Critical systems thinking#Recent developments
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Critical systems thinking (CST) is a systems thinking approach designed to aid decision-makers, and other stakeholders, improve complex problem situations that cross departmental and, often, organizational boundaries. CST sees systems thinking as essential to managing multidimensional 'messes' in which technical, economic, organizational, human, cultural and political elements interact. It is critical in a positive manner because it seeks to capitalize on the strengths of existing approaches while also calling attention to their limitations. CST seeks to allow systems approaches such as systems engineering, system dynamics, organizational cybernetics, soft systems methodology, critical systems heuristics, and others, to be used together, in a responsive and flexible way, to maximize the benefits they can bring.
History
CST has its origins in the 1980s with accounts of how the theoretical partiality of existing systems methodologies limited their ability to guide interventions in the full range of problem situations;{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |date=1982 |title=The nature of soft systems thinking: the work of Churchman, Ackoff and Checkland |journal=Journal of Applied Systems Analysis |volume=9 |pages=17–28}}{{Cite journal |last=Mingers |first=J |date=1980 |title=Towards an appropriate social theory for applied systems thinking: critical theory and soft systems methodology |journal=Journal of Applied Systems Analysis |volume=7 |pages=41–49}}{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |date=1985 |title=Social systems theory and practice: the need for a critical approach |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-7351-9 |journal=International Journal of General Systems |volume=10 |pages=135–151|doi=10.1007/978-1-4471-7351-9 |isbn=978-1-4471-7350-2 |s2cid=26158105 |url-access=subscription }} calls for pluralism in systems practice;{{Cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=Michael C |last2=Keys |first2=P |date=1984 |title=Towards a system of systems methodologies |journal=Journal of the Operational Research Society |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=473–486|doi=10.1057/jors.1984.101 |s2cid=62772311 }}{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=MC |date=1987-01-01 |title=Present positions and future prospects in management science |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0305-0483%2887%2990003-X |journal=Omega |language=en |volume=15 |issue=6 |pages=455–466 |doi=10.1016/0305-0483(87)90003-X |issn=0305-0483|url-access=subscription }} and suggestions about how those disadvantaged by systems designs could be given a voice and have impact.{{Cite book |last=Ulrich |first=W |title=Critical heuristics of social planning |publisher=Haupt |year=1983 |location=Bern}} CST was largely developed at the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, based on research by Michael C Jackson, Paul Keys, and Robert L Flood. It came to prominence in 1991 with the publication of three books - Critical Systems Thinking: Directed Readings,{{Cite book |title=Critical systems thinking: directed readings |publisher=Wiley |year=1991 |editor-last=Flood |editor-first=R L |location=Chichester |editor-last2=Jackson |editor-first2=Michael C}} Systems Methodology for the Management Sciences,{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |title=Systems methodology for the management sciences |publisher=Plenum |year=1991 |location=New York}} and Creative Problem Solving: Total Systems Intervention.{{Cite book |last1=Flood |first1=R L |title=Creative problem solving: total systems intervention |last2=Jackson |first2=Michael C |publisher=Wiley |year=1991 |location=Chichester}} The first was a collection of papers, accompanied by a commentary, which traced the origins and outlined the major themes of the approach. It highlighted the contributions of authors such as Flood, Fuenmayor, Jackson, Mingers, Oliga and Ulrich. The second offered a critique of existing systems approaches from the perspective of social theory, made the case for CST and sought to demonstrate that it could take the lead in enriching theory and practice in the management sciences. The third was the first attempt to show how CST could be used in practice. Since 1991, CST has been taken forward by authors such as Robert L Flood,{{Cite book |last=Flood |first=R L |title=Solving problem solving |publisher=Wiley |year=1995 |location=Chichester}}{{Cite book |last=Flood |first=R L |title=Rethinking the fifth discipline |publisher=Routledge |year=1999 |location=London}} Michael C Jackson,{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |title=Systems approaches to management |publisher=Kluwer/Plenum |year=2000 |location=New York}}{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |title=Systems thinking: creative holism for managers |publisher=Wiley |year=2003 |location=Chichester}}{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |title=Critical systems thinking and the management of complexity |publisher=Wiley |year=2019 |location=Chichester}} John Mingers{{Cite book |last=Mingers |first=John |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315774503/systems-thinking-critical-realism-philosophy-john-mingers |title=Systems Thinking, Critical Realism and Philosophy: A Confluence of Ideas |year=2014 |doi=10.4324/9781315774503|isbn=9781317684626 }} and Gerald Midgley.{{Cite book |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4615-4201-8 |title=Systemic Intervention |series=Contemporary Systems Thinking |year=2000 |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-4201-8|isbn=978-1-4613-6885-4 |last1=Midgley |first1=Gerald }}
Recent developments
Recent developments have centered on the application of CST in practice - in particular Gerald Midgley's 'Systemic Intervention', focusing on boundary critique, and Michael C Jackson's multiperspectival and multimethodological 'Critical Systems Practice' (CSP). Adopting a pragmatist orientation,{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C. |date=2022-10-04 |title=Rebooting the systems approach by applying the thinking of Bogdanov and the pragmatists |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sres.2908 |journal=Systems Research and Behavioral Science |volume=40 |issue=2 |language=en |pages=349–365 |doi=10.1002/sres.2908 |s2cid=252747377 |issn=1092-7026|url-access=subscription }} Jackson has set out, in a series of papers, how the four commitments of CST can be applied in practice.{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C |date=2020 |title=CSP 1: Explore - starting a multimethodological intervention |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/sres.2746 |journal=Systems Research and Behavioral Science |volume=37 |pages=839–858|doi=10.1002/sres.2746 |s2cid=224962260 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C. |date=2021 |title=Critical systems practice 2: Produce —Constructing a multimethodological intervention strategy |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sres.2809 |journal=Systems Research and Behavioral Science |language=en |volume=38 |issue=5 |pages=594–609 |doi=10.1002/sres.2809 |s2cid=239701175 |issn=1092-7026|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C. |date=2022-09-30 |title=Critical systems practice 3: Intervene —Flexibly executing a multimethodological intervention |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sres.2909 |journal=Systems Research and Behavioral Science |volume=39 |issue=6 |language=en |pages=1014–1023 |doi=10.1002/sres.2909 |s2cid=252657680 |issn=1092-7026|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Michael C. |date=2022-10-10 |title=Critical systems practice 4: Check —Evaluating and reflecting on a multimethodological intervention |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sres.2912 |journal=Systems Research and Behavioral Science |volume=40 |issue=4 |language=en |pages=617–632 |doi=10.1002/sres.2912 |s2cid=252832336 |issn=1092-7026|url-access=subscription }} CSP has 4 main stages - Explore, Produce, Intervene, and Check (EPIC) - and various sub-stages:
- Explore the problem situation
- view it from a variety of systemic perspectives
- identify primary and secondary issues
- Produce an appropriate intervention strategy
- appreciate the variety of systems approaches
- choose appropriate systems methodologies
- choose appropriate systems models and methods
- structure, schedule and set objectives for the intervention
- Intervene flexibly (revisiting the first two stages as necessary)
- Check on progress
- evaluate the improvements achieved
- reflect on the systems approaches used
- discuss and agree next steps