REFLECTING ON SSM - THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN REAL-WORLD AND SYSTEMS THINKING WORLD

Soft systems methodology (SSM) has been used and developed over a quar ter of a century. This is an appropriate time for appraisal, and this is the first in a series of articles which will make such an appraisal of the approach. After investigating the kind of knowledge articulate d in an SSM study in terms of the categories 'knowing-how', 'knowing-t hat', but also 'knowing-from-within', the explicit or implicit 'dividi ng line' in the various representations of the methodology are re-exam ined. This line, in the original representation of the methodology, se parated the real world of the problem situation ('above the line') and the consciously-organized systems thinking world ('below the line'). It is argued that this divide, initially helpful in drawing attention to the conscious use of systems thinking to explore real-world complex ity, can be taken to indicate a false dualism; it is necessary to move beyond it if we are to make sense of contemporary sophisticated uses of SSM.