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

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.

Multidimensional Design Methods for Data Warehousing

2011 ◽  
pp. 78-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Romero ◽  
Alberto Abelló
Keyword(s):  
Data Warehouse ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Data Warehousing ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Multidimensional Modeling ◽  
Warehouse Design ◽  
Warehousing Systems

In the last years, data warehousing systems have gained relevance to support decision making within organizations. The core component of these systems is the data warehouse and nowadays it is widely assumed that the data warehouse design must follow the multidimensional paradigm. Thus, many methods have been presented to support the multidimensional design of the data warehouse.The first methods introduced were requirement-driven but the semantics of the data warehouse (since the data warehouse is the result of homogenizing and integrating relevant data of the organization in a single, detailed view of the organization business) require to also consider the data sources during the design process. Considering the data sources gave rise to several data-driven methods that automate the data warehouse design process, mainly, from relational data sources. Currently, research on multidimensional modeling is still a hot topic and we have two main research lines. On the one hand, new hybrid automatic methods have been introduced proposing to combine data-driven and requirement-driven approaches. These methods focus on automating the whole process and improving the feedback retrieved by each approach to produce better results. On the other hand, some new approaches focus on considering alternative scenarios than relational sources. These methods also consider (semi)-structured data sources, such as ontologies or XML, that have gained relevance in the last years. Thus, they introduce innovative solutions for overcoming the heterogeneity of the data sources. All in all, we discuss the current scenario of multidimensional modeling by carrying out a survey of multidimensional design methods. We present the most relevant methods introduced in the literature and a detailed comparison showing the main features of each approach.

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 How We Understand “Complexity” Makes a Difference: Lessons from Critical Systems Thinking and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the UK

Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Michael C. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Critical Systems Thinking ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Critical Systems ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Features ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Systems Thinking Approach ◽  
The Way

Many authors have sought to summarize what they regard as the key features of “complexity”. Some concentrate on the complexity they see as existing in the world—on “ontological complexity”. Others highlight “cognitive complexity”—the complexity they see arising from the different interpretations of the world held by observers. Others recognize the added difficulties flowing from the interactions between “ontological” and “cognitive” complexity. Using the example of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK, and the responses to it, the purpose of this paper is to show that the way we understand complexity makes a huge difference to how we respond to crises of this type. Inadequate conceptualizations of complexity lead to poor responses that can make matters worse. Different understandings of complexity are discussed and related to strategies proposed for combatting the pandemic. It is argued that a “critical systems thinking” approach to complexity provides the most appropriate understanding of the phenomenon and, at the same time, suggests which systems methodologies are best employed by decision makers in preparing for, and responding to, such crises.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document