Understanding the Comparison Phase in SSM: the process of engaging a framework of ideas against perceived ‘reality’

The social reality implied by SSM has not been formally discussed in academic circles since 1984. Yet what the methodology hopes to achieve in the real world is often demonstrated, through applications of it to various industries and more recently to the field of Information Systems. The recent focus of SSM research has been in and around the modelling process (Ledington and Ledington, (1999)) , Mode 1 and Mode 2 SSM (Checkland and Holwell, (1998)) combining hard and soft Systems Methodologies in industry practice (Mingers, (2000)). Very few researchers have attempted to tackle the notion of the social reality implied by SSM. Even fewer have attempted to describe what the notion of “Comparison” really means for real world users and the extent to which that process is the beginning of the social process inside SSM. This thesis attempts to extract the process of comparison and present it apart from SSM. The purpose of this is to understand the social process of comparison and therefore the social process inside SSM. Six cases using the idea over different areas including: managing technology, database development and design, aged care work, training development and, information systems development are presented and analysed. By examining the idea in some detail, in practice, a form of social process can be extracted and therefore the social reality (or what the methodology hopes to achieve in the real world of human activity) can be understood. Furthermore, the thesis presents SSM in a different management context. The context of everyday management as opposed to specialist project management situations as traditionally has been the case. For example, the cases presented all use the concept of engaging ideas and situation whilst not maintaining the structure of the original seven stage model. An everyday approach for SSM makes it more practicable in application and presents a new mode for SSM that has been dealt with sparingly in the past.; Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Business by Research, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2003.