ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to provide a systemic and transdisciplinary review of Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM), a system‐based methodology used to convert unstructured mental models into hierarchical frameworks for decision‐making, policy design, and systems analysis. Based on a review of 523 articles from the Scopus database, the study identifies methodological advancements, highlights prominent institutions and authors, explores co‐citation clusters, identifies key application areas, examines thematic domains, and analyses integrated methodologies. TISM has undergone several advancements, each enhancing its analytical depth, contextual relevance, and decision‐making utility across diverse domains. The study conducts a co‐citation analysis that reveals three major knowledge clusters: organizational excellence, application areas, and multi‐method studies. TISM has been applied extensively across domains such as healthcare, sustainability, human resource management, technology adoption, and manufacturing. Within these applications, researchers have explored various contextual dimensions including barriers, facilitators, challenges, and enablers that shape system behaviour. TISM has also been integrated with diverse methodologies such as case studies, regression analysis, structural equation modelling, confirmatory factor analysis, system dynamics, causal loop mapping, and interviews, highlighting its flexibility for both qualitative and quantitative inquiry. The study also suggests future research agendas and implications. The suggested implications will be relevant for researchers seeking innovative, systems‐based approaches to address complex societal and organizational challenges.
Singh et al. (2026) studied this question.