LC 00479

A Human Activity System (HAS) can be defined as a notional system (i.e., not existing in any tangible form) where human beings are undertaking some activities that achieve some purpose. They are used in SSM to establish worldviews of people involved in a problematic situation. The assumption is that people are inclined to act purposefully according to their worldviews.

A worldview (Weltanschauung) captures the beliefs, desires and intentions of a person. In cite{Learning for action}, the example is given of the purpose of putting an offender in prison. It may be seen as a place for punishment, as a process of rehabilitation, or as a university for educating criminals. A person almost never adheres to a single worldview, instead elements of worldviews are typically combined. And this is the purpose of SSM: to accommodate worldviews to find acceptable ways for all involved to change.

Principle: people differ in worldviews, but nevertheless they typically adhere to aspects of multiple worldviews, which provides room for accommodation.

A HAS in SSM is made up of several elements, including the PQR formula and CATWOE eventually leading to a Purposeful Activity Model (PAM). For the sake of completeness, a distinction can be made between the scope of a SSM investigation: Primary Task (PT) or Issue-Based (IB). A PT kind of investigation focuses on the core business of an organization or a department. The system boundary coincides with these organizational units. A problematic situation that cuts across organizational boundaries are considered of IB type. For modeling activities, the distinction between PT and IB is not important. However, it does matter in a SSM investigation because stakeholders tend to think in terms of existing PT structures, which can hamper to take on a broader IB view. So, the notion of PT and IB type of investigation can be kept in mind to avoid the pitfall of being trapped in small mindsets.

Toestemming vragen voor het gebruik van deze figuren, anders moeten we ze zelf opnieuw tekenen.

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Figure: Process and elements leading to a Purposeful Activity Model.

• Lees hiervoor:
  Finding Out - Rich Picture
• Lees hierna:
  Accommodating Worldviews and Taking Action

Referenties

• Soft Systems Thinking, Methodology and the Management of Change, Brian Wilson and Kees Van Haperen, Palgrave, 1 januari 2015.
• Learnig for Action; a Short Definitive Account of Soft Systems Methodology and its use for Practitioners, Teachers and Students, Peter Checkland and John Poulter, Wiley, 1 januari 2006.
• PDCA, Wikipedia, 18 november 2022.

Hier wordt aan gewerkt of naar verwezen door: Exploring Change, Extending the Human Cognition and Behavior Model, Mutual Understanding and Shared Meaning, Social Innovation Applications, Social Innovation Applications, Summary