The use of technology consultants to assist in the implementation of complex information technology (IT) innovations has been the trend in the past several years. For some complex integrated software solutions, the consultants have become the largest cost component. This study examines the relative efficiency (success) of technology consultants in IT innovation implementation. Thirty-six firms ...

This paper proposes a methodology to decompose organisation or enterprise complexity so that all requirements for a knowledge management system are considered. The technique builds upon soft system methodologies and ‘hard’ system engineering approaches. It begins with the assumption that objectives or outcomes are achieved in an environment that produces or has constraints. These constraints ei...

Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology for defining and solving problems in organizations is presented on the basis of an application of the methodology. In many ways this approach represents an improvement in relation to more traditional approaches to computer-based information systems. Based on an experiment we explore the possibilities of combining the practical usefulness of soft systems thin...

Heath ECROYD*, Sarah MEEHAN*, Joseph HORWITZ†, J. Andrew AQUILINA‡, Justin L. P. BENESCH§, Carol V. ROBINSON§, Cait E. MACPHEE‖ and John A. CARVER*1 *School of Chemistry and Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia, †Jules Stein Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7008, U.S.A., ‡School of Biological Sciences, Universit...

A large number of accuracy measures for image classification are actually available in the literature for cris classification. Overall accuracy, producer accuracy, user accuracy, kappa index and tau value are some examples. But in contrast to this effort in measuring the accuracy in a crisp framework, few proposals can be found in order to determine accuracy for soft classifiers. In this paper ...

This chapter will briefly introduce the principles of General Systems Thinking (GST) as defined by classic literature on the subject (Ackoff, 1971; Battista, 1977; Bertalanffy, 1968; Boulding, 1956; Churchman, 1968; Waelchi, 1992; Weinburg, 1975). In particular, this chapter will contrast two opposing operational research (OR) views about systems thinking; the ‘reductionistic’ (‘hard’) approach...

Statistical thinking is a well-established approach that involves the application of the scientific method to solving real-world organizational problems. The premise behind statistical thinking is that a disciplined approach to gathering facts can be used to identify the root causes that act as a barrier to successful performance. Once these root causes are identified, corrective action can be ...

In the current market there is a proliferation of knowledge management software solutions. The aim of this paper is to discuss issues concerned in selecting such a system to support knowledge workers. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and SISTeM (Cycle 1) were used as problem solving approaches within an action research framework to analyse KMS issues, human computer interaction, and developing cr...

In line with the conference theme – „Collegiality“ – the authors propose to build a bridge between two Systems Approaches, namely System Dynamics (SD) and Management Cybernetics (MC). This synthesis is aimed at opening a path for a better capability to deal with complex issues of actors in both organizations and society. With their respective strengths – modelling and simulation of content issu...

Some soft and critical emancipatory systems approaches have relied on some version of the idea that in knowing, humans organise the content of experience by means of conceptual schemes. Based on this, they have further proposed ways of describing particular views and beliefs of persons involved in a situation of concern, with the purpose of proposing understanding and/or critique. Furthermore, ...