Problem Structuring Methods: A Review of Advances Over the Last Decade

Improving the mental health care process in response to Covid-19 pandemic: The case of a penitentiary mental health division

Covid-19 outbreak led all organizations to reorganize their processes to prevent infection and contagion risk. All healthcare facilities, included penitentiary mental health services, had to redesign their processes to safely deliver care services. In this paper, the case of a Penitentiary Mental Health Division located in southern Italy is presented. Soft System Methodology and Business process management principles and techniques are adopted to analyse and redesign the detainees' mental health care process. The process, characterized by direct, close and prolonged contact with patients, exposes detainees and healthcare staff to a high Covid-19 infection risk. Through document analysis, interviews with the actors involved in the process and direct observation, the process's inefficiencies and criticalities are identified. The process is redesigned to make it compliant with Covid-19 prevention provisions and national penitentiary regulations and address the other criticalities. The proposed methodological approach-which innovatively combines Soft System Methodology and Business Process Management-constitutes a human-centered process-based redesign approach that can be used both in healthcare and other organizational settings.

Complex Problems and Dealing with them on a Research Methods Course in a Business School

This study offers a conceptual explanation of a holistic methodology that has utility in how we engage with complex situations. This is the VIPLAN Methodology developed by Raul Espejo and first published in 1988. A case is presented that evaluates whether this methodology has impact when tacitly embedded in a postgraduate research methods course. The underlying argument is that research can be usefully viewed as a form of engagement in complex problem situations, with one challenge being to make sense of situational complexity and establish the question. Thus, it becomes appropriate to introduce the principles underpinning this methodology into a research methods course in order to develop student understanding of how to move from making sense of the situation to a clearly defined problem that is then handled. The study examines a research methods course delivered annually over a period of three years, but drawing upon data from the previous two years, permitting a five year perspective. The evidence from this study in the form of marks attained and proposal - dissertation topics, indicates that this more holistic approach to a research methods course has a positive impact, especially in terms of establishing a research question. It is concluded that the introduction of the principles underpinning this methodology into a research methods course does enhance the student ability to handle complex situations.

Micro-Skills for Learning Soft Systems Methodology? Challenges and Opportunities in an Undergraduate Dissertation Project

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) holds promise as an effective approach to addressing real-world problem situations. However, new learners of SSM can expect a number of challenges in learning the approach: its ambiguity and complexity, the number of likely unfamiliar concepts, its focus on rational analysis over emotion, and the demanding environment in which it is applied. This paper furthers the discussion of the teaching and learning of SSM in undergraduate education by considering SSM and its components from a skills-based perspective. We suggest that attention to critical, underlying component behaviors that make up SSM and an increased consideration of emotional issues in its application are key to improving learning outcomes for initial learners. We explore challenges and an approach for address these through an illustrative case involving an undergraduate dissertation project. Finally, we offer a number of recommendations and possible future lines of research which could support SSM’s more widespread adoption in education and practice.