USING MULTI-PERSPECTIVE, SYSTEMS-BASED (MPSB) FRAMEWORKS IN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

RESEARCH NOTES: USING MULTI-PERSPECTIVE, SYSTEMS-BASED (MPSB) FRAMEWORKS IN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH: WHY AND HOW SHOULD THIS BE DONE

 

Joseph, K.K. Ho

Abstract
Management research is an intellectually vigorous activity for many academicians, not to mention students doing final year dissertation projects in their final year study in Degree programmes. Using diagrams in literature review and in problem-exploration have been reported in the management literature for a long time. In this paper, diagramming techniques are reviewed via the lens of critical systems thinking. One form of diagrams that is used to graphically express frameworks of theories, known as multi-perspective, systems-based (MPSB) frameworks, is examined in the context of research work, especially for degree students (called student researchers in this paper) doing dissertation projects. MPSB frameworks are based on critical systems thinking; they mainly facilitate literature review in management research, and work with other diagramming efforts in research projects. Some suggestions are made in the paper on how different types of diagrams can be used to facilitate research projects. MPSB research, which adopts the practice of MPSB framework construction in the process, promotes effective management practices and enlightening management education characterized as  transdisciplinary and critical in orientation.

Key words: Multi-perspective, systems-based frameworks; Critical Systems Thinking; Management Research; Dissertation projects

Introduction
Management research, as a subject, is complex and controversial. Research methods textbooks, such as Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009), identify different research philosophies, research approaches and research strategies, etc. In research projects, researchers also need to apply concepts and theories via literature review. Thus management research is intellectually challenging for academicians. This writer, as a part-time lecturer on various management subjects, is also concerned that part-time business students are increasingly unable to conduct literature review, theory-driven research design, and good quality theory-driven analysis in their study in general and in final year dissertation works in particular.

In this article, the writer elaborates on how diagramming techniques, based on the multi-perspective, systems-based (MPSB) research, can be employed in management research, especially those that are carried out as final year dissertations for business students at the Degree and Post-graduate Degree levels (called student researchers in this case). In the discussion, the writer offers examples of diagrams for illustration. The purposes and implications of such diagramming practices and the underlying MPSB research are also examined.

To start with, the writer will briefly introduce the multi-perspective, systems-based (MPSB) research. MPSB framework construction, which makes up a key activity with diagramming in MPSB research, is explained. The discussion draws on the writer’s experience in supervising student researchers and his own research in MPSB research. A number of diagrams are used as examples for illustration and for explaining the line of reasoning in this paper.


Multi-perspective, systems-based (MPSB) research and the construction of multi-perspective, systems-based frameworks

Multi-perspective, systems-based (MPSB) research was initiated by the writer in mid 1990s as his Ph.D. thesis project (Ho, 1995a; 1996). The main goal of the MPSB research is to make advancement of critical systems thinking via the route of construction and applications of knowledge structures in diagrammatic forms (called MPSB frameworks), from literature review of a number of management disciplines, notably management accounting, logistics management and information systems management. MPSB frameworks so constructed are explicitly based on critical systems thinking and its commitments of critical awareness, improvement and pluralism (Jackson, 2000; 2003). Out of the MPSB research, eleven inter-related core concepts were identified by the writer. They were: (1) MPSB research, (2) MPSB frameworks, (3) perspective, (4) a perspective switch, (5) a migration of perspective, (6) perspective anchoring, (7) an MPSB rich picture building exercise, (8) an MPSB knowledge compiler, (9) the in-built tension of pluralism, (10) MPSB cognitive filters for management, and (11) enlightening management education. (Ho, 1996a; Ho, 1996b). In this paper, the writer mainly examines the role and value of MPSB frameworks in management research carried out by student researchers.

