Combined Use of Systems Methodologies in Creative Managing the Problem Situations: Key Features, Benefits and Challenges
Keywords:
management problem situations, systems methodologies for problem situations structuring, critical systems thinking, combined use of systems methodologies, improvement of managing the problem situations in enterprisesAbstract
Management problems in contemporary enterprises should be, according to their increasing complexity and diversity, observed and explored as the management problem situations, that is the systems of problems. Creative dealing with these complex, dynamic and ambiguous problem situations implied the development of a great variety of systems approaches to problem solving, i.e. systems methodologies for problem situations structuring. Since no methodology is able to explore all aspects of the complex problem situations in enterprises, the topic of the paper is combined use of systems methodologies in creative managing the problem situations. The goal of this paper is to highlight the key features, benefits and challenges of combining the systems methodologies in creative managing the problem situations in enterprises. Therefore, research in the paper is relied on Critical Systems Thinking as a conceptual framework for combined use of systems methodologies. Despite the limitations of combining the systems methodologies, methodologically appropriate combined use of systems methodologies enables improvement of managing the problem situations in contemporary enterprises.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Bennett, P., Ackermann, F., Eden, C., Williams, T. (1997), „Analysing Litigation and Negotiation: Using a Combined Methodology”, In Mingers, J. and Gill, A. (Eds.), Multimethodology – The Theory and Practice of Combining Management Science Methodologies, Wiley,Chichester, pp. 59-87.
Bowers, D.T. (2011), „Towards a Framework for Multiparadigm Multimethodologies”, Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 537-552.
Čančer, V., Mulej, M. (2010) „The Dialectical Systems Theory’s Capacity for Multi-Criteria Decision-Making”, Systems Research and Behavioural Science, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 285-300.
Clarke, S., Lehaney, B. (2000), „Mixing Methodologies for Information Systems Development and Strategy: A Higher Education Case Study”, The Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 51 No. 5, pp. 542-556.
Jackson, M.C. (1991), “Systems methodologyfor the Management Sciences”, Plenum, New York.
Jackson, M.C. (1994), „Critical Systems Thinking: Beyond the Fragments”, System Dynamics Review, Vol. 10 No. 2/3, pp. 213-229.
Habermas, J. (1972), „Knowledge and Human Interests“, Heinemann, London.
Jackson, M.C. (2001), „Critical Systems Thinking and Practice”, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 128 No. 2, pp. 233-244.
Jackson, M.C. (2003), “Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers”, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Jackson, M.C. (2010), „Reflections on the Development and Contribution of Critical Systems Thinking and Practice”, Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 133-139.
Kinloch, P., Francis, H., Francis, M., Taylor, M. (2009), „Supporting Crime Detection and Operational Planning with Soft Systems Methodology and Viable Systems Model”, Systems Research and Behavioural Science, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 3-14.
Kotiadis, K., Mingers, J. (2006), „Combining PSMs with Hard OR Methods: The Philosophical and Practical Challenges”, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 57 No. 7, pp. 856-867.
Kuhn, T. (1962), “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”, The 2nd Edition, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Lane, D., Oliva, R. (1998), „The Greater Whole: Towards a Synthesis of System Dynamics and Soft Systems Methodology”, European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 107 No.1, pp. 214-235.
Mingers, J. (1997а), „Towards Critical Pluralism”, In Mingers, Ј. and Gill, А. (Eds.), Multimethodology – The Theory and Practice of Combining Management Science Methodologies, Wiley, Chichester, pp. 1-20.
Mingers, J. (1997b), „Multiparadigm Multimethodology”, In Mingers, Ј.and Gill, А. (Eds.), Multimethodology – The Theory and Practice of Combining Management Science Methodologies, Wiley, Chichester, pp. 407-437.
Mingers, J. (2000), „Variety Is the Spice of Life: Combining Soft and Hard OR/MS Methods”, International Transactions in Operational Research, Vol. 7 No. 6, pp. 673-691.
Mingers, J. (2001), „Combining IS Research Methods: Towards a Pluralist Methodology”, Information Systems Research, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 240-259.
Mingers, J., Brocklesby, J. (1997), „Multimethodology: Towards a Framework for Mixing Methodologies”, Omega – International Journal for Management Science, Vol. 25 No. 5, pp. 489-509.
Munro, I., Mingers, J. (2002), „The Use of Multimethodology in Practice-Results of a Surwey of Practioners”, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 53 No. 4, pp. 369-378.
Ormerod, R. (1997), „Mixing Methods in Practice: A Transformation-Competence Perspective”, In Mingers, J. & Gill, A. (Eds.), Multimethodology – The Theory and Practice of Combining Management Science Methodologies, Wiley, Chichester, pp. 29-58.
Petrović, S. P. (2012), „Pluralism in Structuring the Management Problem Situations”, Teme, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 797-814.
Pollalis, Y.A., Dimitriou, N.K. (2008), „Knowledge Management in Virtual Enterprises: A Systemic Multi-methodology towards the Strategic Use of Information”, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 305-321.
Schwaninger, M., Peréz Ríos, P.H. (2008), „System Dynamics and Cybernetics: A Synergetic Pair”, System Dynamics Review, Vol. 24 No 2, pp. 145-174.
Zlatanović, D. (2015), „Metodološki aspekti kombinovanog korišćenja sistemskih metodologija u upravljanju problemskim situacijama poslovne ekonomije” (in Serbian: Methodological Aspects of Combined Use of Systems Methodologies for Managing the Problem Situations of Business Economics; Doctoral Dissertation), Faculty of Economics, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac.
