{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:19:27Z","timestamp":1760145567414,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,11]],"date-time":"2024-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1723334400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003069","name":"National Polytechnic Institute (Instituto Poli\u00e9cnico Nacional) of Mexico","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20241623","20241762","CVU 114535"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20241623","20241762","CVU 114535"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003069","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Secretariat of Research and Postgraduate (Secreter\u00eda de Investigaci\u00f3n y Posgrado)","award":["20241623","20241762","CVU 114535"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20241623","20241762","CVU 114535"]}]},{"name":"Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnolog\u00edas of Mexico (CONAHCyT)","award":["20241623","20241762","CVU 114535"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20241623","20241762","CVU 114535"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) currently lacks a standard for their application, making it difficult to collect the consistent data necessary for comparative studies and the development of new evidence-based therapeutic strategies. Due to their high social component, DAT requires a standardized method that identifies the elements that affect them, understands their complex situations, and proposes solutions to the challenges. This study aims to establish the first steps towards standardizing DAT, using the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) as the central approach. SSM is suitable for addressing complex and ambiguous problems that involve multiple actors and perspectives. Through SSM, the study seeks to visualize problems, clarify conflict relationships that hinder standardization, and propose effective solutions. To establish an initial standard method, a time and motion study is performed to identify activities that disrupt the sequence of operations and the capture of EEG signals collected before, during, and after DAT. SSM allows for summarizing the current system situation, identifying and analyzing problems, clarifying challenges, and proposing pertinent solutions to achieve the standardization of this therapy. This methodology facilitates the identification of critical points and the development of intervention strategies that could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the therapeutic process, establishing a more coherent framework for the implementation of DAT. Thus, the contribution of this work is based on systems thinking to strategic management, as it demonstrates the potential role of systems thinking, specifically SSM, in analyzing complex problems, improving strategy mapping, fostering strategic decision making, and planning for the future in the context of strategic management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems12080294","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,12]],"date-time":"2024-08-12T08:54:08Z","timestamp":1723452848000},"page":"294","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Soft Systems Methodology in Standardizing the Method for Applying Dolphin-Assisted Therapies in Neurodivergent Patients: Case Study of Delfiniti Mexico"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0309-8528","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Lilia","family":"Coria P\u00e1ez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela Superior de Comercio y Administraci\u00f3n, Unidad Tepepan, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 16020, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-4769-8188","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brenda Lorena","family":"Flores Hidalgo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela Superior de Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica y El\u00e9ctrica, Unidad Zacatenco, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 07340, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3184-4869","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oswaldo","family":"Morales Matamoros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n en Computaci\u00f3n, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 07738, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4032-0511","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jes\u00fas Jaime","family":"Moreno Escobar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n en Computaci\u00f3n, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 07738, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5848-9740","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo","family":"Quintana Espinosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela Superior de Ingenier\u00eda Mec\u00e1nica y El\u00e9ctrica, Unidad Zacatenco, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 07340, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,11]]},"reference":[{"unstructured":"WHO\/OMS (2023). 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