Analyzing the Complexity of Public Services Using System Loop Diagrams

Abstract

The social issue of stray dogs in Taiwan has been increasingly dire. Despite the substantial annual investments in funding and resources by the government and animal protection organizations, there has been little headway in resolving this problem. The difficulty emanates from the inherent dynamic complexity of interactions among stakeholders within the service system. This research utilizes system dynamics (SD) to illustrate how service design grapples with intricacies and multifaceted problems in public systems through the case study of “Stray DogPopulation Management.” The research objectives are: to construct a service ecosystem based on empirical data from the case study; to employ SD methodology to analyze the interactions among stakeholders; and to reflect on how service designers mitigated conflicts among stakeholders. This study employs systems thinking to analyze interactive issues within stakeholder networks and provides a novel perspective for analyzing the complexity of social problems by drawing insights from practical cases.

How to use system causal loop diagram to analyze complex stakeholder issues in public services

1. What are the complexities and practical hurdles associated with managing the population of stray dogs in Taiwan?

2. What challenges arise from the interactions and conflicts among stakeholders?

3. How can service design thinking effectively tackle the complexities and propose comprehensive solutions?

Results

1. Constructing a service ecosystem centered on Stray Dog PopulationManagement (SDPM)

Given the wide-ranging scope of involvement of numerous government agencies and non- profit organizations in Taiwan's SDPM, this research has compiled a comprehensive dataset. The researcher acquired this dataset through on-site field observations during the case study, in-depth stakeholder interviews, and exhaustive desk research. The dataset comprises a broad spectrum of sources, including sterilization units in both public and private sectors and sterilization practitioners with varying levels of expertise, providing a comprehensive understanding of the issue's background knowledge from different perspectives. Additionally, it includes diverse information sources, such as independent media reports from Wuo-Wuo, the Council of Agriculture, and relevant academic institutions.

2. Establishing the System Causal Loop Diagram

Based on the service ecosystem analysis, the five most representative key activities in the topic were summarized, and the overall system causal loop diagram of SDPM was constructed from these five subsystems.

Commencing from the system's overarching objectives and utilizing the three foundational components of system language, this meticulous construction of the system causal loop diagram occurs. It comprises continuously reinforcing feedback loops (R), self-regulating balancing feedback loops (B), and time delays, inducing seven causal feedback loops and twenty-seven time delays. The ultimate representation elucidates the comprehensive system structure.

This system causal loop diagram can offer a detailed explication of the service operation context, establish interconnections among the various contributing factors, and assist researchers in unraveling numerous unforeseen correlations.

3. Analyzing Causal Feedback Loops

Within the context of the five distinct subsystems mentioned earlier, this research has identified a total of seven causal feedback loops, consisting of two reinforcing feedback loops： (R1) Civic Participation in the Rural Area Neuter Action (RANA) and (R2) Collaboration between Public and Private Sectors.

And five balancing feedback loops： (B1) Civic Cooperation in Town Surveys, (B2) Local Government Advocacy for Regional TNvR Campaigns, (B3) Development of Large-scale TNvR Projects, (B4) Interactions between Animal Protection and Wildlife Conservation Organizations, and (B5) Service Supervision and Resource Allocation. These loops offer a detailed representation of the mutual interactions and influences generated between the public and various TNvR organizations. They further shed light on the operational context, pain points, and leverage points inherent in the service system.

"Subsystem Two: Implementation of Regional TNvR Campaigns" emerges as an exemplar of complexity.

It outlines the services provided by benchmarking animal protection organizations, regional animal protection groups, and local government agencies, whether independently or collaboratively, including both the (R2) reinforcing feedback loop and the (B2) balancing feedback loop.

(R2) Reinforcing feedback loop of Collaboration between Public and Private Sectors

The R2 feedback loop illustrates the interaction conflicts arising between local governments and animal protection organizations due to disparities in short-term objectives.

The public sector deploys a public sector dog-catching operation to reduce the quantity of reported cases, but this approach tends to elevate the disturbance level at canine-gathering hotspots, resulting in a decrease in the capture rate of dogs at regional canine-gathering hotspots, thereby negatively impacting the regional neutering coverage rate.
The animal protection organization dog-catching operation, which, despite being influenced by time delays, does not yield immediate outcomes in the quantity of reported cases. Nonetheless, it significantly enhances the regional neutering coverage rate. This approach represents a method to address fundamental issues without adverse consequences.

(B2) Balancing feedback loop of Advocacy for Regional TNvR campaigns

The B2 feedback loop, which encompasses the interactive structure between local government entities and animal protection organizations, unveiled that the collaboration ratio between public and private sectors positively contributes to the augmentation of the regional neutering coverage rate.

The public sector currently grapples with a deficiency in "specialized dog- catching personnel," rendering it arduous to independently address the predicament of a low capture rate of dogs at regional canine-gathering hotspots. Achieving an optimal capture rate at these hotspots hinges on the "experience and strategic capabilities of dog-catching personnel."
Animal protection organizations exhibit superior execution capabilities and professionalism in implementing TNvR campaigns. They can allocate substantial human resources and execute highly efficient dog-catching operations. A few cases may require the public sector's intervention to exercise its authority. Hence, the two entities should operate in synergy rather than in opposition.

4. Core Key Factors and Fundamental Issues

By conducting an extensive analysis of the R2 and B2 feedback loops, summarizes the critical bottlenecks observed in implementing regional TNvR campaigns within "subsystem two." This analysis unveils the latent issues and identifies the core key factors. Service strategies must be laser-focused on two critical aspects：

Strengthen the "fundamental solution" while diminishing the reliance on the "symptomatic solution" to promote the long-term objective of augmenting the regional neutering coverage rate.
Address the challenges of the deficiency in professionalism within local government entities, inefficiencies in inspection procedures, and improve public-private cooperation to prevent any further erosion of the mutual trust between these two sectors.

5. Service Strategies and Solutions Based on Leveraging Points

1. Guidelines for the Stray Dog Population Management

The research employs service design methodologies such as on-site field observations, in-depth stakeholder interviews, and service blueprints to delineate the operational procedures of benchmarking animal protection organizations in implementing TNvR. Subsequently, the research translated these procedures into easily understandable visual materials to facilitate comprehension by new personnel, consolidated into a comprehensive document termed "Guidelines for the Stray Dog Population Management." Through this process, tacit knowledge embedded within the TNvR was transformed into shared information within the organization, advancing the phase of knowledge socialization.

2. Clarifying the causes hampering the improvement of the regional neutering coverage rate‍

Through interviews with various stakeholders engaged in TNvR, service designers could empathize with different standpoints and assimilate diverse needs. This approach facilitated the gathering of multiple viewpoints and the establishment of a relatively objective and holistic perspective. The ultimate goal is to discern the limiting factors that underlie the persistent stagnation in the regional neutering coverage rate and unveil the fundamental reasons behind the suboptimal functioning of the system.

3. Fostering consensus between the public and private sectors and establishing the foundation for collaboration

Service designers could explain why the advantages of the existing measures of local animal protection authorities outweigh the disadvantages based on the findings garnered in prior research. Concurrently, they could empathize with the imperative of the public sector to prioritize mitigating human-canine conflicts while addressing stray dog issues. Therefore, service designers could propose pragmatic solutions that balance the perspectives of both parties by deducing specific actions and required resources essential for the "fundamental solution." This approach contributed significantly to establishing the cognitive foundation for streamlined business communication and collaborative cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Analyzing the Complexity of Public Services by using System Loop Diagrams