This paper concerns two system-based approached for organizational intervention - soft system methodology (SSM) and system dynamics (SD). After a brief description of the theoretical and methodological assumptions of the two a partial critique is presented. SSM is strong on the generation and representation of diverse perspectives, or Weltanschauugen and attempts to deal with the socio-political elements of an intervention. But SSM is weak in ensuring what is termed here ‘dynamics coherence’: consistency between the instinctive behavior resulting form proposed changes and behaviour deduced from ideas on causal structure. Hence, in situations where causal structure and instinctive behaviour are meaningful, the intervention is blind to the dynamic complexity of the proposed changes. SD examines the causal structures capable of explaining and exploring the dynamics interactions of different policies. However, whilst SD emphasises the need for a clear issue focus for a study, the approach has little theory regarding the generation and explicit representation of diverse issues. A proposal is made regarding the dove-tailing of the two to form a synthesis. After an SSM intervention a second stage is described. This continues the socio-political analysis and draws on the previous Weltanschauuugen. It operates within a new Weltanschauuug which values dynamic consistency of the holon which is able to represent the proposed changes. A model of this holon is constructed using SD to represent causal structure and deduce behavior. Using SD methods, the changes are thus rendered 'systemically desirable' in the additional sense that dynamic consistency has been confirmed. With due regard to respective theories and the preservation of ontological consistency, 'holon dynamics is utilized to describe the process. This paper closes with reflections on the proposed synthesis, particular emphasis being attached to the need for theoretical consistency when mixing tools.

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Date created

• 1994

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• Document

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• Creative Commons BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International

  
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System Dynamic Society Records

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• This collection is part of the University Archives