Soft OR and management practice: a study of the adoption and use of Soft Systems Methodology

Abstract

The adoption and use of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) within management practice is the central focus of the reported research study. The paper concentrates upon the extent to which SSM has been adopted and integrated into the management practice of 349 members of the Systems Study Group (SSG) of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI). The study builds upon and complements previous work that surveyed the use of Soft Systems Methodology in the United Kingdom. Although the results of the study are consistent with the previous research, the level of adoption is found to be much higher than anticipated and the form of adoption differs considerably from the UK study. Users are found to fall into two main groups; those that use the core elements of SSM and those that do not. However, both groups report successful use of the approach but yet again the attribution of success falls into two main categories, namely sense making and change management. It is concluded that a positive impact of SSM upon management practice can be demonstrated but that the nature of the impact remains unclear.