Soft Systems Methodology
Conceptual Model Building and Its Contribution
Mai 2001
284 Seiten, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Since its inception more than thirty years ago, the benefits of
using Soft Systems Methodology for problem solving has gained
worldwide recognition. Yet, despite recognising the importance of
SSM, students and practitioners still experience considerable
difficulty with the intellectual process involved.
Based on a lifetime experience as an academic and consultant,
Brian Wilson provides guidance on how to develop a range of
conceptual models across a variety of business problems. Building
on his earlier work in Systems: Concepts, Methodologies and
Applications he takes a practical approach to the topic based
on the premise that all organisations are unique. He develops
concepts to articulate ways of thinking about complexity. These are
an alternative to mathematically-based concepts, and they offer
rigorous, and defensible ways of answering the question 'What do we
take the organisation to be?' A model of the most appropriate and
relevant concept for your own organisation can then be successfully
developed and applied.
Of relevance to organisations of any type, or any size, this
book shows how model building within SSM can be used to cope with
real-life problems. It will be an invaluable resource for students
and practitioners in both the public and private sectors.
Preface.
Preamble.
Models and Methodology.
Basic Principles of HAS Modelling.
Selection of Relevant Systems.
Business Process Re-engineering.
The Consensus Primary Task Model.
CPTMFormulation Using Wider-system Extraction.
CPTMAssembly Using the Enterprise Model.
Application to Training Strategy and HR.
Generic Model Building.
Conclusions.
Appendix 1: The Albion Case.
Appendix 2: Exercises.
Appendix 3: The Development of the United Kingdom's Single Army
Activity Model and Associated Information Needs and its
Relationship to Command and Control.
Appendix 4: An Overview of Soft Systems Methodology.
Appendix 5: Example of Applying Information Analysis Method to
Airspace Control Function.
Appendix 6: Examples of Product to Information Category
Mapping.
References.
Index.
control system design. In 1966 he became a founding member of the
Department of Systems Engineering at the University of Lancaster,
where he pursued the application of control principles to
management problem solving.
There he was involved in the development and use of Human Activity
Systems and 'verbs in the imperative' in place of mathematics as
the modelling language for the intellectual processes involved and
maintained particular interest in the application of SSM to
information and organisation-based analysis. This research was
published in Systems: Concepts, methodologies and Applications by
John Wiley Sons.
In 1992 he founded his own consulting company, Brian Wilson
Associates, where he continues to develop and apply his unique
brand of Soft Systems Methodology.
