Case Article—Teaching Soft Systems Methodology and a Blueprint for a Module

This paper reflects upon the teaching of soft systems methodology (SSM) to undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive students. The paper presents SSM as an all-purpose approach to tackling complex situations, which can be conceived as an experiential learning cycle. SSM adopts a participative approach to problem solving and uses systems modeling to structure discussion between stakeholders. After introducing the basic nature of SSM, the paper discusses issues with teaching it. These are seen to stem from the flexible nature of SSM and the unusual modeling language. An example case study and module blueprint are then presented that have proved successful with preexperience and postexperience students. The teaching approach is based upon the principles of experiential learning and the paper shows how a realistic consulting project helps students to experience the use of SSM and grasp the nature of the systems modeling. The paper argues that student groups need to be facilitated though role-play to achieve a productive experience and acceptable analytic outcomes.