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Applying Soft Systems Methodology to the Practice of Managing Family Businesses in Catalonia
Author(s) -
PaucarCaceres Alberto,
Hart Diane,
Roma i Vergés Joan,
SierraLozano David
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/sres.2356
Subject(s) - soft systems methodology , software deployment , knowledge management , set (abstract data type) , family business , systems thinking , business process , sociology , process management , computer science , business , management , information system , marketing , engineering , artificial intelligence , management information systems , economics , electrical engineering , programming language , operating system , work in process
We argue that that systemic methodologies rooted in the learning paradigm and, in particular, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) are well‐suited to tackle the complexity of family business organisational processes. We report on the way in which SSM has been incorporated into the training programme of the ‘Institute for Social and Organizational Innovation’ (INNOVA), towards equipping family business managers with tools for better understanding of complexity surrounding family business processes. We suggest that an SSM application can be enhanced by awareness of interpretative‐driven concepts such as: ‘map/territory’, ‘revelation/demarcation’ and ‘positive/negative capabilities’. This set of systemic concepts can act as a useful backdrop to an SSM application. We illustrate this by reporting on the deployment of SSM concepts during two workshops with family business managers in Barcelona, The paper should be of interest to systems practitioners, consultants and managers concerned about using systemic tools to make sense of businesses in complex environments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.