The decision making basis for information systems: The contribution of Vickers’ concept of appreciation to a soft systems perspective

This paper considers the models of decision making which are used within the field of information systems. It argues that although decision making is of great relevance to the study of information systems insufficient attention has been given to the models by which IS professionals understand the process. Hard systems thinking has made a great contribution to IS in providing rational models of decision making, the work of H.A. Simon having been particularly influential; but the simplistic way in which such work is presented in IS texts ignores the role of social and political factors in decision making and imposes constraints in the complex social situations in which real world decision making occurs. An important contribution which the soft strand of systems thinking may make to IS is to provide a richer understanding of the nature of decision making through Vickers’ concept of appreciation. The resultant ‘appreciative model’ of decision making emphasises the importance of the decision makers’ perception of the organization and its situation in the interpretation of data, provides the basis for making a clear distinction between ‘data’ and ‘information’, and has implications for the ways in which computerized information systems are developed.