Morphological analysis (problem-solving): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:57, 23 April 2019

Revision as of 05:09, 23 April 2019

Line 5:

==Overview==

General morphology was developed by [[Fritz Zwicky]], the Bulgarian-born, Swiss-national [[astrophysicist]] based at the [[California Institute of Technology]]. Among others, Zwicky applied morphological analysis (MA) to astronomical studies and the development of jet and [[Spacecraft propulsion|rocket propulsion]] systems. As a problem-structuring and [[Problem solving|problem-solving]] technique, MA was designed for multi-dimensional, non-quantifiable problems where causal modeling and simulation do not function well, or at all. Zwicky developed this approach to address seemingly non-reducible complexity: using the technique of cross-consistency assessment (CCA) (Ritchey, 1998), the system allows for reduction by identifying the possible solutions that actually exist, eliminating the illogical solution combinations in a grid box rather than reducing the number of variables involved. A detailed introduction to morphological modeling is given in Ritchey (2002, 2006). A summary of some 80 published articles exemplifying the various applications of general morphology, including engineering design, technological forecasting, organizational development and policy analysis, is available in Álvarez & Ritchey (2015).

===Morphological analysis of real-world problems===