Draft:UK Systems Society

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The UKSS was founded to provide a professional framework for those engaged in the Systems field in the UK and to provide a platform to represent UK interests in international Systems circles.[1] Its gold medallists include academic and practitioners that have shaped the thinking and practice of 'systems', these include Stafford Beer, C. West Churchman, Peter Checkland, Sir Geoffrey Vickers, Russell L. Ackoff, Fritjof Capra, Humberto Maturana and Ian Mitroff .

The UKSS is a registered educational charity (registration no. 1078782) and its rationale is to promote Systems and communicate its ideas to encourage the Practice and development of Systems Theory. It is dedicated to setting up a cycle of learning between theorists and practitioners. To do this the Society holds regular conferences, attended by academics, researchers and practitioners in industry, medicine and the wider community. Through its conference proceedings, workshops, its newsletter and its journal "Systemist",[2] the Society provides a forum for sharing Systems ideas and experiences, for providing rigour for the wide field of Systems work and for building relationships between Systems theorists and practitioners.

Publications

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The wholly owned and independent journal, Systemist ®, has been regularly published since the 1980s, with hard and' soft' copies deposited in the British Library. The journal appears twice yearly both on-line and in print, plus occasional special issues. Systemist is a peer-reviewed open access publication, free to both authors and readers. Papers are published from any perspective in Systems thinking or practice, including those committed to General Systems Theory, Soft Systems or from Philosophical, Psychological, Social or Politically based ideas applied holistically in any subject area.

In 2014 Systemist formed a core part of the International Journal of Systems & Society,[3] published by IGI Global[4] and created by the UKSS, before returning to the Society as an independent publication once more in 2018.

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The Society has long collaborated with other professional systems entities, including the Open University,[5] the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR)[6] and the Association of Sustainability Practitioners.[7]

UKSS maintains links with other professional societies:

  • Association for Information Systems (AIS)[8]
  • UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS)[9]
  • World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC)[10]
  • International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS)[11]
  • Systems and Complexity in Organisation (SCiO)[12]
  • British Computer Society (BCS)[13]
  • Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems (STPIS)[14]

History

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The Society grew from a community of practice of leading systems academics into one more widely based to embrace all those practicing systems ideas. The formal approach that was conceived in 1979 by the Barford Group, and consisted of academics from the Universities (Open University, Lancaster, Aston, City) was widened to provide communication channels and ways of sharing knowledge between Systems thinkers and practitioners working in a wide range of areas. The Society was formally constituted in 1980 and is a registered educational charity.

The operation of the Society is undertaken by a committee and latterly a management team that provides the basis of reviewing and maintaining the Societies activities. The prime aim is to support and encourage the use and development of Systems ideas. The Society offers workshops, seminars, conferences and publishes papers in Systemist to support a cycle of learning about Systems thinking and practice. At its conferences a general meeting of members is called to discuss plans, listen to comments and suggestions and to elect members of the management committee. The President is nominated by the management committee and all appointments ratified at the General meeting.

List of Presidents
2021-2024 Frank Stowell
2016-2020 Committee *
2014-2015 Jennifer Wilby
2011-2013 Laurence Brooks
2009-2010 Christine Welch
2006-2008 Ian Roderick
2002-2005 Frank Stowell
2000-2001 Jim Howell
1998-1999 Daune West
1996-1997 John Mingers
1994-1995 Keith Ellis
1992-1994 Roger Stewart
1989-1991 Mike Jackson
1987-1988 Lynda Davies
1985-1987 Nimal Jayaratna
  • Committee restructure and pandemic

Gold Medallists

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List of Gold Medallists
Name Contribution
Professor Russell Ackoff Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science at the Wharton School

Pennsylvania. An organisational theorist and well known for his comment about 'messes' to describe the complex social situation. He was a pioneer in Operational Research and held the chair of various universities. He was C West Churchman's first doctoral student.

Professor Stafford Beer A world-famous Professor of Cybernetics, specialising in holistic management and

organisational transformation. His most well known creation was the Viable Systems Model (VSM). His notable texts (among many): 'Brain of the Firm' and 'Heart of the Enterprise'.

Dr Fritjof Capra Physicist and Systems theorist and a founding director of the centre for ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. He is an acclaimed author of best-selling books including the 'Web of Life', 'Tao of Physics' and 'Hidden Connections'. His research provided a new foundation for ecological policies for building and sustaining communities without diminishing opportunities for future generations.
Professor Peter Checkland A world-famous Professor of Soft Systems and empiricist/practitioner. This approach was designed to tackle messy real-world situations. Out of a 30-year research programme emerged Soft Systems Methodology that added a new dimension to Systems Thinking and Practice. His work has created a new direction for systems theory and practice. Checkland has published widely with his most notable book 'Systems Thinking Systems Practice'.
Professor C West Churchman World renowned Professor of Business Administration and Social Sciences, a Systems theorist and philosopher. His ideas on 'Systems' influenced a generation of Systems Thinkers and practitioners. He published widely including notable works 'Systems Approach' and 'Design of

Inquiring Systems'.