The MPSB research promotes cross-fertilization of ideas among management disciplines and, via the trans-disciplinary lens of critical systems thinking; it endeavors to expose the limitations of knowledge produced by established professional bodies that promote specific management disciplines, such as accounting and logistics, etc. and protect the interests of their members. The concern of these professional bodies is mainly to win in “a continual battle for jurisdiction over particular territories of expertise, territories which are contested between groups in a zero-sum game.” and the management practice that they endorse is mainly a technical practice. Thus, for Grey (1997): “Management is represented as a technical practice in order to legitimate and extend its social power (in relation to the elite interests of managers, or in relation to class domination, or as part of a process of rationalization, or… ). Professionalization represents the most developed form of legitimation, resting as it does upon ideologies of integrity, independence, service, and expertise.”.  For example, auditors are required in the business world to investigate the annual reports that are produced by companies’ directors who cannot be totally trusted by shareholders from the agency theory perspective (Millichamp and Taylor, 2008). From that need, the auditing professional bodies develop a body of knowledge on auditing practices that is predominantly technical in orientation.

Via the critical systems lens and expressed in the diagrammatic forms of MPSB frameworks, the researcher becomes more sensitive to the limitations of the bodies of knowledge in various management disciplines, especially those originated from the respective professional bodies of these management disciplines. This statement itself is not to discredit the high practical value of these literatures. More critical works on various management disciplines are quite widely available in the academic forums, such as the refereed journal of Critical Perspective on Accounting from Elsevier for the management discipline of accounting.

Figure 1 depicts the nature of MPSB research in management research and indicates its relationship with various management discipline studies and critical systems research. MPSB research focuses on reviewing literature from various management disciplines based on critical systems thinking; it provides a route to develop management practices and management education that support transdisciplinarity and holistic thinking. For Flood, such kind of management practices aim at achieving nine critical success factors (Flood, 1995), such as: (1) reduce the number of concepts required explain methods and translate those that are kept into everyday language and then integrate them into one coherent whole system, and (2) employ potent techniques to stimulate creative thought about organization and its problems.

Such kind of management practices (and management education that endorse them) are considered theoretically superior than those developed by professional bodies; they are more capable to promote evolutionary learning (Banathy, 1998). Due to this, management education based on critical systems thinking is treated as an enlightening management education in MPSB research. On the other hand, the assessment methods employed by quite a number of professional bodies on their student members are heavily examination-oriented, based on intensive drilling on sample and past examination papers.

Having said that, the existing bodies of knowledge from professional bodies in various management disciplines are huge; these institutions offer tremendous intellectual resources that researchers can review in order to formulate useful knowledge structures, i.e. MPSB frameworks, in management practices and management education. Such kind of knowledge compilation to produce MPSB frameworks propels advancement of holistic management practices and enlightening management education. This research strategy of the MPSB research is labeled as promotion route 2 in Figure 1.
 
An elaboration of diagramming practices based on the MPSB research
Diagramming techniques have been widely used in management research, dissertation report writing and management practices. In the systems literature, similarly, diagrams are employed to explain various systems theories and in systems methodologies. From the writer’s experience of supervising student researchers, diagramming is very useful to explore student researchers’ dissertation themes to quickly forming more specific dissertation research proposals.

In final year dissertation work, the first task for a student researcher is to come up with a proper dissertation research proposal. There are a number of topics to cover in a typical research proposal. While different universities have different research proposal formats, a dissertation research proposal generally has following sequence of sections:
(1) Background of the study,
(2) Dissertation objectives and research questions,
(3) Main management theories to use in the dissertation projects,
(4) Main research methods to use,
(5) Main resources required to conduct the project,
(6) A preliminary draft of the table of content of the dissertation report,
(7) Dissertation project plan, most likely in the form of a GANTT chart and, finally,
(8) A preliminary reference list.

For many student researchers, the meanings of the terms and tasks identified are not easy to follow. While these topics are explained in standard Business Research Methods textbooks, they are not easy to grasp by students without the actual experience on Management Research.

