Abstract
Faced with the common problem of dissatisfaction with the outcome of investments in information systems (IS), the IS community has long sought ways to improve information systems development (ISD). This paper reports on action research (AR) that sought to improve the effectiveness a UK university’s student record system (SRS), which had exhibited persistent problems. Critical systems thinking (CST) is seen to have value for ISD and was used to guide the AR. In the first stage of this research, the issues with the initial design of the SRS were identified to have largely resulted from insufficient elicitation of the underlying assumptions about, and perspectives on, complex organisational issues. The second stage centred on examining the situation from an “ought” perspective analysing what should be done and how, in order to develop creative solutions to the problems uncovered. The third stage involved recommending solutions to address the problems identified in order to improve the effectiveness of the SRS. Overall, the AR indicates that CST enables those involved to view the design and implementation of the SRS as a holistic system, critically reflect upon broad and complex human, technological and organisational issues from different perspectives, and thereby identify creative solutions. The main contribution of this research is in generating support for an ISD intervention guided by CST. The results of, and the understanding developed from, this intervention are likely to be relevant to the problems that frequently occur in similar situations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Argyris C, Putnam R, Smith D (1985) Action science: concepts, methods and skills for research and intervention. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco
Baskerville R (1999) Investigating information systems with action research. Communications of AIS, vol 2, Article 19
Becker J, Niehaves B (2007) Epistemological perspectives on IS research: a framework for analysing and systematizing epistemological assumptions. Inf Syst J 17:197–214
Bentley Y, Clarke S (2011) Evaluation of information strategy—a critical approach. J Organ End User Comput 23(1):1–17
British Computer Society (BCS) (2004) The challenge of complex IT projects. BCS, London
Brown M (1996) A framework for assessing participation. In: Flood RL, Romm NRA (eds) Critical systems thinking: current research and practice. Plenum, New York, pp 195–211
Cao G, Clarke S, Lehaney B (2004) The need for a systemic approach to change management—a case study. Syst Pract Action Res 17(2):103–126
Cha HS, Pingry DE, Thatcher ME (2009) What determines IT spending priorities? Commun ACM 52:105–110
Checkland PB (1999) Systems thinking, systems practice: includes a 30-year retrospective. Wiley, Chichester
Clarke SA, Lehaney B (2000) Mixing methodologies for information systems development and strategy: a higher education case study. J Oper Res Soc 51(5):542–556
Clegg C, Axtell C, Damodaran L, Farbey B, Hull R, Lloyd-Jones R, Nicholls J, Sell R, Tomlinson C (1997) Information technology: a study of performance and the role of human and organizational factors. Ergonomics 40(9):851–871
Cordoba J (2007) Developing inclusion and critical reflection in information systems planning. Organization 14(6):909–927
Cordoba J (2009) Critical reflection in planning information systems: a contribution from critical systems thinking. Inf Syst J 19:123–147
Cordoba J, Midgley G (2008) Beyond organisational agendas: using boundary critique to facilitate the inclusion of societal concerns in information systems planning. Eur J Inf Syst 17:125–142
Eason K (1988) Information technology and organizational change. Taylor and Francis, London
Flood RL (1995a) Solving problem solving. Wiley, Chichester
Flood RL (1995b) Total systems intervention (TSI): a reconstitution. J Oper Res Soc 46:174–191
Flood RL (2010) The relationship of ‘systems thinking’ to action research. Syst Pract Action Res 23:269–284
Flood RL, Jackson MC (1991) Creative problem solving: total systems intervention. Wiley, Chichester
Gregor S, Martin M, Fernandez W, Stern S, Vitale M (2006) The transformational dimension in the realization of business value from information technology. J Strateg Inf Syst 15:249–270
Hochstrasser B, Griffiths C (1991) Controlling IT investment: strategy and management, 1st edn. Chapman and Hall, London
Huberman A, Mathew M (1994) Data management and analysis methods. In: Denzin NK (ed) The research act: a theoretical introduction to sociological methods. McGraw-Hill, New York, pp 428–444
Ison RL (2008) Systems thinking and practice for action research. In: Reason PW, Bradbury H (eds) The sage handbook of action research participative inquiry and practice, 2nd edn. Sage Publications, London, pp 139–158
Jackson MC (1997) Pluralism in systems thinking and practice. In: Mingers I, Gill A (eds) Multimethodology: theory and practice of combining management science methodologies. Wiley, Chichester, pp 347–378
Jackson MC (2006) Creative holism: a critical systems approach to complex problem situations. Syst Res Behav Sci 23:647–657
Jackson MC (2009) Fifty years of systems thinking for management. J Oper Res Soc 60:524–532
Jackson MC, Keys P (1984) Towards a system of systems methodologies. J Oper Res Soc 35:473–486
JISC (2011) Strategic ICT toolkit. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/gradschool/sict/. Accessed 2 Oct 2012
Maxwell JA (2005) Qualitative research design: an interactive approach, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks
Midgley G (1997) Mixing methods: developing systemic intervention. In: Mingers I, Gill A (eds) Multimethodology: theory and practice of combining management science methodologies. Wiley, Chichester, pp 246–290
Scott J, Vessey I (2002) Managing risks in enterprise systems implementations. Commun ACM 5(4):74–81
Ulrich W (1983) Critical heuristics of social planning: a new approach to practical philosophy, Bern: Haupt, Reprint edn. Wiley, Chichester, p 1994)
Ulrich W (1994) Critical heuristics of social planning: a new approach to practical philosophy, second edition, Berne, Haupt. Wiley, Chichester
Warren L, Adman P (1999) The use of critical systems thinking in designing a system for a university information systems support services. Inf Syst J 9:223–242
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bentley, Y., Cao, G. & Lehaney, B. The Application of Critical Systems Thinking to Enhance the Effectiveness of a University Information System. Syst Pract Action Res 26, 451–465 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-012-9253-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-012-9253-9