Abstract
The process of Choice in TSI is reexamined in this paper. Previously, methods2 have been understood to have a given and immediate purpose and are employed when this is judged to be most suitable in the circumstances. In this paper we suggest that methods can be operated in ways that meet purposes not provided by their founding theoretical underpinnings. We develop this argument by pointing to cases where cybernetic or soft methods are driven by purposes and principles given to emancipatory methodology—in a quest to address more effectively issues of coercion. This may be necessary when explicit and direct employment of emancipatory methodology is not sensitive enough to political dynamics, where certain people may feel overly threatened by its language and consequently feel the need to subvert its use. We develop a defence for thisoblique use of cybernetic and soft methods in coercive contexts, and extend the argument to suggest that all methods can be employed in such a way.
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Flood, R.L., Romm, N.R.A. Enhancing the process of methodology choice in total systems intervention (TSI) and improving chances of tackling coercion. Systems Practice 8, 377–408 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02253393
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02253393