Value-focused Thinking Research Articles

A Combined Value Focused Thinking-Soft Systems Methodology Approach to Structure Decision Support for Energy Performance Assessment of School Buildings

Several technological, social and organizational factors influence energy management in school buildings, resulting in a complex situation away from the usual engineering approach. The selection of evaluation criteria to assess the energy performance of school buildings remains one of the most challenging aspects since these should accommodate the perspectives of the potential key stakeholders. This paper presents a comprehensive problem structuring approach combining Soft Systems Methodology and Value Focused Thinking to elicit and organize the multiple aspects that influence energy efficiency of school buildings. The main aim of this work is structuring the fundamental objectives to develop a criteria tree to be considered in a multi-criteria classification model to be used by management entities for rating overall energy performance of school buildings. This methodological framework helped grasping the main issues at stake for a thorough energy performance assessment of school buildings and the need to define adequate policies for improvement.

Value-based information privacy objectives for Internet Commerce

The purpose of this paper is to define information privacy objectives based on values of individuals. The study is informed by the value-focused thinking approach that helps generate objectives for strategic decision makers. We employ a sequential mixed method approach in four phases. Phase 1 uses Value Theory to define individual values for information privacy. Using value-focused thinking the values are then converted into objectives. The objectives are classified into means and fundamentals based on their relative importance. In Phases 2 and 3, drawing on 207 and 458 respondents, respectively; we quantitatively define a more parsimonious set of objectives. In Phase 4, using a new sample of 221 respondents, we apply a confirmatory factorial analysis to test the models hypothesized in previous phases. In the final synthesis, a five-factor model of means and fundamental objectives is presented. Collectively the means and fundamental objectives for information privacy present a measurement scale, which is useful for researchers and marketers who wish to research how customer attitudes about how privacy influences Internet behavior. The objectives can also be useful for companies to design privacy for Internet Commerce.

Container Port Selection in West Africa: A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

The West Africa gross domestic product is expected to grow and port expansion projects will increase capacity by over 12 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) by 2020. With the economic potential that the region offers and the steady growth of container traffic, the port selection decision by shipping lines is complex because the region has a poor shipping infrastructure and political instability that impact transportation security supply chain services. This research applies a multi-attribute value theory (MAVT) with value-focused thinking (VFT) and alternative-focused thinking (AFT) methodologies to develop a shipping lines’ container port selection decision models for West Africa. Criteria and port alternatives from a previous published study were used in the research. The study demonstrates that a decision analysis model can be developed based on available quantitative port data rather than using data from surveys, interviews and questionnaires, as done in previous publications. In both approaches the Abidjan Port is the best option for shipping lines and the worst option is the Lagos Port. The VFT approach offers graphical displays that help decision makers understand strengths, weaknesses, tradeoffs, and improvement opportunities for each port alternative.

Strategizing sustainability in e-commerce channels for additive manufacturing using value-focused thinking and fuzzy cognitive maps

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight an innovative approach to explore and evaluate the sustainability perspectives in e-commerce channels for additive manufacturing (AM). This approach helps the stakeholders to perform strategic planning dependent on a scenario-based analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe paper structures the problem of understanding the sustainability perspectives of e-commerce channels for AM using value-focused thinking to identify the related fundamental objectives. These objectives assist in creating dynamic scenarios based on fuzzy cognitive maps of different e-commerce channels for AM.FindingsTo evaluate the proposed research methodology, four scenarios were developed for each e-commerce channel for AM. The exploration and evaluation of one of these scenarios assisted in explaining the whereabouts of the process to aid in strategizing decision situations and understanding these channels better from the sustainability perspective.Practical implicationsThe approach presented in this paper can be used by the practitioners to perform strategic planning for prioritizing sustainability in e-commerce channels for AM; considering the consequences and trade-offs wrt the other factors. Moreover, the scenario-based analysis can be performed depending on the problem requirements of the stakeholder.Originality/valueThe paper addresses the gap of understanding the theoretical aspect of the sustainability perspective in e-commerce channels for AM and the practical aspect of exploring and evaluating them. A scenario-based analysis for each e-commerce channel based on the fundamental objectives of sustainability provides insights for implementation and directions for future research.