Figure 2, constructed by the writer, depicts the relationship among the key terms as related to management research process, namely, research objectives, research philosophies, research questions, and research designs. Since these concepts are covered in standard Business Research methods textbooks, they are not explained in this paper. Unfortunately, many student researchers equate management research with statistical analysis using hypothesis testing and many lecturers that the writer has come across in Hong Kong only endorse the research philosophy of positivism.

Diagramming is useful to speed up a student’ effort to come up with a more focused and properly formulated dissertation proposal. Speed is important in this case as most of the dissertation supervision meetings between the writer (as a dissertation supervisor) and the student researchers (the supervisees) last for 30 minutes. Quite a number of part-time student researchers that this writer have supervised are quite bewildered what to do with dissertation work though they have undergone many hours of lecturing on Management Research methods. Thus, diagramming is much relied on by the writer to brainstorm a dissertation topic with the student researcher at dissertation supervision meetings. Subsequently, the student researcher is encouraged to make use of diagramming done to explore and elaborate on their dissertation proposal.

Diagrams such as rich-pictures and cognitive maps require very simple tools to construct and do not need much learning of specialized notations. Diagrams are two dimensions and can quickly indicate how various concerns, objectives, management concepts and structures/ processes are inter-related. A diagram in this case makes up an easy-to-grasp sketch of a dissertation proposal that can explored and reviewed by students and the dissertation project supervisors together in dissertation project supervision meetings. Such a diagram can be quite simple. Take for an example an article written by Hussian (2003) called “Auditing expectation gap: a possible solution”. In this case, a diagram to describe this study consists of basically two variables: one variable is the “auditing expectation gap” (variable A) and the other variable is “an enhanced accounting course that more clearly explains the auditing function” (variable B).  The main propositions are: (1) That variable A exists in the Sultanate of Oman and (2) That variable B can reduce Variable A. The literature review conducted by Hussian describes previous findings and implications on the auditing expectation gap; it provides definitions of the main concepts involved, notably what is “auditing expectation gap”. In this case, a specific research method based on a survey exercise and a statistical analysis is carried out with the intent to establish the cause-and-effect relationship between variable A (the solution) and variable B (the problem). This research method can be marked in a diagram that covers the two variables and the role of the research method.

In literature review, diagrams in the form of a cognitive map or an MPSB framework (e.g. Ho and Sculli (1994)’s framework on decision support systems design), can be used to synthesize concepts and theories from a management discipline. For the formulation of a dissertation proposal, diagrams can be employed to clarify and graphically depict: (1) background of the study, (2) dissertation objectives and questions, (3) Main management theories to use in the dissertation projects, and (4) Main research methods to use. Subsequently, diagrams can be used to consolidate data, theory-driven analysis findings, theories used in one diagram to make up a visual chain of evidence for readers of dissertation reports to follow more easily. This is described visually in Figure 3. By reviewing such a diagram (in this case a figure with a supportive table of main points), the student researcher and his supervisor could also check if there are any gaps or weaknesses in the line of reasoning in his report. Thus, diagrams of various forms are used in different stage of dissertation project to serve different purposes.

In MPSB research, the roles of various forms of diagrams are depicted in Figure 4. Figure 4 makes explicit the contribution of MPSB frameworks in the research process as inspired by critical systems thinking. In this case, the student researcher with an initial understanding of a specific topic in a management discipline, indicated as possessing a specific cognitive system, starts to do literature review. Via learning critical systems thinking and research methods, the student researcher makes an intellectual effort to enrich his cognitive system with the ideas and viewpoints picked up from the literature review on a specific management discipline. Critical system thinking encourages the student researcher to consider the management approach from technical, practical and critical perspectives. The unbounded systems thinking of Mitroff and Linstone (1993) adopts a similar approach in analysis by taking technical, organizational and personal perspectives simultaneously. In this case, some of the learning during the research process is done by the student researcher himself while other concepts and theories could be or could have been taken up by him in course lectures.

