Where is the observer in it strategy and systems?

Steve Armstrong

Aidan Ward

pp. 163-169

in: Frank A. Stowell, Ray Ison, Rosalind Armson, Jacky Holloway, Sue Jackson (eds), Systems for sustainability, Berlin, Springer, 1997

Abstract

Systems thinking has placed much stress on where the observer is relative to the observed system. In business organisations technical systems are usually held to be an objective domain which the IT strategist can deal with on the basis of his observations and his budgets: he is outside the system.