Interaction and Transformation in SSM

The penetration of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) into information systems (IS)
development is Ð despite several initiatives Ð rather limited as compared to how
innovative and effective SSM has proven as an approach to organizational learning in
general. This paper investigates the traditional soft systems concept as a key barrier that
needs to be transcended to further develop SSM in the context of IS development.
All kinds of human activities are in SSM viewed as transformations from one domain
(the input) to another domain (the output). This perspective reflects classical floworiented
information systems based on batch-processing technology while ignoring
the highly interactive nature of contemporary information systems. The paper argues
and illustrates that there is a need for a complementary type of soft system in IS
development, it offers a specific proposal for how to include interaction systems in SSM,
and it outlines the implications of doing so for soft systems thinking and practice.