System Thinking

In the past four decades, new approaches and methodologies have been developed to solve unstructured and messy problems with various stakeholders. Among these methods, soft system methodologies, cognitive mapping, and strategic choice approach are specifically worthy to be heeded. The methods mentioned above, which have a precise structure and clear framework, are often categorized as soft operations research or problem structuring methods. Today, there is ample literature on soft research and it is taught in many operations research/management science courses of reputable universities. Methods of research on soft OR are rooted in soft system thinking and belong to the interpretative/learning paradigm. Nonetheless, assigning a clear and precise boundary between hard and soft OR techniques is not easily feasible, for most of these techniques– based on their application in different situations – can be classified as both hard and soft. The aim of this research is to investigate the origins and current position of soft methodology of operations research and probe into its theoretical basis. A comparison between the trend of OR in the US and UK clearly demonstrates the differences in soft and hard approaches. Generally, it can be concluded that soft and hard approaches of OR are complementary: soft methods are exploited in forming the structure (configuration) of a problem and hard methods are utilized in solving it. .

INTRODUCTION: The learning organization model does not exist in the RCS of Tehran province based on knowledge management, innovative organizational culture and quality of work life as an important organization, during disasters, especially the Tehran earthquake. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to present the learning organization model in RCS of Tehran province. METHODS: This applied research was carried out with grounded theory approach. About 15 academic professors and experts of RCS of Tehran province were selected and studied using purposeful sampling method based on the theoretical saturation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. FINDINGS: In this research, the learning organization with five dimensions and 56 concepts were extracted. The dimensions of the learning organization include gaining experience, feedback and evaluation system, systemic thinking, collaborative and fast learning, creative thinking. CONCLUSION: According to the results, focusing on gaining experience with regard to the occurrence of disasters is one of the priorities of the RCS. The challenges that the RCS faces at the learning organization are such as repeating the problems of previous disasters in new disasters, failure to use documentation and experiences of previous disasters, early forgetfulness of disasters and long return period of some disasters, failure to transfer field and operational experiences, not learning from the bitter experiences of disasters, infringing and sometimes copying processes without considering operational experiences, lack of expert documentary maker or teams in disasters and finally many disasters and little documentation. RCS can take action to manage these defects by implementing the learning organization model.