Precisely, Morphological analysis is the method of structuring and studying various inherent relationships in the socio technical problem complexes, also called “wicked problems” or “social messes”.
Morphological analysis deals with the structure and arrangement of objects/concepts and how the various parts/sub divisions form a whole unit. The objects concerned may be physical or conceptual entities.
The basic procedure involves finding out the different dimensions to one object, as in, to find out the components/dimensions of the object to the maximum level possible. Then, all possible combinations of the dimensions are tried out to find an exhaustive list of all possible circumstances. Out of them, the most irrelevant ones are deleted. Such an exercise helps in innovative thinking and out of the box strategies due to its open characteristics and hence is very significant in designing strategies in corporate planning.
Morphological analysis is usually carried out by some facilitators in a group of 6 to eight members, excluding the facilitators. The group consists of subject specialists in respective fields.
Morphological analysis can be used in a number fields and situations. A few such examples are cited below:
· Developing scenarios
· Developing alternative strategies
· Analyzing and studying risks involved
· Relating means and ends in complex situations
· Developing models for stakeholder analysis
· Evaluating organizational structures for different tasks
· Presenting highly complex situations in a more comprehensible and visual forms
An example of Morphological analysis has been taken up in detail by Richa. http://richricky.vox.com/library/post/morphological-analysis.html
But like any other method, this method has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The most important merit of Morphological approach is a very structured method of analysis that allows us to obtain an unbiased set of relationships, configurations and solution to problems. Out of those solutions obtained most are usually not evident and might get overlooked by less structured methods. Most importantly it allows us to identify and investigate the boundary conditions, i.e. limits and extremes of different contexts and problem variables.
This approach is also very useful in group work and in scientific communication procedures as it well checks for internal consistency of the parameters and variables used. The process itself requires the parameters and issues to be clearly defined and when cross referenced the poorly defined parameters and issues become evident. As a result the vague concepts and the terminological issues are ironed out.
Unlike other soft modeling methods that make it impossible to track the process, Morphological analysis clearly traces the initial problem definition to the final solutions reached. The visual representations also make it comprehensible enough for easier understanding.
Goutam compares Morphological analysis with "Mess" and states the differences clearly. http://goutam1701.blogspot.com/2008/09/morphological-analysis_09.html
A few of the constraints regarding the usage of this approach is that it requires proper facilitation as well as is time consuming depending on the level of complexity and the quality of solutions desired.
Also dedicated computer support is always necessary as the number of parameters and hence dimensions involved gradually increases. Again, the quality of the output greatly depends on the quality of the participants/specialists as well as the facilitator. There is no best answer for any issue and hence may create difficulty in choosing between a number of good looking solutions obtained.
Finally, no matter what the final output of the exercise is, a Morphological analysis provides a conceptual framework for modeling as well as, a well decided terminology to work with.
References:
1. http://www.swemorph.com/
2. Tom Ritchey, 2005-2008, “Futures Studies using Morphological Analysis”, Swedish Morphological Society
(http://www.nellyfuchs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/futures1.pdf)
3. Tom Ritchey, 2002- 2006, “General Morphological Analysis”, Swedish Morphological Society (http://www.swemorph.com/pdf/gma.pdf)
Related Videos:
1. http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=YsEynS4Ip2Y
2. http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=r_gN7F2vCro
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