Ravalier PhD Theis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

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represented, a stark contrast from SSM which focus on the social context
in which an organisation is performing as well as the individual
subjectivity that is present in the employees of such social organisations
(Checkland, 1999). Embracing the 'complexity and confusion' of inquiry
and investigation in SSM is therefore a necessity, whereas HSM believe
that the same inquiry and investigation should be ordered and systematic.
As such SSM practitioners do not assume that a situation can be assumed
to consist of objectives which can be defined and thus used to improve
performance but rather thrives on an ambiguous, 'messy' approach. SSM
therefore appreciates socially-based situations and attempts to change
the relationships between people, thus making improvements on these.
SSM researchers and practitioners therefore aim to improve the social
situation of individuals via the use of both quantitative and qualitative
approaches (Wilson, 2001).
2a.1) Advantages of SSMC
Many researchers make the claim that SSMC are used precisely
because they are suited to successfully examining the contexts and
complexities of problems associated with organisational change
initiatives. An example of such is the use of SSMC in the NHS, because it
is suited to performance improvement in such highly demanding and
complex organisations. Jacobs (2004) argues that the use of SSMC can
help managers and others to develop new perspectives by accounting for
factors otherwise ignored and challenge prevailing attitudes and
entrenched assumptions.
Also, the study of human science is very complex owing to the
nature of the components that are studied, and SSM has the major
advantage over HSM in that it can accommodate poorly defined and
ambiguous information. Additionally, in studying the behaviour and
interaction of individuals as a system, investigation using a systems
approach can reveal the make-up of ‘living’ systems, thus emphasising
the importance of individual contributions. A soft systems approach
therefore permits analysis of the complexities of organisations by