Concern Solving Not Problem Solving

The object of this study is problem solving. The authors believe that considerable advantage can be gained from designers talking about clients’ concerns, rather than their problems. Using Mitroff and Linstone’s (1993) division of the knowing world into objective, subject and personal, the authors are suggesting need for a more personal perspective. Further, their and Checkland’s [1999] call for perspectives thinking can be used to very usefully separate the problem into object-like and subjective-like elements. The thing being studied is separated from the client’s concerns about that thing (treated as an object). The evidence to support this conclusion includes the multiple perspectives literature, and the first author’s many years of experiences in problem solving both is IS and in research design. A simple graphical tool is presented that the author has found useful to assist group discussion about separating the object under consideration from the client’s concerns

A Human Perspective of Contractor Prequalification

The contractor prequalification topic has had much written on it over the last two decades. In the past it has been primarily viewed in terms of the appropriate selection of contractors for construction projects. There has been extensive research interest into the functional and process driven aspects of contractor prequalification. However, there has been little research taking a more holistic view of contractor prequalification in terms of the human aspects that surround it. Hence, gaining a wider appreciation on how prequalification systems affect the major stakeholders seems warranted. The use of soft systems thinking allowed for an in-depth and contextual analysis of prequalification issues. This necessitated unstructured in-depth interviews to be carried out with senior industry practitioners. Sifting through their respective experiences allowed for an alternative view of contractor prequalification systems. It allowed a very human perspective of prequalification to emerge. The research suggests that viewing prequalification systems from a human perspective provides a fuller picture of their true benefits and limitations

I.S. Project Definition: From Seed To Tree

Project definition continues to be very problematic in Information Systems. Attempts to ‘nail down’ the definition of projects reflect what Mitroff and Linstone[1993] call an overly ‘technical’ or objective perspective. Rather a more social constructionist method is required. The authors arranged a small ‘town and gown’ colloquium to explore the problems and possible solutions to project definition. Drawing on this, and many years of their own project definition experience, the paper argues that project definition has to be explicitly treated as something that will constantly grow with client and designer interaction. Some pragmatic methods that align with this view are suggested

Problem Solving Through Cognitive Engagement

The traditional problem solving model characterised by Simon's chess playing steps of first collecting information and then evaluating alternative solutions, has been found to be problematic for dealing with complex, messy or wicked problems. Continuing in the tradition of the 'soft' management sciences and pragmatic systems thinking literature, this thesis seeks elaborations to this traditional problem solving model. It adopts an interpretive epistemology, believing problems to be social constructs. It therefore suggests that problem solving be seen more in terms of appreciating and responding to participants' cognitive frames. These frames are seen as the "windows" that form the conceptualisation of the way in which actors understand the world. Responding and interacting to these conceptual frames is called the 'cognitive engagement' approach to problem solving. This thesis, therefore, first highlights some of the limitations of the traditional problem solving model to demonstrate that something more generic is required for messy or wicked problems. It then summarises the now extensive literature that argues that this sort of problem solving is best understood in terms of shifting participants' cognitive frame rather than in terms of information collection. Next, the cognitive engagement literature is summarised to demonstrate that this does seem to provide a viable alternative. The cognitive engagement concept is then justified by using it to interpret two areas of concern. One involves an aid agency, which solved its perceived funding problems only when it was forced to change its conceptual frame by a tragic event. The second is an in-depth case which involves a large transport company that was having problems implementing its supply chain enterprise system because operators had a different conceptual frame to that of the management. It is concluded that the cognitive engagement concept offers a useful alternative addition to how we should think about problem solving involving human activity