In final-year dissertation project, the process of knowledge compilation based on critical systems thinking by the student researcher is guided by an experienced academic supervisor who should be well versed in critical systems thinking. Via intellectual reasoning, diagrams can then be constructed that capture and relate concerns, viewpoints and theories.  As the student researcher conducts his research with specific concerns and objectives in a specific problem setting, he needs to construct different types of diagrams for different purposes in the dissertation project. Four types of diagrams are discerned here:

Diagram type a: Rich picture diagrams to portray (a) the various inter-related forums having involvement in the discussion and development of a specific management technique or theory (re: Figure 5) and (b) the problem situation that represents the client system facing the researcher. The technique of rich picture comes from the soft systems methodology of Peter Checkland (1981).

Referring to Figure 5, in a typical exercise to review a management practice in a management discipline, such as Information Systems audit practice, one could discern that such a review can be fruitfully carried out by examining three main related communities and that there are diverse concerns and management practice gaps arising from such a review exercise. Such literature review approach very often perceives a situation surrounding the discussion of such a management practice as exhibiting soft complexity. This is due to the facts that different communities, namely, the academic community, the relevant professional bodies and direct stakeholders in business world are preoccupied with different concerns and self-interests. The literature review approach as described in Figure 5 is deemed useful when the review process is grounded on critical systems thinking.

Diagram type b: Frameworks of theories in the form of a cognitive map that summarize a specific management approach. Cognitive mapping was explained in Eden, Jones, and Sims (1983). Such a management approach is being employed in the client system. In this case, relevant concepts from the management approach and the context specific concerns/ viewpoints are synthesized in a cognitive map. Figure 6 is an example taken from Ho (1986) for illustration. In Figure 6, concepts covered in a series of Total Quality Management (TQM) workshops conducted by a company was captured in a cognitive map. The cognitive map also includes other TQM concepts identified from the writer’s own literature review on TQM.

Diagram type c: A multi-perspective, systems-based (MPSB) framework on a specific management approach constructed to provide a comprehensive and critical assessment of such a management approach, which drives the research process (Ho, 1995b). Construction of MPSB framework encourages a researcher to conduct a critical literature review in a dissertation report project. This form of framework can also be used as a roadmap for a thesis report. Figure 7 is an example taken from Ho (1996b)

Diagram type d: Conceptual models that represent insightful suggested solutions to improve the problem situation facing the client system. The notion of conceptual models comes from soft systems methodology of Checkland (1981).

These four sets of diagrams are not independent. Diagram types (a) and (b) are used to depict the problem-situation as well as the voices being expressed by the stakeholders. Diagram type (c) promotes comprehensive and critical literature review, which, in turn, fosters “creative holism” (Jackson, 2003) in problem-solving and knowledge compilation by the researchers. Diagram type (c), in this case, makes up a concrete outcome of literature review. For student researchers, diagram type (c) is useful to convey in an accessible way to readers of their dissertation reports that they have been able to consolidate their knowledge from literature review with critical thinking. This diagramming exercise addresses student researchers’ difficulties to carry out literature review, which very often is degenerated into a set of unwieldy lecture notes that are not subsequently used to drive the research design in the dissertation projects of the student researchers.  Reviewing diagram types (a), (b), and (c) enables the student researcher to examine conceptual models with “creative holism”. Figure 8 express this line of reasoning.

The implications of MPSB framework usage in management research and on management education
Construction of MPSB framework is challenging because of the substantial intellectual effort required to master critical systems thinking in addition to the effort spent on the literature review on the management topic being studied in a specific research project. To start with, many student researchers that the writer has come across have difficulties to conduct theory-driven analysis on a business topic.

To do well in dissertation projects, the student researcher needs to have a good grasp of business research methods. This is not easy. Some student researchers are more familiar with qualitative research methods while others are more skillful in applying quantitative research methods. The quality of the MPSB frameworks constructed by the student researcher depends on his intellectual ability and knowledge of critical systems thinking. It is very difficult to build up a student researcher’s intellectual ability in a short period of time, especially when the part-time student researcher also is busy with his daily work and the dissertation project schedule is tight. They definitely need support from capable academic supervisors who are well versed in critical systems thinking and multi-perspective, systems-based research. Thus, there is a need to train up competent dissertation supervisors in critical systems thinking in order for MPSB-driven research process as depicted in Figure 4 to be carried by the student researchers. Presumably, research works based on MPSB perspective carried out by capable academicians will not have such problems faced by the student researchers.

