TY - JOUR
T1 - Construction of Social Development Index as a Theoretical Research Practice in Action Research by Using Soft Systems Methodology
AU - Hardjosoekarto, Sudarsono
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This paper is a part of a larger report of a base line research on social development in the area of street vendor promotion program conducted by the GDSCD Research Team, a research cluster at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia. Members of the team are Prof. Dr. Paulus Wirutomo, M.Sc. (leader); Dr. Linda Darmajanti, M.T.; Dr. Sudarsono Hardjosoekarto; Lidya Triana; Wahidah R. Bulan; Chotib, and Fajri Siregar. In this working team, the author is responsible for the application of Soft Systems Methodology. This research is funded by the Directorate for Research and Community Services Project, Universitas Indonesia. The first draft of this paper has been presented at the First International Conference on Emerging Research Paradigms in Business and Social Sciences, Middlesex University, Dubai, UEA, on November 22–24, 2011. Many thanks for oral and handwriting comments provided by Peter Checkland upon the paper presentation at the Conference: ‘‘I like this use of SSM (p). Well done. I think it is a helpful example of SSM (p) in action. Good luck with your future studies’’. Invaluable comments are provided by two blind reviewers of Syst Pract Action Res upon the first manuscript. The author expresses his utmost gratitude to the two reviewers who have guided the author into the intellectual journey, and make the major revision of this manuscript possible.
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - This paper provides an illustration of the application of Soft Systems Methodology to construct social development index, based on a sociological concept of development proposed by Wirutomo et al. (Pengembangan Indeks Pembangunan Sosial (IPS) Bagi Sektor Informal di Perkotaan: Menuju Kebijakan Inklusif bagi Usaha Kecil, 2011). An action research (AR) is conducted in the field of street vendor promotion program perceived to be representing the social development practice. While the improvement of fundamental elements of societal life, i. e., social structure, culture, and social process can be identified in the field of street vendor promotion program, it is believed that the same development aspects can be explored at many other development sectors. A preliminary social development index is conctructed by using a single sector development program. It is expected that through a further research agenda, a comprehensive social development profile equipped with its related index can be presented. The findings of this SSM-based AR can be considered "as primary 'thesis' derived from 'messes' or 'surprising facts' of a real world problematic situation" as described by Stephens et al. (Syst Pract Action Res 22:463-474, 2009). As an AR practice, this research is a research interest, instead of a problem solving interest in AR (McKay and Marshall, Inf Technol People 14:46-59, 2001); it is also a theoretical research practice, instead of a business change practice/empirical research practice and regular business practice (Cronholm and Goldkuhl, The 2nd European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management (ECRM 2003), 2003), and it is an interpretative actions and theory development actions as mentioned by Cronholm and Goldkuhl (The 2nd European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management (ECRM 2003), 2003). This paper also provides an illustration of a variant relationship between P and A as introduced by McKay and Marshall (Inf Technol People 14:46-59, 2001), which is "there are some elements of P that overlap with some elements of A".
AB - This paper provides an illustration of the application of Soft Systems Methodology to construct social development index, based on a sociological concept of development proposed by Wirutomo et al. (Pengembangan Indeks Pembangunan Sosial (IPS) Bagi Sektor Informal di Perkotaan: Menuju Kebijakan Inklusif bagi Usaha Kecil, 2011). An action research (AR) is conducted in the field of street vendor promotion program perceived to be representing the social development practice. While the improvement of fundamental elements of societal life, i. e., social structure, culture, and social process can be identified in the field of street vendor promotion program, it is believed that the same development aspects can be explored at many other development sectors. A preliminary social development index is conctructed by using a single sector development program. It is expected that through a further research agenda, a comprehensive social development profile equipped with its related index can be presented. The findings of this SSM-based AR can be considered "as primary 'thesis' derived from 'messes' or 'surprising facts' of a real world problematic situation" as described by Stephens et al. (Syst Pract Action Res 22:463-474, 2009). As an AR practice, this research is a research interest, instead of a problem solving interest in AR (McKay and Marshall, Inf Technol People 14:46-59, 2001); it is also a theoretical research practice, instead of a business change practice/empirical research practice and regular business practice (Cronholm and Goldkuhl, The 2nd European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management (ECRM 2003), 2003), and it is an interpretative actions and theory development actions as mentioned by Cronholm and Goldkuhl (The 2nd European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management (ECRM 2003), 2003). This paper also provides an illustration of a variant relationship between P and A as introduced by McKay and Marshall (Inf Technol People 14:46-59, 2001), which is "there are some elements of P that overlap with some elements of A".
KW - Action research
KW - Culture
KW - Social development
KW - Social process
KW - Social structure
KW - Soft systems methodology
KW - Theoretical research practice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84868644198&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11213-012-9237-9
DO - 10.1007/s11213-012-9237-9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84868644198
VL - 25
SP - 493
EP - 509
JO - Systemic Practice and Action Research
JF - Systemic Practice and Action Research
SN - 1094-429X
IS - 6
ER -