Circular Economy through Objectives – Development of a Proceeding to Understand and Shape a Circular Economy Using Value-focused Thinking

The circular economy is a framework that sets into a relationship different ways of value creation and conservation, e.g. through reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing or recycling. It origins from different schools of thought and makes use of concepts developed independently, adding a systemic perspective of joint actions with the potential to harmonize economic, environmental and societal objectives. The richness of possibilities and the absence of a comprehensive definition of the circular economy however makes is hard for companies new to this concept to find an approach suitable for their situation and values. This paper presents an analysis of the elements and objectives of the circular economy and condenses knowledge from both literature and practice to a framework of goals using the methods of value-focused thinking. The results presented make the circular economy tangible and help companies to find their angle towards the CE, thus promoting the broad acceptance of the concept.

Reconciling value-based objectives for security and identity management

PurposeIn this paper, using values of individuals in a Swedish health-care organization, electronic identity management objectives related to security are defined.Design/methodology/approachBy using value-focused thinking, eliciting values from interviews of three groups of health-care staff’s objective hierarchies for three stakeholder groups are identified and defined. Objective hierarchies allow comparison across multiple stakeholder groups such that strategic objectives for identity management can be compared and contrasted.FindingsThis qualitative investigation, which used value-focused thinking, revealed 94 subobjectives, grouped into 12 fundamental and 14 means objectives, which are essential for developing measures that address potential value conflicts in a health-care organization around electronic identity management. The objectives developed in this study are grounded socioorganizationally and provide a way forward in developing measures aimed to reducing potential conflicts at a policy level.Originality/valueIn a final synthesis, congruence (or lack thereof) in the electronic identity management approach for a Swedish health organization is suggested. This also creates a foundation to evaluate and weight different objectives for strategic decision management.

Strategies for community improvement to tackle poverty and gender issues: An ethnography of community based organizations (‘Chamas’) and women's interventions in the Nairobi slums

Marginalized communities in developing countries are faced with a myriad of challenges, and women bear the significant brunt of these. In particular, women in patriarchal communities are vulnerable in these environments as they are constrained by gendered exclusions, expectations, norms and roles, as well as inequitable access to resources. In order to cope, these women form community organizations that give them a platform to organize as collectives and confront some of the challenges. Our study focuses on specific interventions with community organizations (Chamas) that are formed by women living in poverty in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. We employed an ethnographic approach that included participant observation and interviews, combined with Community-Based Operations Research (CBOR) and Value-Focused Thinking (VFT), to examine the notions of gender, intersectionality and agency in the context of a developing country. These approaches were deemed appropriate as they allowed a deep immersion into the participants’ worlds, as well as the consideration of the participants’ (and facilitators’) values that shaped their worldviews. The findings revealed that the gendered values held by the participants (and facilitators) intersected with other lived experiences to influence decision-making during the interventions. We therefore conclude that, because of this, the decisions reached need to be considered as negotiated, rather than optimal.

A systemic framework based on Soft OR approaches to support teamwork strategy: An aviation manufacturer Brazilian company case

The paper reports on the application of a combination of Operational Research (OR) approaches to a real-world case of re-designing the strategy of a department management team, in an aircraft manufacturing organisation in Brazil. We combine approaches from “Soft” OR Problem Structuring Methods in a multi-methodological framework arguing that this helps to discuss, develop and implement a new departmental strategy. The proposed framework uses elements of Soft Systems Methodology; Strategic Options Development and Analysis to understand and structure the situation; Value-Focused Thinking to define the means and objectives; and Value-Focused Brainstorming to highlight the potential solutions. We conceptualise a four-phased systemic framework linking elements of the above four “Soft” OR approaches and apply it to a real-world case in a department where a new team leader was appointed with the specific brief to improve the departmental strategy and its performance in general. Findings suggest that combining the approaches into a framework encourages trust and participation from stakeholders which, in practice, is translated into an improved strategy for the organisation. A reflection on the multi-methodological approach is proposed. Conclusions and points for further research are suggested.

