Abstract
The penetration of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) into information systems (IS) development is—despite several initiatives—rather limited as compared to how innovative and effective SSM has proven as an approach to organizational learning in general. This paper investigates the traditional soft systems concept as a key barrier that needs to be transcended to further develop SSM in the context of IS development.All kinds of human activities are in SSM viewed as transformations from one domain (the input) to another domain (the output). This perspective reflects classical flow-oriented information systems based on batch-processing technology while ignoring the highly interactive nature of contemporary information systems. The paper argues and illustrates that there is a need for a complementary type of soft system in IS development, it offers a specific proposal for how to include interaction systems in SSM, and it outlines the implications of doing so for soft systems thinking and practice. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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