Multiple perspectives approach as a framework to analyse social systems in a developing country context

Abstract

The Multiple Perspectives Approach (MPA) of Mitroff and Linstone is presented here as a promising framework to analyse messy social systems in a developing world context, and in particular to analyse the social context into which information systems are introduced in this environment. Two applications of the framework are discussed, one in a poverty alleviation context and the other as part of a masters course in systems and decision making. The MPA has to date only been described at a very high level, and needs to be translated into a method. In both cases, methods were tried out to generate Multiple Perspectives on a problem situation, namely technical, organisational, personal, ethical and aesthetic perspectives. In the second case, the use of a group support system (GSS) was evaluated as a means to reach perspective synthesis. It is shown that the MPA succeeded in broadening analysts’ perspectives on a messy problem, and that the appropriate use of GSS can assist with perspective synthesis.