Defining Objectives for Preventing Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is a significant challenge in the era of Internet and technology. When dealing with cyberstalking, institutions and governments struggle in how to manage it and where to allocate resources. Therefore, it is important to understand how individuals feel about the problem of cyberstalking and how it can be managed. In this paper, we use Nissenbaum’s (Wash L Rev 79(1):119–158, 2004) contextual integrity as a theoretical framework for applying Keeney’s (Manag Sci 45: 533–542, 1999) value-focused thinking technique to develop actionable objectives aimed at the prevention of cyberstalking. By systematically interviewing over 100 individuals, we extract 20 objectives based on the underlying norms of distribution and appropriateness relevant to the context of cyberstalking. The objectives ensure that contextual integrity is maintained and cyberstalking prevented. Organizations can benefit from the objectives developed in this research since they are a means for developing an ethical policy regarding cyberstalking. Therefore, they help to ensure an ethical engagement with society at large by organizations when dealing with cyberstalking. Researchers can use these objectives to explore the best means for their implementation by organizations and institutions. Additionally they can explore the network mapping of fundamental and means objectives to determine relationships and their strengths in the cyberstalking context.

Engineered Resilient Systems with Value Focused Thinking

AbstractComplex DoD systems need to be resilient due to evolving adversarial and environmental threats. The DoD created a program called Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS) to increase resilience in future systems. In our ERS research, resilience has been separated into two parts, mission and platform resilience. Mission resilience is the ability of a system to repel, resist, absorb, and recover from environments and threats that occur on planned missions. Platform resilience is the ability of a system to adapt to new missions and new threats. Using capabilities based planning one can map platform and mission resilience. This paper addresses how a value‐focused thinking (VFT) multiple objective decision analysis (MODA) model is a useful tool for capabilities based assessments. If all performance objectives can be categorized as mission or platform resilience, this extra value above the threshold of the minimum performance can provide mission and platform resilience. Displaying this information in a value component chart and a floating value chart allows decision makers to consider resilience early in the acquisition decision making process.

Mobile Collaboration Support for Virtual Teams

Organizations increasingly depend on virtual teams in which geographically distributed individuals use sophisticated technology to interact and collaborate. With the advancement of mobile and wireless technology, mobile support for collaboration among virtual team members is becoming increasingly important and popular. In this research, we study the values of mobile support for virtual team members. Using the qualitative technique, Value-Focused Thinking approach, proposed by Keeney, we interviewed 30 subjects who were involved in information systems development teams and asked them the values of mobile support for virtual collaboration. This study uses Alter's Work Systems Theory as the conceptual foundation.

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for evaluating new medicines in Health Technology Assessment and beyond: The Advance Value Framework

Escalating drug prices have catalysed the generation of numerous “value frameworks” with the aim of informing payers, clinicians and patients on the assessment and appraisal process of new medicines for the purpose of coverage and treatment selection decisions. Although this is an important step towards a more inclusive Value Based Assessment (VBA) approach, aspects of these frameworks are based on weak methodologies and could potentially result in misleading recommendations or decisions.In this paper, a Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodological process, based on Multi Attribute Value Theory (MAVT), is adopted for building a multi-criteria evaluation model. A five-stage model-building process is followed, using a top-down “value-focused thinking” approach, involving literature reviews and expert consultations. A generic value tree is structured capturing decision-makers' concerns for assessing the value of new medicines in the context of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and in alignment with decision theory.The resulting value tree (Advance Value Tree) consists of three levels of criteria (top level criteria clusters, mid-level criteria, bottom level sub-criteria or attributes) relating to five key domains that can be explicitly measured and assessed: (a) burden of disease, (b) therapeutic impact, (c) safety profile (d) innovation level and (e) socioeconomic impact. A number of MAVT modelling techniques are introduced for operationalising (i.e. estimating) the model, for scoring the alternative treatment options, assigning relative weights of importance to the criteria, and combining scores and weights.Overall, the combination of these MCDA modelling techniques for the elicitation and construction of value preferences across the generic value tree provides a new value framework (Advance Value Framework) enabling the comprehensive measurement of value in a structured and transparent way. Given its flexibility to meet diverse requirements and become readily adaptable across different settings, the Advance Value Framework could be offered as a decision-support tool for evaluators and payers to aid coverage and reimbursement of new medicines.

