Many of our Fellows have decades of experience in these
communities. We have come together in recognition
of the need to reintroduce the notion of always asking
questions to the practice of science. In the
specialized, rush to publish, get funded or perish world
of science in the 21st century, all too often initial
findings are presented as if they are profound
truths. The researchers involved are too busy
seeking money and publications to ask the fundamental
questions regarding assumptions, constraints,
affordances that might reveal a more promising pathway
or an unrecognized limitation.
We are witnessing the proliferation
of “sloppy science” – research that cuts corners,
overlooks errors, or presents premature conclusions as
definitive facts. Sloppy science encompasses a spectrum
spanning from unconscious cognitive biases to deliberate
unethical actions by researchers. It also includes the
enabling behaviors of reviewers, editors, universities,
funders, industry sponsors, media commentators, and
policy actors that allow substandard research to
propagate through the scientific system.
Recent years have seen an alarming rise in retractions
and corrections in top journals due to manipulated data,
deliberate fraud, and questionable research practices.
This erosion of trust in science has far-reaching
implications for the reliability of published findings,
the stewardship of research funds, and public faith in
the scientific enterprise. Sloppy science risks
misleading the public, distorting academic discourse,
wasting scarce resources, and undermining evidence-based
policy-making. Its tolerance reflects systemic issues in
modern science's institutions and incentive structures.
Refective practice, increased
curation, and a return to asking questions are
necessary steps to combat sloppy science's pervasive
influence.
This perspective lies behind our
work.
Dr. Lissack is
the Executive Director of the Second Order Science
Foundation, the immediate past (2014-2020) President of
the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC), the
executive director emeritus of the Institute for the
Study of Coherence and Emergence (ISCE) and Professor of
Design and Innovation at Tongji University (Shanghai). He is an
expert in the qualitative side of complex systems
management including applied cognitive science and
applied philosophy. Since 1995, he founded several
non-profit research institutes, launched an
international Ph.D. program in corporate anthropology,
wrote a half dozen books, and twice been a candidate for
public office.
Executive Director
lissack@isce.edu
Brenden
Meagher was most recently the Knowledge Management
Coordinator for Jhpiego, a global health care consultancy
affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Meagher
leads the Foundation’s initiative focused on increasing
the effective agency of health care consumers. He has an
undergraduate science degree from Sargent College at
Boston University where he focused on Public Health
Implementation and Systems Thinking. He also worked
with the Institute
for Technology and Global Health where he led a global
team in research and writing process for a communication
project regarding public health and artificial
intelligence.
Research Fellow
meagher@isce.edu
Hugo Letiche was the Director of the ‘DBA PhD program’ at the UvH Utrecht until his retirement; some fifty PhDs were completed under his supervision. Thereafter, he was Adjunct Professor at Leicester University teaching research methods and ethics to their part-time distant-learning students (mainly from Africa and the Middle East) during their on campus summer school. He is a member of LITEM the research school in organization, accountability and ethics of L’Universite Paris-Saclay. Organizational & cultural theory, contemporary continental philosophy, (auto-)ethnography, and complexity theory are his primary research interests.
Fellow
letiche@isce.edu
Robert J. Martin
is a composer, licensed psychologist in Missouri, and
professor emeritus at Truman State University. He
completed a doctorate in educational psychology at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an
interdisciplinary thesis guided by Heinz von Foerster
and Herbert Brün. He has a life-long interest in
composition, creativity, learning, psychotherapy,
constructivism, and cybernetics/systems science. Prof.
Martin is a member of the American Psychological
Association, Glasser Institute for Choice Theory, and
the American Society for Cybernetics.
Fellow
rmartin@isce.edu
Suzanne
Martin received a B.A. in Physics from the University of
Illinois Urbana-Champaign,
an M.A. in
Biology from Truman State University, and a Ph.D. in Plant
Pathology from Purdue
University.
Dr. Martin worked in Vitamin K research at Kirksville
College of Osteopathic
Medicine and
did field testing of diagnostics at Stewart Agricultural
Services. She taught as
Visiting
Assistant Professor at Westminster College, as Adjunct
Graduate Faculty at Truman
State
University and as Professor of Biology at Moberly Area
Junior College. She has presented
to the
National Science Teachers Association, the Association of
College and University Biology
Educators,
and the American Society for Cybernetics.
Dr
Andrew Rixon is a Senior Lecturer in Leadership at the
Department of Business Strategy and Innovation within
the Griffith Business School. Graduating with one of the
first PhDs in Complexity Science from the University of
Queensland in 2000, he has gained global experience in
consulting, executive education, innovation, leadership
and change. From working with internet start-ups in the
USA and Netherlands, to being a founding director of
consulting companies working with corporate, government,
not-for-profit, tertiary, and healthcare sectors in
Australia, UK and China, the complex systems perspective
has influenced and informed his leadership development
work. Dr. Rixon has a special focus and deep expertise
in health systems leadership working in particular to
help emergency physicians become better medical leaders
who can innovate and re-imagine their medical
departments, hospitals and health systems.
Fellow
arixon@isce.edu
Sascha
Rixon is an experienced project
officer, consultant, facilitator, educator, and
well-being practitioner with over 15 years' experience
working in management consulting and teaching and
learning in the higher education sector. Most recently,
she transitioned to working in the public sector as a Project
Officer, Leadership and Learning for the Queensland
Public Sector Commission.
srixon@isce.edu
Ron Schultz
was introduced to the world of Complex Adaptive Systems
during an interview of Nobel Physicist, Murray
Gell-Mann, who among many things told him everything you
know is wrong. That response came when Ron asked him
“Where in the quark, the most fundamental particle of
matter, does creativity exist?” In the 25 odd
books Ron Schultz has had published, from Open
Boundaries – Creating Business Innovation through
Complexity to Living Out of the Moment – 100 Ways to
Obtain Happiness through Total Denial, and the hundreds
of national and International articles published, Ron
has attempted to explore the unseen. This exploration
has led to one over-riding awareness – if I can’t live
with an open heart as I live with an open mind, nothing
new arises.
Improving research quality by ingraining the importance of rigor, transparency, and critical thinking from an early career stage. This includes clearly communicating what constitutes solid vs questionable practices, rejecting papers with clear methodological weaknesses or exaggerated claims not backed by data, robustly challenging new findings and always ensuring appropriate caveats around limitations are stated.
Integrate reflective practice into the scientific method itself alongside hypothesis testing via pre-registration reports, consideration of limitations and potential biases, and proactive ongoing review of emergent ethical issues. Make conscious reflection a consistent part of the training curriculum and ongoing professional development for scientists. Include reflective writing, discussion groups, and engagement with philosophy of science, ethics, and policy experts to broaden considerations beyond technical scientific questions.
All patients should be empowered
to manage their health proactively. By
developing individuals' literacy around their
bodies, common conditions, lifestyle skills,
treatment options, socioeconomic influences, and
care rights, people can progressively build the
foundation to interact with the system from an
informed stance. Equipped with improved
understanding and tools to clarify their priorities,
everyday health consumers will be ready to ask
meaningful questions, grasp recommendations, discuss
concerns, and make care decisions aligned with their
values.