When making use of MPSB frameworks to examine a specific management approach, researchers become more sensitive to various technical and non-technical arising from its usage. This is useful when the literature so happened to be studied by the researchers is dominated by a technical perspective, thus too restrictive. Diagrams so constructed are also useful as communication tools for the researcher who needs to collaborate with other stakeholders from time to time. For student researchers, the main emphasis is on effective learning rather than on the production of good quality diagrams per se, given that quite a number of the student researchers’ existing intellectual ability can be low. Construction of MPSB framework does not offer a silver bullet for student researchers with low intellectual ability and low commitment on dissertation work to secure a pass in dissertation in an unrealistically short period of time.
  
Concluding remarks
Construction of MPSB framework is an important exercise in enlightening management education; enlightening management education is based on critical systems thinking and it endorses creative holism; it promotes human capability building (Bryson, 2007) and evolutionary learning (Banathy, 1998). This is quite different from our prevailing management education, characterized by Grey (1997) as “an institutional means through which management as a technical practice is represented”. The management education sector in Hong Kong is also too commercialized to be enlightening. MPSB research provides a route to promote management education and management practices that respects transdisciplinarity and critical thinking. They should be of value to both experienced researchers and inexperienced student researchers. Thus, despite all the difficulties, MPSB research should be promoted as worth doing.


References

Banathy, B H 1998.  Research Paper: Evolution Guided by Design: A Systems Perspective. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Vol. 15: 161-172.
Bryson J 2007 Chapter 10: Human resource development or developing human capability?. in Bolton, S.C. and Houlihan, M (editors) Searching for the human in human resource management: Theory, practice and workplace context, palgrave Macmillan: 171-192
Checkland P 1981. Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.
Eden C, Jones S and Sims D 1983 Messing about in Problems: An informal Structured Approach to their Identification and Management, Pergamon Press, Oxford.
Flood R L 1995 Solving Problem Solving: A Potent Force for Effective Management, Wiley.
Grey C 1997. Management as a Technical Practice: Professionalization or Responsibilization?” Systems Practice, Vol. 10(6): 703-725
Ho J K K 1986. A Study of Problem Contexts, Problems and Attempted Solutions using Systems concepts at Harlands of Hull, MA in Management Systems thesis, The University of Hull, UK.
Ho J K K 1995a. An Example of the Operation of the MPSB Filter: Research Paper. Systems Research. Vol. 12 (4): 297-308.
Ho J K K 1995b. MPSB Frameworks explained, in Ellis K, Gregory A, Mears-Young B R and Ragsdell G (editors) Critical Issues in Systems Theory and Practice, Plenum Press, New York: 487-492
Ho J K K 1996a. MPSB Research Explained.  Journal of the Operational Research Society, 47: 843-852.
Ho J K K 1996b. Development of Multi-perspective, Systems-based Frameworks, Ph.D. Thesis, Faculty of Engineering, Hong Kong University.
Hussain I 2003. Auditing expectation gap: A possible solution. Journal of American Academy of Business, 3, ½, September: 67-70.
Ho J K K and Sculli D 1994. A Multiperspective Systems-based Framework for Decision Support Systems Design. Systems Practice, Vol. 7(5), Plenum Publishing Corporation: 551-563.
Jackson M C 2000. Systems Approaches to Management, Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers.
Jackson  M C 2003. Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers, Wiley.
Millichamp A H and Taylor J R 2008. Auditing, South-Western.
Mitroff I I and Linstone M A 1993. The Unbounded Mind, Oxford University Press, New York.
Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A 2009. Research methods for business students, Prentice Hall.