Morphological analysis (problem-solving)

Morphological analysis is a structured, systematic method for investigating and finding possible solutions to complex, multifaceted problems and questions that do not have quantifiable elements. It was developed at the California Institute of Technology by Swiss-born astronomer Fritz Zwicky beginning in the 1940s. Morphological analysis is also known by multiple alternate names, including the “morphological approach” and “general morphological analysis” (GMA).

Zwicky primarily applied the paradigm to his work in the fields of astronomy and aerospace engineering, but during his lifetime, he also utilized it in examinations of ethics, law, and social policy. Morphological analysis has since been integrated into a multitude of professional fields and academic disciplines, as the system has utility in solving virtually any complex technical or social problem that demands an integrated view of qualitative, nonnumeric factors. Its underlying principles have also been adapted for contemporary computer-based technological platforms.

Background

In science and academia, the term “morphology” is used to describe methods for understanding the structural and functional relationships between the constituent parts of a larger object. The word derives from the Greek morphé, meaning “form,” which combines with the suffix -ology (“study”) to arrive at its meaning: the study of form. Morphology has cross-disciplinary applications. For example, in biology, morphology studies the functions, features, and purposes of an organism’s constituent parts relative to its entire body. In linguistics, morphology examines the functional relationships between words and sentences, or the individual components that combine to form a word.

Fritz Zwicky, an acclaimed astronomer who spent much of his career at the California Institute of Technology, recognized the more abstract, universal potential of morphological approaches to problem-solving. Beginning in the 1940s, he established and refined a system for adapting morphological principles as an analytic method. He continued to develop morphological analysis as a problem-solving paradigm until his death in 1974, founding the Society for Morphological Research as an academic institution for advancing intellectual inquiry into the emerging subject. Zwicky rapidly brought the paradigm into the academic and scientific mainstream, thanks in significant measure to his status as a recognized authority in the field of astronomy. He was among the earliest scientists to amass tangible evidence of the existence of the mysterious, as-yet-unexplained substance now known as “dark matter.”

Morphological analysis blossomed from Zwicky’s early work on the topic in the 1940s into a fully formed, systematized paradigm in the 1960s. By 1960, Zwicky had observed that morphological analysis had far-reaching applications in virtually any complex social or technical question or issue, characterizing morphological analysis as an integrated system capable of examining ethical, psychological, political, social, and technical factors to draw accurate, useful conclusions about problems that have no easily apparent solution. By 1969, Zwicky had refined it into a comprehensive investigational framework for examining the total set of interrelationships between elements in nonquantifiable problem complexes with multiple dimensions and multiple possible solutions.

Overview

Morphological analysis recognizes two definitive aspects of complex problems: They are multifaceted or multidimensional, meaning that they have many points of consideration that must each be given due attention; their solutions are also subjective, which acknowledges that there is no single correct answer to complex problems—only solutions that are better or worse than others.

A morphological analysis begins with a clear, precise description of the problem to be solved. This description must clearly identify the desired features of the solution to the problem. For example, if a company that manufactures high-end glassware wants to create a gift box in which customers can store their products, it must first specify the features the gift box must have. For example, the manufacturer might insist that the gift box be sturdy, structurally sound, safe, lightweight, and visually appealing. By identifying those elements as particular characteristics of the solution, the manufacturer can then perform a morphological analysis to determine how best to design and build the boxes.

To arrive at answers or solutions, morphological analysis uses a structural diagram known as a morphological chart or “Zwicky box.” This diagram offers the problem-solver an efficient and systematic way to visualize the different dimensions, features, and elements of the problem being studied. After defining the problem and identifying specific characteristics of an acceptable or desirable solution, the next step in a morphological analysis is to break the problem down into its constituent parts or elements. Using the glassware gift box example, the problem-solver would consider factors like material, shape, weight, and color scheme. These constituent parts or elements are known in morphological analysis as “parameters,” and problem-solvers use morphological charts to arrange each of the parameters along the horizontal and vertical axes. Interior fields are then filled in with the various possibilities associated with each parameter. This yields all the entire set of possible solutions to the problem being studied, allowing the problem-solver to systematically eliminate unfeasible or undesirable solutions until only feasible or desirable options remain. The remaining solutions can then be individually developed and tested until the best possible solution has been identified.

Morphological analysis has become an entrenched feature in many fields of scientific and academic inquiry. The 2015 paper “Applications of General Morphological Analysis,” published in the Swedish Morphological Society journal Acta Morphologica Generalis, identifies eight main ways in which morphological analysis has been practically applied. The list includes engineering and product development, architecture and design theory, future studies, technology forecasting, organizational design and policy science, security and national defense, the creative arts, and modeling theory. The paper also notes that modern computer systems can be programmed to carry out morphological analyses, creating a distinct subfield commonly called computer-aided or computer-assisted GMA.

Bibliography

Alvarez, Asuncion and Tom Ritchey. “Applications of General Morphological Analysis.” Acta Morphologica Generalis, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2015): pp. 1–40.

Arkadiev, Peter and Francesco Gardani. The Complexities of Morphology. Oxford University Press, 2020.

Belousov, Yury M., Serguei N. Burmistrov, and Alexei I. Ternov. Problem Solving in Theoretical Physics. Hoboken. John Wiley & Sons, 2020.

Hancox, P.J. “Morphological Analysis.” University of Birmingham, www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~pjh/sem1a5/pt2/pt2‗intro‗morphology.html. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Johnson, John. Zwicky: The Outcast Genius Who Unmasked the Universe. Harvard University Press, 2019.

Posamentier, Alfred S., et. al. The Psychology of Problem Solving: The Background to Successful Mathematics Thinking. World Scientific, 2019.

Ritchey, Tom. “General Morphological Analysis: A General Method for Non-Quantified Modeling.” Swedish Morphological Society, 2013, www.swemorph.com/ma.html. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Zwicky, Fritz. Discovery, Invention, Research Through the Morphological Approach. Macmillan, 1969.

Alvarez, Asuncion and Tom Ritchey. "Applications of General Morphological Analysis." Acta Morphologica Generalis, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2015): pp. 1–40.

Arkadiev, Peter and Francesco Gardani. The Complexities of Morphology. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2020.

Belousov, Yury M., Serguei N. Burmistrov, and Alexei I. Ternov. Problem Solving in Theoretical Physics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2020.

Hancox, P.J. "Morphological Analysis." University of Birmingham, https://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~pjh/sem1a5/pt2/pt2‗intro‗morphology.html. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Johnson, John. Zwicky: The Outcast Genius Who Unmasked the Universe. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2019.

Posamentier, Alfred S., et. al. The Psychology of Problem Solving: The Background to Successful Mathematics Thinking. Singapore: World Scientific, 2019.

Ritchey, Tom. "General Morphological Analysis: A General Method for Non-Quantified Modeling." Swedish Morphological Society, 2013, http://www.swemorph.com/ma.html. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

"What Is Morphological Analysis in Natural Language Processing?" Geeks for Geeks, 12 July 2024, www.geeksforgeeks.org/morphological-analysis-in-nlp/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Zwicky, Fritz. Discovery, Invention, Research Through the Morphological Approach. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan, 1969.