Abstract
In this article, we introduce a classification scheme for publications of articles on SSM. Generally speaking, the publications can be divided into empirically orientated and theoretically orientated papers. Within each of these two categories a further subdivision is made. This subdivision consists on the one hand of a division into type of organizations and on the other hand of type of organization processes. The resulting model then gives one the opportunity to classify new publications and to search for papers to use in further research. It also shows the state of the art of possible areas of applications of SSM.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ackoff RL (1999). Re-Creating the Corporation, A Design of Organisations for the 21st Century. Oxford University Press: New York.
Ahaus C and van de Water H (1994). On responsibility and authority. Syst Res 11 (4): 77–102.
Arbnor I and Bjerke B (1997). Methodology for Creating Business Knowledge. Sage Publications: London.
Argyris C (1970). Intervention Theory and Method: A Behavioural Science View. Addison-Wesley Publishing: Reading, MA.
Argyris (1980). Inner Contradictions of Rigorous Research. Academic Press: New York.
Casti JL (1995). COMPLEXification, Explaining a Paradoxical World Through the Science of Surprise. HarperPerennial: New York.
Casti JL (1997a). Reality Rules: I Picturing the World in Mathematics—The Fundamentals. Wiley: New York.
Casti JL (1997b). Reality Rules: II Picturing the World in Mathematics—The Frontiers. Wiley: New York.
Checkland PB (1972). Towards a system-based methodology for real world problem solving. J Syst Eng 3: 87–116.
Checkland PB (1981). Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. Plenum: New York.
Checkland PB and Holwell S (1988). Information, Systems and Information Systems. Wiley: Chichester.
Checkland PB and Scholes J (1990). SSM in Action. Wiley: Chichester.
Christis J (2005). Theory and practice of soft systems methodology: a performative contradiction. Syst Res Behav Sci 22: 11–26.
Cowan GA, Pines D and Meltzer D (1994). Complexity Metaphors, Models, and Reality. A proceedings volume in the Santa Fe Institute studies in the science of complexity. Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA.
Fitzgerald LA (1996). Organizations and Other Things Fractal. A Primer on Chaos for Agents of Change. The Consultancy: Denver, CO.
Fitzgerald LA (2002). Chaos: The lens that transcends. J Org Change Manage 15 (4) (Special Issue ‘Chaos: Applications in Organizational Change’).
Flood R and Jackson MC (1991). Creative Problem Solving. Wiley: Chichester.
French WL, Bell CH and Zawacki RA (1989). Organization Development. RD Irwin, Inc. Homewood, IL.
Kantz H and Schreiber T (2004). Nonlinear Time Series Analysis. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
Kreher H (1994). Some recurring themes in using SSM. J Opl Res Soc 45: 1293–1303.
Lane DC (1999). Social theory and system dynamics practice. Eur J Opl Res 113 (3): 501–527.
Lane DC (2000). Should system dynamics be described as a ‘hard’ or ‘deterministic’ systems approach? Syst Res Behav SCI 17: 3–22.
Lane DC (2001a). Rerum cognoscere causas: Part I—How do the ideas of system dynamics relate to traditional social theories and the voluntarism/determinism debate? Syst Dyn Rev 17: 97–118.
Lane DC (2001b). Rerum cognoscere causas. Part II—Opportunities generated by the agency/structure debate and suggestions for clarifying the social theoretic position of system dynamics. Syst Dyn Rev 17: 293–309.
Ledington P and Donaldson J (1997). Soft OR and management practice. J Opl Res Soc 48: 229–240.
Mingers J (2000). Variety is the spice of life: combining soft and hard OR/MS methods. Int Trans Opl Res 7 (6): 673–691.
Mingers J and Taylor S (1992). The use of soft systems methodology in practice. J Opl Res Soc 43: 321–332.
Prigogine GNI (1989). Exploring Complexity: An Introduction. W.H. Freeman and Company: New York.
Rodriguez-Ulloa R and Paucar-Caceres A (2005). Soft System Dynamics Methodology (SSDM): A combination of soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and System Dynamics (SD). Syst Practice Action Res 8 (3): 303–334.
Rosenhead J and Mingers J (2001). Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited. Wiley: Chichester.
Slack N, Chambers SS and Johnston R (2001). Operations Management. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Strogatz SH (1994). Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos. Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA.
Vennix JAM (1996). Group Model Building: Facilitating Team Learning Using System Dynamics. John Wiley and Sons: Chichester.
van de Water H (1999). A maintenance model for quality management. Int J Qual Reliab Manage 17 (7): 756–770.
van de Water H and de Vries J (1992). The organization of quality management: from abstract model to real, example. Int J Qual Reliab Manage 9 (2): 10–18.
van Eijnatten FM (2001). Chaordic Systems for Holonic Organizational Renewal. Research in Organizational Change and Development, Volume 13. JAI Press/Elsevier: San Francisco, pp. 213–251.
van Eijnatten FM and van Galen MC (2002). Chaos, dialog and the dolphin's strategy. J Org Change Manage 15 (4): 391–402 (Special Issue ‘Chaos: Applications in Organizational Change’).
Willems JC (1989). From Data to Model. Springer-Verlag: Berlin.
Willems JC (1997). Introduction to Mathematical Systems Theory, A Behavior Approach. Springer: New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B
Every article in Appendix A is coded. In this appendix you will find the description of each code.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van de Water, H., Schinkel, M. & Rozier, R. Fields of application of SSM: a categorization of publications. J Oper Res Soc 58, 271–287 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602156
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602156