Supporting Wicked Problems with Procedural Decision Support Systems
Carianne Pretorius · 2016
Wicked problems are immensely complex problems that do not lend themselves to resolution through traditional problem-solving approaches. This capriciousness is particularly troublesome for organizations that encounter such problems due to their very nature being highly prone to fluctuation. Further, any attempts to resolve wicked problems tend to be irreversible --- for better or for worse. Decision support systems (DSSs) have long been hailed as a panacea of sorts for highly complex problems due to their ability to assist in storing, retrieving, and manipulating information to arrive at a decision. However, traditional DSSs, being originally aimed at semi-structured problems, are rendered almost ineffectual in the face of the high levels of complexity inherent in wicked problems. Consequently, this paper outlines the argument that posits procedural rationality as an alternative underlying mechanism for developing DSSs for wicked problems. An empirical literature review is utilized to locate the required characteristics of such a DSS, to evaluate cognizance thereof in the research, and to present an integrated model for the design, development, and utilisation of procedural DSSs specifically for resolution of wicked problems.