Checkland

Checkland, Peter Brian (1930-2016) was a British management scientist and Emeritus Professor of Systems at Lancaster University. He is best known as the originator of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a widely used approach to dealing with complex problem situations, particularly in management and information systems.

SSM, developed over decades of research and application, provides a structured way to explore messy, ill-defined problems where objectives and goals are unclear or contested. It moves away from the "hard systems" approach of defining objectives first and then designing systems to meet them, acknowledging that in many real-world situations, agreement on objectives is the biggest hurdle.

Checkland's work emphasizes understanding different perspectives, or "Weltanschauungen" (worldviews), held by stakeholders within a problem situation. SSM involves constructing conceptual models based on these perspectives and then comparing them to the real world to generate debate and learning, ultimately leading to action.

His key publications include "Systems Thinking, Systems Practice" (1981), which details the development and application of SSM, and "Information Systems and Systems Thinking" (1990), co-authored with Sue Holwell. Checkland's contributions have had a significant impact on the fields of systems thinking, management science, information systems, and organizational development. He advocated for a pragmatic approach to systems thinking, focusing on its practical application to solve real-world problems.