D.+SSM+section

Soft system methodology (SSM) is a methodology used to analyze “real-word” problems that one needs to deal with and change. It is a prescribed yet enriching way of considering multiple stakeholders involved in any change, which in return assists in viewing the problem from different perspectives as each one involved has his/her own unique understanding and/or perception of what the problem really is and how better deal with it. SSM is misunderstood for dealing with “soft” problems such as cultural and social problems only, while it is in fact deal with both “soft” and “hard” problems, i.e. technical, professional, etc. It is worth mentioning that SSM is an iterative process that is modified throughout the process as more perspectives come into consideration. **__ Why use SSM? __**  SSM is an effective way of considering the chaotic, unsystematic elements of a problem, especially a complex one, and pull them together in a systematic way. SSM views a system as an “epistemological” rather than an “ontological” entity. This means that SSM is more related to how people view things ….?? For example, one would view a “car” as an essential element of day-to-day life, while another views cars as life threatening ad environment polluters. A third, who own a car agency, views cars as factors for business thriving. All of these viewpoints are true to their owners, which makes none of them wrong. Being aware of the existence of such diverse views in any situation and considering all of them bring chaos into order and problems are more likely to be solved in accordance to all parties involved. Moreover, applying SSM leads to understanding of the context of a problem and helps at looking at it from the ground level rather than top. It is believed that local contexts, the values and perceptions of those at the grounds, are the key to success in any change. **__ How to use SSM? __**  Checkland (2006) who formed SSM describes how to apply SSM in the following stages: ** 1-  **** Draw a Rich Picture ** : an illustrative picture of what the situation is like would visualize the problem for you and could help you in extending your understanding of the problem.  ** An example of a Rich Picture (Checkland, 2006) **
 * __ What is Soft Systems Methodology? __**

** 2-  **** Carrying out Analysis One (The intervention itself) ** : At this stage, you need to identify three parties in relation to the problem:  a. “Client(s)”: is the person/people who initiated the intervention and without whom it would have not been in action  b. “Practitioner”: is the person/people who examine the problem  c. “Owners”: are the people affected by the intervention. This could also include the practitioner(s). ** 3-  **  ** Carrying out Analysis Two (Social): ** At this stage you will examine the “culture” of the problem to see how “culturally feasible” it is. 

 Ø ** Roles ** can be formal or informal:  o Formal roles, such as heads of department, senior managers and professors, are roles assigned formally by an authority.  o Informal roles, such as role-models, are roles that are attached to certain people due to their personal characteristics.  Ø ** Norms ** are the behaviors and patterns of actions associated to certain people due to the role they have. For example, a head of department could be associated with dressing, talking, smiling or sitting in a certain manner.  Ø ** Values ** are criteria by which “behavior-in-role” is judged. For example, a head of department is expected to make good decisions that would feed into the interest of the department’s staff. Not doing so would result in criticism and dissatisfaction from people. ** 5- **** Carrying out Analysis Three (Political): ** This stage is concerned with analyzing the powers that come into play in change and how they influence change. These are expressed in terms of “commodities” that enable power and how these commodities are “obtained, used, defended, passed on, or relinquished”. Examples of commodities:  Ø Access to important information <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø Access to important authorities <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø Having a history of achievements/ effective leadership etc ** How to do the recording? **  Have a special file to document and record what you observe at each stage of analysis and specify the date of your observations. This should help you at gathering necessary background information of your organization and context of problem. ** Making Activity Models ** In this section, a brief and concise explanation of activity models is given. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 1- ** Root Definition (RD): ** is a statement which describes an “activity system” and it should be a SINGLE one as it is considered as the basic description of the system. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 2- ** PQR: ** is the written statement of RD. PQR is formulated in this way: Do P By Q in order to achieve R. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø An example would be: Improve quality of learning by introducing Moodle in order to get international accreditation. <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 3- ** CATWOE ** <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø C: are the customers affected by the transformation (T) <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø A: are the actors who do the activities which the transformation (T) needs <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø T: is the transformation/change required <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø W: is the worldview of the activity system <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø E: is the environmental forces or factors that transformation would be affected by such as certain policies or time constraints <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ø O: are the owners of the transformations who could stop or change it <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 4- ** Three EEEs ** <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 1in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo4; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> a. Efficacy: to determine whether the objectives match the outcomes of change <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 1in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo4; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> b. Efficiency: resources are used in a considerable manner (with the least number of resources) <span style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 1in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo4; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"> c. Effectiveness: to determine if the change contributes to a longer-term goal