Sustainability focused decision-making in building renovation

An overview of recent research related to building renovation has revealed that efforts to date do not address sustainability issues comprehensively. The question then arises in regard to the holistic sustainability objectives within building renovation context. In order to deal with this question, the research adopts a multi-dimensional approach involving literature review, exploration of existing assessment methods and methodologies, individual and focus group interviews, and application of Soft Systems Methodologies (SSM) with Value Focused Thinking (VFT). In doing so, appropriate data about sustainability objectives have been collected and structured, and subsequently verified using a Delphi study. A sustainability framework was developed in cooperation with University of Palermo and Aarhus University to audit, develop and assess building renovation performance, and support decision-making during the project’s lifecycle. The paper represents the results of research aiming at addressing sustainability of the entire renovation effort including new categories, criteria, and indicators. The developed framework can be applied during different project stages and to assist in the consideration of the sustainability issues through support of decision-making and communication with relevant stakeholders. Early in a project, it can be used to identify key performance criteria, and later to evaluate/compare the pros and cons of alternative retrofitting solutions either during the design stage or upon the project completion. According to the procedure of the consensus-based process for the development of an effective sustainability decision-making framework which was employed in this study, the outcome can also be considered as an outset step intended for the establishment of a Decision Support Systems (DSS) and assessment tool suited to building renovation context.

Structuring objectives based on value-focused thinking methodology: Creating alternatives for sustainability in the built environment

The sustainability of the built environment has been the subject of numerous articles in the literature in recent years due to its importance for society. In this article, based on applying Value-Focused Thinking methodology (VFT) and the opinion of actors who are active in the construction industry, objectives are set and action alternatives are created. This has enabled new ideas to emerge that may well contribute towards rationalizing and using raw materials in buildings, thus leading to the more efficient use of available resources which, as a result, will have a positive impact on the sustainability of companies. VFT was used in this study to create more sustainable alternatives for the use and occupation of a building. In order to identify the strategic objective and the fundamental objectives for the decision context in question, three pillars of environmental sustainability were considered: improving management and the generation of energy; rationalizing and reusing water and wastewater; and managing wastes. From the analysis of the attributes associated with the fundamental objectives, alternatives were proposed and analyzes were performed for the problem under study. This led to proposing actions that should be implemented during the design phase and construction, with a view to obtaining positive results in terms of the sustainability of the built environment. A case study was presented in a construction project that was at a design stage. As a result, the company created alternatives that were prioritized using a multicriteria method, which included technical designs, specifications of more durable materials, automation, and other matters that can be implemented during the construction stage so as to provide a more sustainable built environment.

Value-Focused Thinking Model to Evaluate SHM System Alternatives From Military end User Requirements Point of View

Abstract The article describes Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) model developed in order to evaluate various alternatives for implementation of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system on a military aircraft. Four SHM system alternatives are considered based on: visual inspection (current approach), piezoelectric (PZT) sensors, Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors and Comparative Vacuum Monitoring (CVM) sensors. A numerical example is shown to illustrate the model capability. Sensitivity analyses are performed on values such as Cost, Performance, Aircraft Availability and Technology Readiness Level in order to examine influence of these values on overall value of structural state of awareness provided by particular SHM system alternative.

