Exploring procedural decision support systems for wicked problem resolution
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists
Abstract
Wicked problems are hyper-complex problems that are not solvable via traditional methods. Some common examples of these include issues such as poverty, climate change, business strategy, and general policy development, which all have high stakes and no straightforward solution. The ambiguity of these problems can be particularly frustrating for the individuals and organizations that encounter them, as the very essence of these problems is elastic and unstable. Additionally, attempts to tame wicked problems tend to be irrevocable — for better or for worse — as the problem itself shifts in unpredictable ways in response. Decision support systems (DSSs) have long been considered a panacea for a number of highly complex problems in light of their potential to store, retrieve, and manipulate information to aid decision making. However, classical DSSs, being originally intended for semi-structured types of problems, are rendered practically impotent in the presence of wicked problems and their associated complexities. Thus, this article investigates the possibility of DSSs that rely on procedural rationality as an alternative strategy for resolving wicked problems. An empirical literature review is utilized to build and present an integrated, descriptive model for the design, development, and use of such DSSs for resolving wicked problems.
Description
CITATION: Pretorius, C. 2017. Exploring procedural decision support systems for wicked problem resolution. South African Computer Journal, 29(1):191-219, doi:10.18489/sacj.v29i1.448.
The original publication is available at http://sacj.cs.uct.ac.za
The original publication is available at http://sacj.cs.uct.ac.za
Keywords
Decision support systems, Decision making
Citation
Pretorius, C. 2017. Exploring procedural decision support systems for wicked problem resolution. South African Computer Journal, 29(1):191-219, doi:10.18489/sacj.v29i1.448.