A Method For Developing Churchmanian Knowledge Management Systems

Some problems confronted by managers include ill-formulated wicked planning problems, a type of problem that is difficult to solve because, in part, it is difficult to know what the problem is. The Churchmanian Knowledge Management Systems (CKMS) (Richardson & Courtney, 2004) is comprised of design principles for aiding system designers, managers, and clients who make decisions pertaining to these ill-formulated wicked planning problems. Problemography theory is proposed as a method for developing a CKMS. The method aims to measure CKMS development by using development tools that enables stakeholders and theoreticians to clarify CKMS development. A study was conducted to test a proof-of-concept development tool. The tool tested is a proposed list of processes that occur during CKMS development, processes derived from Churchman\u27s (1971) Singerian inquiring systems theory. A gap analysis was performed whereby the proposed processes were compared with the processes found during a case study of people confronting issues related to the \u27wicked\u27 problem of Florida\u27s invasive plant problem. A second study was conducted to explore possible design principles for developing a CKMS. Two proposed design principles, Every Person Principle and Connectedness Caretaker Principle, were used to develop a Describe a Wicked Problem Inquiring System (DAWP), a Web site which aims to enable inquirers to confront wicked problems. Participants in the study formulated problems related to Florida\u27s native plants and suggested potential solutions. Using Wengraf\u27s (2001) theory-driven qualitative research, interviews with participants were analyzed and the results suggest that the Web site being developed enabled the consideration of the ethical ramifications of knowledge

Knowledge Management and Churchman\u27s Inquirers: Evidence of Supporting Research

This paper examines current knowledge management research with respect to Churchman\u27s (1971) inquiring systems. Given that two of the most important constructs in knowledge management are knowledge creation and organizational learning, these systems should reflect the characteristics of inquiring systems as defined by Churchman (1971) and subsequently conceptualized by Mason and Mitroff (1973) and Hall, Paradice, and Courtney (2003), and should support inquiring organizations as conceptualized by Courtney, Croasdell, and Paradice (1998). This paper presents a case for using Churchman’s inquiring systems as a lens through which to view knowledge management research and examines extant research for areas appropriate for such a framework. Understanding Churchman’s inquirers and their characteristics may be critical to the direction and focus of future knowledge management research

Churchman\u27s Inquiring Systems: Kernel Theories for Knowledge Management

Churchman [1971] defines inquiry as an activity that produces knowledge. He examines the epistemologies of five schools of philosophy from the perspective of general systems theory, asking the question as to whether each is suitable as the basis for the design of computer-based inquiring systems. He considers systems design and design theory in some detail. We believe that Churchman\u27s inquiring systems can form the basis for the design of knowledge management systems and that the IS research community has hardly tapped the potential of inquiring systems in that regard. Mason and Mitroff [1973] brought inquiring systems into the IS literature early on, essentially making the work endogenous to the field. We argue that building on inquiring systems can contribute to developing IS as a discipline by maintaining continuity in research and developing a theory that IS can call its own. We believe that the lack of use of Churchman\u27s work may be due to its lack of visibility in recent years and attempt to remedy that by summarizing the basics of the inquirers in some detail, trying not to interpret, but to remain faithful to the original. The paper encourages readers to study the original and develop their own notion of how the inquirers might be used in knowledgemanagement work. There are probably as many different perspectives on how inquiring systems could support KMS as there are IS researchers willing to study them. We would like to encourage a proliferation of such perspectives

Inquiring Information Systems in the Boundary-Less World: The FRAANK Example

The boundary-less world has increased the number of wicked problems facing managers today. The Internet has created a potentially open electronic world at the same time that organizations are tying themselves to proprietary enterprise system infrastructures. The basic concepts of doing business electronically have not been worked out. The security infrastructure underlying the foundations of electronic commerce is in its infancy, and the issues of confidentiality, authentication, data integrity, and non-repudiation remain barriers to truly removing boundaries between enterprises (Bhimani 1996). The five types of evidence generating information systems laid out by Mason and Mitroff (1973); Lockean, Leibnizian. Kantian, Hegelian, and Singer - Churchmanian, are discussed here in the context of internet agents. The convergence of these perspectives is then demonstrated in the architecture of the FRAANK (Financial Reporting Auditing Agent with Net Knowledge) intelligent agent (Kogan et. al, 1998)

Liberty Support for Singerian Inquiring Systems: Designs from Early American Patriots

Adopting the “heroic mood” is a method of Singerian inquiring systems (Churchman, 1971) that promotes the discovery of new knowledge by expedition. The heroic mood fortifies and encourages an inquirer to embark upon a purposeful journey that critically examines the status quo and leads the way to novel solutions. However, if an inquirer adopts the heroic mood, what prevents this adventurer from losing control of the inquiry process and hindering the free inquiry of others? Along with the knowledge-seeking maneuvers emboldened by the heroic mood come risks. This research asks what guidelines should be designed into a knowledge management system to aid a Singerian inquirer’s assessment of liberty, both the inquirer’s liberty and the liberty of others. A tentative set of five guidelines for the design of liberty support are derived from the stories of five early American patriots who performed knowledge tasks in the ethically challenging conditions of social revolution

Hegelian Inquiring Organizations: Guiding Principles, Design Guidelines, and IT Support

This paper continues the tradition (Courtney et al. 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) of using the principles of inquiring systems design (Churchman, 1971) to suggest how effective learning organizations might be developed. Specifically, the paper proposes that Hegelian inquiring systems are well suited for “wicked” problems and knowledge work, and therefore that Hegelian inquiring organizations are well suited for the wicked environments of the new world of business (Malhotra, 1997, 2000). In addition, the paper shows how extant information technologies can support Hegelian inquiring organizations

Inquiring Decision Systems: A Churchmanian Approach to Ethical Decision Making

Many business organizations seem to be doing everything but making ethical organizational decisions these days. In stark contrast, social enterprises are organizations that operate as businesses but are altruistic, humanitarian, and seek the goal of creating social value in effective, efficient and ethical ways. This paper applies principles of social enterprises to develop a multi-perspective framework for ethical business decision-making within a philosophical context provided by C. West Churchman’s inquiring systems in organizations