Michael C. Jackson
University of Hull, UK
Biography
Emeritus Professor at the University of Hull and MD of Systems Research Ltd. He graduated from Oxford University, gained an MA from Lancaster University and a PhD from Hull, and has worked in the civil service, in academia and as a consultant. Between 1999 and 2011, Mike was Dean of Hull University Business School, leading it to triple-crown accreditation. Has been President of the International Federation for Systems Research and the International Society for the Systems Sciences. He was editor-in-chief of Systems Research and Behavioral Science for 26 years. In 2011 was awarded an OBE for services to higher education and business. In 2017 received the Beale Medal of the UK Operational Research Society for ‘a sustained contribution over many years to the theory, practice, and philosophy of Operational Research’. In 2022 received the Pioneer Award of the International Council on Systems Engineering for ‘the development of the foundations of systems engineering as author, educator and intellectual leader in systems thinking’. Known as a key figure in the development of ‘critical systems thinking’ - a topic on which he has published ten books and over 150 articles. His latest book Critical Systems Thinking: A Practitioner’s Guide was published in 2024.
Sessions
Elevating Stafford Beer’s Legacy: A Critical Systems Thinking Perspective on the Viable System Model
The importance of Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) is increasingly recognised. For this to continue, and his legacy to be enhanced, it is necessary to understand the assumptions on which the VSM is based, how the model relates to other significant contributions to systems thinking and practice, and what it can achieve. This keynote argues that Critical Systems Thinking (CST) is well placed to assist in these matters. CST embraces the philosophy of pragmatism and views the VSM as part of that tradition. It is not, on this reading, a scientific model or a ‘hermeneutic enabler’. It is useful because it has demonstrated what Dewey calls ‘warranted assertibility’. This conclusion has significant methodological implications. CST seeks to provide a critique of systems approaches based on the ‘systemic perspectives’ they privilege. On this criterion, the VSM shares an organismic orientation with socio-technical systems thinking, contingency theory, and the many contemporary descriptions of organisations as ‘living systems’. There is much to learn from these other organismic accounts although the explanatory power provided by cybernetics puts the VSM in pole position for unifying their findings and guiding the action research necessary to further develop the power of this perspective. CST argues that it is necessary to be multi-perspectival and multi-methodological in the face of real-world complexity. Clarity around the theoretical underpinnings of the VSM enables us to understand better its relationship to alternative systems approaches privileging mechanical, interrelationships, purposeful, and societal/environmental perspectives. The way forward is not to ‘expand’ the VSM (threatening its integrity), or to ‘mix’ approaches (threatening cognitive loss) to achieve ‘greater coverage’ of the various ways in which complexity announces itself, but to continue to enhance its distinct competences and become adept at using it in combination with other systems approaches in pursuit of multi-dimensional improvement. CST offers valuable insights, I believe, into how best to view and use the VSM, thus opening a clear pathway for those seeking to elevate Stafford Beer’s legacy.