Combined Soft System Methodology in Two Levels to Improve Employees’ Promotion System

Soft OR from pluralist paradigm has effective approaches to structure and improve problem situations with different stakeholders’ worldviews and conflict of interests. The approaches, structure and improve messy situations. In this study, we used Soft System Methodology (SSM) as a popular soft approach at two levels. First, we applied Soft System Methodology process (SSMp) to plan the systemic intervention process in the employee promotion System of an oil and gas company. Then, Soft System Methodology content (SSMc) was used to investigate the content of the company's employee promotion system that caused employees’ dissatisfaction. By considering managers’ and employees’ worldviews, three root definitions were made. At this phase, fair condition to present different points of view was applied. So, employees with different organizational power levels expressed their opinions openly. Finally, stakeholders’ participation through the discussion helped to build an agreed model and a root definition, and agreed actions for addressing defects of the employee promotion system were proposed.