Applying Value-Focused Thinking to a Make Versus Buy Decision

The United States Army placed emphasis on decreasing the load an individual Soldier carries by reducing the weight of ammunition through the use of polymer-cased ammunition. This paradigm shift from brass to polymer raises concerns over the implementation aspect of this new procedure into the US Army’s current ammunition production process. Our client, Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM-MAS) sponsored our team to analyze various candidate solutions using a methodology grounded in value-focused thinking, and recommend an implementation method to produce 7.62 mm polymer-cased ammunition at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Lake City, Missouri. This paper outlines the application of systems thinking concepts, various problem definition techniques and value modeling in order to effectively compare three given scenarios using a total value score versus cost analysis for each candidate solution. Our final recommendation is to implement the Buy scenario because of its total score of 63.5 and estimated cost of $14.62 million.

Structuring objectives of media companies: a case study based on value-focused thinking and the balanced scorecard

ABSTRACTObjectives are fundamental to strategic management. However, while research exists on objectives of media companies, we know little about the relationships between them. In order to advance research in this field, we used value-focused thinking to investigate the objectives of a media company and the balanced scorecard as a framework to demonstrate their relationships. In interviews with 23 managers and employees of a German medium-sized local newspaper company, we found 698 distinct objectives and 1009 relationships. By concentrating on the most important objectives, we derived a balanced scorecard with 33 objectives and 65 relationships organised in seven perspectives. The results were then validated in a second case study on a Czech national media group.

Security in Social Networking Services: A Value-Focused Thinking Exploration in Understanding Users’ Privacy and Security Concerns

The continued growth of Social Networking Services (SNS) has significant implications for computer and cybercrime management. In exploring the human side of security, studies have shown that any security response requires more than technical solutions. This is even more so as users are often seen as the main point of vulnerabilities for computer systems including SNS. This study seeks to probe the important values in understanding how to maximize end-user security and privacy concerns in SNS. The study applies the Value-focused Thinking methodology to uncover the SNS users’ values in the form of their fundamental objectives/wishes, with an initial focus on developing economies in the Caribbean. The study found that privacy and integrity of SNS, security controls, corporate social responsibility and personal responsibility are fundamental in maximizing user security and privacy.

A method of assessing the time-variant value of multi-domain architectures

Modeling and simulation continues to improve the ability to evaluate future complex concepts and conduct early systems analysis. While the systems engineering community now advocates model-based systems engineering, the actual integrated methods and tools need to be refined. This research synthesizes descriptive architectural depictions of multi-domain (air and space) concepts, simulates these concepts through a physics-based model, collects several performance metrics, and integrates them using value-focused thinking. The proposed method enables the assessment of alternatives whose value can increase or decrease over time, depending on the design properties and operational scenario. Three surveillance concepts are proposed, made up of a low-earth orbit satellite constellation, with varying payloads, and extended by an unmanned air system flying waypoints in the area of interest. Uniquely, this method shows promise of depicting time-variant value assessments of these concepts across the simulation.

Value-focused framework for defining landscape-scale conservation targets

Conservation of natural resources can be challenging in a rapidly changing world and require collaborative efforts for success. Conservation planning is the process of deciding how to protect, conserve, and enhance or minimize loss of natural and cultural resources. Establishing conservation targets (also called indicators or endpoints), the measurable expressions of desired resource conditions, can help with site-specific up to landscape-scale conservation planning. Using conservation targets and tracking them through time can deliver benefits such as insight into ecosystem health and providing early warnings about undesirable trends. We describe an approach using value-focused thinking to develop statewide conservation targets for Florida. Using such an approach allowed us to first identify stakeholder objectives and then define conservation targets to meet those objectives. Stakeholders were able to see how their shared efforts fit into the broader conservation context, and also anticipate the benefits of multi-agency and -organization collaboration. We developed an iterative process for large-scale conservation planning that included defining a shared framework for the process, defining the conservation targets themselves, as well as developing management and monitoring strategies for evaluation of their effectiveness. The process we describe is applicable to other geographies where multiple parties are seeking to implement collaborative, large-scale biological planning.