Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 15
Collaborative Design:
An SSM-Enabled Organizational
Learning Approach
Anita Mirijamdotter
Växjö University, Sweden
Mary M. Somerville
University of Colorado, Denver, USA
AbstrACt
Within the context of a three year applied research project conducted from 2003-2006 in a North Ameri-
can university library, staff were encouraged to reconsider organizational assumptions and design pro-
cesses. The project involved an organizational leader and an external consultant who introduced and
collaboratively applied Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) practice. Project results suggest the efficacy
of using 'soft' systems thinking to guide interaction (re)design of technology-enabled environments,
systems, and tools. In addition, participants attained insights into their new roles and responsibilities
within a dynamically changing higher education environment. Project participants also applied SSM to
redesign 'in house' information systems. The process of employing systems thinking practices to activate
and advance organizational (re)learning, and initiating and elaborating user-centered interaction (re)
design practices, culminated in a collaborative design (co-design) approach that readied participants
for nimble responsiveness to continuous changes in the dynamic external environment.
introduCtion
State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly,
USA) recognized that nimble organizational
responsiveness required reinventing library pro-
cesses, procedures, and services. They understood
that this would require changing how they think
Amidst rapid technological change, aggravating
financial uncertainty, and escalating community
expectations, librarians at California Polytechnic
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