Critical Systems Thinking Article Swipe

Critical Systems Thinking (CST) is a systems approach that aims to assist decision-makers to better understand and address the complex issues they face. This chapter looks at the origins and early development of CST. A brief account of the state of Systems Thinking (ST) in the early 1980s is necessary to discern the reasons for the emergence of the approach. The development of CST is then traced to 1991. By that time, it had become formalised around a set of three commitments, to which it has largely remained true. The first, 'systemic critique', insists that all systems approaches are partial, and this leads to their different strengths and weaknesses. The second, 'systemic pluralism', suggests that the maximum benefit can be obtained by using systems methodologies in combination during an intervention. The third, 'systemic improvement', explains what improvement means in systems terms and how it can be pursued. The case is then made for CST to embrace a fourth commitment, to 'systemic pragmatism'. It is argued that this can support the other three and take CST forward.