Web IS Development Methodology (WISDM):The role of the analyst: multiple perspectives

3.4 The role of the analyst: multiple perspectives

Avison & Wood-Harper (1990) suggested that methodologies often contained unstated and unquestioning assumptions about the unitary nature of both the problem situation and the analysts involved in investigating it. The focus is on methods with an underlying assumption that different people in different situations can use these methods in much the same way. As a result of this the methods and the methodology tended to be seen as one and the same thing. In Multiview we are concerned with how any given instantiation of the triad (analyst–methodology–situation) might come about in actual practice. When we talk of analysts, we refer to the role of change agents involved in IS development. This role can be assumed by IS professionals, user personnel, or consultants.

The multiple perspective approach described by Mitroff & Linstone (1993) can be used to inform the particular occurrence of Multiview under any given set of circumstances. In unbounded systems thinking, Mitroff and Linstone argue that complex problem solving requires the application of as many disciplines, professions, and branches of knowledge as possible, with each one employing different paradigms of thought. The idea of 'Multiple Perspectives' is used to describe the various ways of thinking which comprise unbounded systems thinking. The three perspectives identified are:

• Technical perspective (T)

• Organizational (or societal) perspective (O)

• Personal (or individual) perspective (P).

Mitroff and Linstone argue that each perspective yields insights not obtainable from the others, and that O and P perspectives are essential to bridge the gap between analysis and action. Thus, O and P perspectives are used to complement the T perspective, not to replace it. Using the O and P perspectives allows us to bring in the human and social factors that are replete in complex problems and thus focus on human beings both as individuals and groups, including ethical analysis (Wood-Harper et al., 1996). Making use of different perspectives in this way allows us to concentrate more on how we look at a problem rather than on what we are looking at.

A multiple perspective approach provides us with a richer base from which to investigate complex problem situations. Any problem may be viewed from any perspective; the different perspectives may reinforce each other, cancel each other out, or operate in the dialectic mode. Choosing a particular perspective to adopt is in itself problematic and involves the investigator's ethical values and moral judgments. All complex problem situations, however, will inevitably require the adoption of all three perspectives. It is therefore an essential aspect of IS development that the analyst develop reflection and self-awareness and become capable of thinking and acting on the joint basis of the three perspectives.