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IS 788 [Process] Change Management

Lecture: Change management: People issues in BPR, 2 of 3 – Soft systems methodology

Presentation and Discussion – “Using Soft Systems Methodology to Examine Communication Difficulties”

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Soft-Systems Methodology

Can I have a show of hands of those who believe that with sufficient exercise of logic all process related issues are amenable to objective, quantitative solutions.

YOU ARE BEYOND HOPE. PLEASE LEAVE THE CLASSROOM NOW.

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Some situations are inherently messy, political and confused.

SSM is a tool for dealing with such situations – where decision making entails dealing not only with planning, but also with political and social entities.

HSM is concerned with achieving objectives

SSM is a learning and managing process

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Paradigms of inquiry (say wha?)

There are multiple, commonly used ways of viewing and learning about the world.

In a psychologically demonstrable way (as opposed to a touchy-feeley way) the mode of inquiry creates perceived reality.

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SSM seeks to reconcile different realities HSM: the system or process is

engineered to achieve objectives Useful at the operational level,

particularly when consensus exists on goal and objectives and means to achieve them

SSM: acknowledges HSM as one (of many) possible perspectives. Assumes common goals and methods are to be discovered – that they are not obvious.

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HSM stalls when: There are multiple realities and each

is unacknowledged by the other When the problem is over-constrained

– too complex and attempting to serve too many objectives at the same time

Many soft problems can masquerade as objective issues when social realities are ignored!

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Human activity systems

Any process not completely automated – including automated inputs and automated customers – is a human activity system

SSM explores and surfaces the “crucial element of subjectivity embedded in all human activity systems.”

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SSM / HSM Summary

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SSM: How? Begin by identifying six key elements

Customers – victims or beneficiaries of the system (process)

Actors – perform the activities of the process Transformation – the process itself Weltanschauung – the worldview that sees T as

important Owner – who could stop the process Environment – external constraints, i.e. laws,

culture

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Similarities and differences to existing analysis methods

Other enlightened process analysis methodologies investigate T- the process, C – the customer, A – the actors and even E – the environment.

Only SSM surfaces the deep, frequently unstated assumptions in multiple Weltanschauung (one for each group) and makes political issues explicit with Owners

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SSM: How? (2)

Rich pictures are one proven way of beginning to identify Weltanschauung

A rich picture is a concept map of the entire situation – with emotions deliberately left attached to issues

http://www.sprint.gov.uk/docs/toolkit_rich1.htm

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Weltanschauung are key

The SSM ‘investigator’ is responsible for bridging multiple worldviews

But before this can happen - How many Weltanschauung are there in

the situation? What are the assumptions of each? They

can be radically different. Freedom fighter or terrorist Serving patients or ease of reimbursement

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The analysis process

From real world (I andII) to idealized systemdescription (III and IV) and back again (V, VI, and VII)

CATWOE

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From CATWOE to root definitions (RD’s) Identifying the CATWOE for each group

gives the vocabulary – the terms in which the group thinks about itself – for expressing the root definitions of each group: RD’s “express the core intention of a purposeful

activity system [process]. RD’s are structured into

What? How? Why? (frequently omitted, but highly significant)

RD’s are idealized expressions of what a group wants, hopes or believes its activities are about

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From RD’s to conceptual models

RD’s are typically expressed in natural language: one or more paragraphs defining a group’s activities in the language of the group CATWOE. Verbs are stressed.

A graphical relationship between activities can be created from the RD – the conceptual model

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Example from “Using SSM to Examine Communications Difficulties”

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RD in CATWOE terms, stressing verbs (this is an activity description)

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From RD to Conceptual Model(a graphic expansion of the RD)

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Back to the real world

DetermineCATWOE

Generate RD

Generate conceptualmodel

Compare what you want with

what you’ve got

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A final word from Donald Schon, one of the most respected management scientists of our time:

“In the swampy lowland [a metaphor] messy, confusing problems defy technical solution. . . The practitioner must choose. Shall he remain on the high ground where he can solve the relatively unimportant problems according to prevailing standards of rigor, or shall he descend to the swamp of important problems and non-rigorous inquiry?”

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Leadership in CAS (O & E Ch. 2) Leader as facilitator – foster interactions, don’t try

to control them CAS are massively entangled

Example – the university Academics typically have interaction with Federal

and State governments Students Other COBA departments (committees) Other colleges (committees) Industry (advisory boards, consulting) University administration Other universities, some in other countries Ex. The ad-hoc committee on process knowledge in

the curriculum

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Massive entanglement implies Traditional change strategies

involving a single change agent (or agency) i.e. leader, champion – won’t work

In a complex organization no one participant can override the multiple messages from other system agents. (Yes, the CEO can fire you, but that still doesn’t change the organization in any meaningful way.)

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CAS are messy, but Things run just fine even if -

You don’t have a single coherent view of (or within) the workgroup

There is no single source of power Differences in approach and style are a benefit

“If you create an environment where people truly participate, you don’t need control. They know what needs to be done and they do it.” Chairman, Southwest Airlines

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In a CAS formal leaders have three jobs:

1. Set the container (the boundaries, both physical and procedural, of the system) Set the minimum specifications Provide resources and get out of the way Stretch or shrink boundaries to optimize energy

– prevent stasis or over-extension Set general direction

Which of the above are traditional and which are rarely found?

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Leader’s jobs (continued) 2. Exploit diverse viewpoints

Explore contradictory views of the group and its process

Accept contention and adversity – absence of conflict indicates stasis

3. Facilitate interactions Encourage feedback Link communities of practice Encourage learning

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Summary: Tightly controlled, homogenous,

hierarchical organizations can be controlled by traditional methods

Such organizations are not competitive in a global economy – they move too slowly

Influencing people with incentive$ achieves movement, but by itself, does not achieve lasting change.

In CAS (most agile organizations) change comes bottom-up.