Professor Humberto Maturana Autopoiesis and Cognition. Produced a different biological insight of what it is to be human. Living beings are continually self-producing; he called this process an autopoietic organisation. Many significant publications including 'The Neurophysiology of Cognition', and he co-authored the 'Tree of Knowledge' with Francisco Varela.
Professor Ian Mitroff Internationally recognised expert on crisis management. He holds chairs in several

universities including Professor Emeritus at the USC Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, an Adjunct Professor at Saybrook University, San Francisco, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at St. Louis University.

Sir Geoffrey Vickers Following a successful career in the law, civil administration and industrial management he

became a valued contributor to academic debate and 'systems' theory and Practice in particular. His notion of the Appreciative Systems, formed from his life's experience of managing people and organisations have had a significant effect upon systems research and practice. Notable publications: 'The Art of Judgement' and 'Human Systems are Different'.

Conferences

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List of conferences
Year Conference theme and keynote speakers
2023 Systems: Transition to a sustainable World

Rodney Irwin, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a member of the senior management team at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Ray Ison, Professor of Systems at the Open University and President of the International Federation of Systems Research

2022 In association with University of Portsmouth, Responsible Project Management, Sustainable Systems; the importance of Systems thinking and Practice.
2021 Promoting Systems Thinking for the 21st century (Online)
2020 Systems Research in the Digital Age (Online)
2019 Systems Thinking and the Circular Economy

Prof. Jens Holscher

2018 A UK Systems Society conference in association with SPMC and the Schumacher lnstitute; co-hosted by ECIS 2018

Can systemic thinking reshape health services?

Alex Whitfield, CEO Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust; Heather Caudle, Director of Nursing Improvement, NHS England

2017 Sustaining Public Services in the Digital age and one of Fiscal Constraint

Dr Angela Kennedy, NHS Board

2016 Could systems thinking help with the problems of migration?

Prof. Gerald Midgley; Prof. Frank Stowell

2014 Systems in a Knowledge Society
2013 Systems and Society: Ideas from Practice

Clive Hutchinson; Will Hutton; Prof. Raul Espejo; Prof. Ranulph Glanville

2012 Global Crises: Exploring the Systems Perspective

Dr Edward Borodzicz; Prof. Gerald Midgley; Dr Dario Leslie

2011 The Future of Systems Learning

Prof. John Naughton; Dr Martin Reynolds

2010 Perceptions of Systems: The Nature of Management, Communication & Creativity

Prof. Linda Macauley; Prof. Michael C. Jackson; John Seddon; Dr Joanne Tippett

2009 Systems Research: Lessons from the Past– Progress for the Future

Prof. Peter Checkland

2008 Building Resilience: Responses to a Turbulent World

Dr Tony Kendle; Prof. Bernard Lietaer; Mark Lynas; Sarb Sembhi; Prof Ralph Stacey

2007 Joined up thinking for a joined-up world
2006 Effective change: The contribution of systems thinking and practice

Notes

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  1. ^ Flood, Robert L. (1990). Systems Prospects: The Next Ten Years of Systems Research. Michael C. Jackson, Paul Keys. New York, NY: Springer. ISBN 978-1-4613-0845-4.
  2. ^ "Systemist". UK Systems Society / Systemist. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  3. ^ "International Journal of Systems and Society". IGI Global.
  4. ^ "IGI Global". IGI Global. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  5. ^ Hagedorn, Konrad; Ison, Ray; Collins, Kevin. "Systemic Inquiry: Governing the Anthropocene: Cybersystemic Possibilities?" (PDF). The Open University. Open University. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  6. ^ "UK Systems Society page". International Federation for Systems Research. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  7. ^ "Responsible Project Management". Association of Sustainability Practitioners. ASP. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  8. ^ "Association for Information Systems". Association for Information Systems. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  9. ^ "UK Association for Information Systems". UKAIS. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  10. ^ "World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics". WOSC. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  11. ^ "International Society for the Systems Sciences". ISSS. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Systems and Complexity in Organisation". SCiO. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  13. ^ "British Computer Society". BCS The Chartered Institute for IT. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems". Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems. Retrieved 14 February 2025.

References

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