new possibilities for researching social complex systems using qualitative methods and creative interactions and relations between qualitative and quantitative methods. Images of analogue / physical Relatoscopes here.

13:00-14:00: Lunch break (aligned with conference lunch break)

PART II

14:35-17:45: Facilitated focused discussion with the Relatoscope Method (Break at 16:15-16:30)  

Facilitation: Ana Teixeira de Melo & Leo Caves

Focus questions for the dialogue:

• How to promote the use of qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to research and practice with complex systems?

• What and how could critical questions and needs in complex systems research  be addressed through qualitative and mixed-methods approaches?

• What key methodological challenges are brought forward by (what) pressing questions regarding the understanding of social and social-ecological complex systems?

• How can innovations regarding qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to research and practice with complex systems best be nurtured, supported and disseminated?

• At what level and under which conditions can the qualitative and quantitative methods be truly synergetic and lead to emergent novelty?

• What focuses, areas, themes could be particularly targeted with qualitative and mixed-methods approaches?

• How can innovations be stimulated, supported, evaluated and disseminated in the domain of qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to research and practice with complex systems best be nurtured, supported and disseminated?

• What are the main obstacles and how could they be overcome regarding qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to research and practice with complex systems?

• What difference can qualitative and mixed-methods research do in “real-world” contexts, namely of interventions in complex systems?

• What is mainstream in the use of qualitative and mixed-methods approaches in the domain of complex systems and what are the spaces and opportunities for innovation?

17:45-17:50 Overview of how Relatoscope output can be explored with mixed-methods approaches

17:50-18:00 Final Integration and next steps (e.g. collaborations, joint publications).

Submission Deadlines:  Submissions for posters and lightning presentations remain open and will be evaluated on a case by case basis. 

Notification to authors: Authors submitting proposals for posters or lightning presentations will be notified up to a week following submission.

Sign-up & Consent:  Sign-up and consent before the event is strongly encouraged; acceptance on the day is subject to availability, as the workshop is limited to 20 participants.

We are now accepting contributions for the Satellite. Contributions can be submitted in the following modalities:

• Oral presentations (15 min presentations)

• Lightning talks (3 min presentations)

• Poster presentations (note: if slots are available, poster presenters will be invited to also perform a 3 min lightening talk in addition to the poster session which will take place during the coffee break.  

All contributing talks are expected to provide insights and input that will feed into the large group discussion to tale place during Part II of the event. Hence, they should directly relate to the topics of the workshop, namely the target questions and challenges  organising it (cf. Aims and Focus). Examples of applications of different qualitative and mixed-methods methods are welcomed but authors are invited to take a meta-reflexive position about their work and connect it with our core focuses.

Deadlines: Submissions for posters and lightening presentations remain open and will be evaluated on a case by case basis. 

Format of submission

• Please submit a pdf containing the following information:  title of the presentation, name of authors and affiliations, name of presenting author, and corresponding contacts; an abstract up to 1 page (tables,  images and references are optional and  allowed on a second page); 3 keywords.

• Also attach a short statement of motivation for participating in this workshop. Please note that presenting authors will be required to participate in the entire workshop. 

Send your submission by email to: complexthinking.project@gmail.com

Conference Registration: Participants for this Satellite Workshop are required to register for the main Conference on Complex Systems 2025 (CCS2025) - either the full programme or the satellites only.  You may be asked for proof of registration. 

Workshop Sign-up: Unlike other satellites, this workshop requires a sign-up (using this form)  which also describes the conditions for participation and records your informed consent. There are no additional costs for the satellite

Capacity: The workshop is limited to 20 participants. Acceptance will be considered by (i) order of registration AND (ii) short expression of motivation for participation.

Partial Participation: Please note that participation in Part I is highly encouraged, but is not a prerequisite for Part II (subject to space limitations).

Ana Teixeira de Melo, Robin Purshouse, Emma Upriched, Rika Preiser, Leo Caves, Letícia Renault

Satellite Logo image: Leo Caves and GPT-4o