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Application of SSM in tackling problematical situations from academicians’ viewpoints

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Payam Hanafizadeh at Allameh Tabataba'i University
Payam Hanafizadeh
Mohammad Mehrabioun at Kharazmi University
Mohammad Mehrabioun
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In recent years, a wide variety of studies have applied soft systems methodology (SSM) to address the complexities of the messy situations. This paper seeks to identify 1) application areas and 2) application levels of the use of SSM in dealing with problematical situations. To do so, 149 articles published between 2000 and 2015 were studied. The findings revealed the application of SSM in new application areas such as sustainable development, knowledge management and project management. The results of this study also indicated that researchers applied SSM at three levels: SSM as a process of inquiry, SSM as an action-oriented methodology, and the hybrid use of SSM. Based on the findings, SSM at the level of a single methodology for bringing out changes has been less welcomed by researchers, but the application levels of inquiry processes and hybrid approaches have been more utilized. This suggests that in the correspondence of SSM with the nature or situation of problems, a sort of incommensurability is witnessed. Factors arising from the nature of the problem, inadequate mastery of the researcher over SSM or the limitations of SSM can exert an influence on this incommensurability.
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REVIEW
Application of SSM in tackling problematical situations
from academicians’viewpoints
Payam Hanafizadeh
1
&Mohammad Mehrabioun
1
#Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017
Abstract In recent years, a wide variety of studies have applied soft systems meth-
odology (SSM) to address the complexities of the messy situations. This paper seeks
to identify 1) application areas and 2) application levels of the use of SSM in dealing
with problematical situations. To do so, 149 articles published between 2000 and 2015
were studied. The findings revealed the application of SSM in new application areas
such as sustainable development, knowledge management and project management.
The results of this study also indicated that researchers applied SSM at three levels:
SSM as a process of inquiry, SSM as an action-oriented methodology, and the hybrid
use of SSM. Based on the findings, SSM at the level of a single methodology for
bringing out changes has been less welcomed by researchers, but the application
levels of inquiry processes and hybrid approaches have been more utilized. This
suggests that in the correspondence of SSM with the nature or situation of problems,
a sort of incommensurability is witnessed. Factors arising from the nature of the
problem, inadequate mastery of the researcher over SSM or the limitations of SSM
can exert an influence on this incommensurability.
Keywords Soft Systems Methodology.Lite rature Review .Problematical situations .SSM
application
DOI 10.1007/s11213-017-9422-y
*Payam Hanafizadeh
hanafizadeh@gmail.com
Mohammad Mehrabioun
mehrabioun@gmail.com
1
Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba’i
University, West End of Hemat Highway, Dehkadeh-ye-Olympic, Tehrān Postal code: 1489684511,
Iran
Syst Pract Action Res (2018) 31: –2179 20
Published online: 4 0172 July 2
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... Hanafizadeh and Mehrabioun (2018) believe that the iterative process of SSM, which includes observation and rich diagram creation of the problem situation and of ideal models, can provide an ideal vehicle for redescribing an issue, and "at arriving at the questions to be asked". But it is also necessary to focus the discussion and incorporate results of the literature from the field of performance measurement and management [11,15]. ...
... The application of SSM in new fields, such as sustainable development, knowledge management and project management, is also described in the literature. In addition, it is proposed to apply mainly the processes of inquiry used by the methodology or a hybrid use of SSM that includes the process of inquiry and elements of the methodology that are action-oriented [11]. Armstorng (2019) presents a "critical realist approach to SSM" which incorporates existing knowledge into the treatment of problematic situations. ...
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