Critical Systems Thinking and Information Technology

2011 ◽  
pp. 493-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristo Ivanov
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Critical Systems Thinking ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Critical Systems ◽  
Political Ethics ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Analytic Psychology ◽  
Formal Science

This chapter presents a summary of some features of soft systems methodology—SSM, and of critical systems thinking—CST as they have been experienced from the point of view of the field of applications of information technology. It highlights the manner in which CST completes SSM in the context of the design of computer support in the form of HYPERSYSTEMS, and evidences some problematic aspects of the two approaches which push the practitioner into philosophical issues. One concluding hypothesis is that further developments of systems practice must be sought at the interface between formal science, political ethics, analytic psychology, and religious thought. For tutorial purposes, a great amount of literature is related to these issues.

Critical Systems Perspective of Strategic Decision Making

2020 ◽  
pp. 55-80
Author(s):  
Jelena Nikolić ◽  
Dejana Zlatanović
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Critical Systems Thinking ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Critical Systems ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Factors Affecting

Growing complexity and diversity of strategic decisions indicate the need for applying the appropriate holistic tools in strategic decision making. Thus, the chapter deals with the process of strategic decision making from the viewpoint of critical systems thinking, with emphasis on the role of values and context in strategic decision making. The main purpose is to show how systems thinking generally and critical systems thinking particularly can help decision makers involve different perceptions and values in the process of strategic decision making, as well as take into account context in which the strategic decisions are made. Considering the key internal and external factors affecting strategic decision making, the authors have selected three systems methodologies stemming from different paradigms: soft systems methodology as interpretive, team syntegrity as emancipatory, and organizational cybernetics as functionalist systems methodology. The way in which they can be combined, aimed at improving effectiveness of strategic decision making, has been presented.

scholarly journals The descriptive properties of prescriptive theories: an application of systems thinking in data warehousing

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roelien Goede
Keyword(s):  
Data Warehouse ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Data Warehousing ◽  
Critical Systems Thinking ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Critical Systems ◽  
Descriptive Theory ◽  
Warehousing Systems ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Interpretative Research

Information systems and in particular data warehouses are very expensive systems to develop. It is therefore not advisable to experiment with ideas too different from current practices. This makes it difficult to apply prescriptive theories in an existing field. From theoretical considerations one might want to develop a data warehouse according to another method such as critical systems thinking methodology. It is however very difficult to persuade data warehouse practitioners to attempt such an experiment. This might be because they would rather adhere to known practices or that they are not sufficiently knowledgeable on critical systems thinking (or any other prescriptive theory) to apply it to such an expensive project. This paper describes a method in which prescriptive theories may be used descriptively to analyse their applicability in a specific field of application. The proposed method is used to understand the practices of the data warehouse discipline from the perspectives of the systems thinking discipline. It is also indicated how this method could be used in other studies where the behaviour of participants is viewed from a point of view of which the detail are unknown to the participants.Keywords: Data warehousing, Systems thinking, Prescriptive theory, Descriptive theory, Interpretative research. Disciplines: Information technology, systems theory, data warehousing, hermeneutics

A Systemic Framework for Facilitating Better Client-Developer Collaboration in Complex Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-60
Author(s):  
Jeanette Wendy Wing ◽  
Doncho Petkov ◽  
Theo N Andrew
Keyword(s):  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Software Requirements ◽  
Critical Systems ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems ◽  
Stakeholder Values ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
System Method ◽  
Systems Practice

The article presents a framework for facilitating better collaboration between clients and developers in software requirements formulation. A mix of systems methods from soft systems methodology, critical systems heuristics and the work system method is justified through the principles of critical systems practice. It is particularly relevant for project contexts characterized by diversity of stakeholder values and significant complexity. The contribution of the article for the field of Information Systems is in the proposal of a systemic framework for promoting organizational learning about software requirements formulation. From a practical point of view it reduces the complexity of using systems thinking in software development as the selected methods are simpler to use than the whole system methodologies to which they belong.

Varieties of systems thinking: The case of soft systems methodology

1994 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 189-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter B. Checkland ◽  
Michael G. Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Soft Systems Methodology ◽  
Systems Methodology ◽  
Soft Systems
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