Creative holism: a critical systems approach to complex problem situations

Michael C. Jackson

doi:10.1002/sres.799

journal article Sep 01, 2006

Creative holism: a critical systems approach to complex problem situations

Michael C. Jackson

Systems Research and Behavioral Science Vol. 23 No. 5 pp. 647-657 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/sres.799

Abstract

AbstractThe 49th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences had, as its theme, ‘the potential impacts of systemics on society’. As my contribution to this, I want to discuss why I think a critical systems approach called ‘creative holism’ can help managers address complex problem situations. As is frequently stated, managers today face increasing complexity, change and diversity. Furthermore, the solutions they are offered to help them cope in this situation rarely seem to work. In this paper, it is argued that those solutions fail because they are not holistic or creative enough. The benefits to be gained from holism and creativity (in a systemic sense) are outlined, and a practical approach, ‘creative holism’, is specified which aims to better equip managers to deal with complex problem situations. If the argument is right then systemics has the potential to have both a significant and a beneficial impact upon society in the years to come. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Metrics

160

Citations

28

References

Details

Published: Sep 01, 2006
Vol/Issue: 23(5)
Pages: 647-657
License: View

Authors

M

Michael C. Jackson

Cite This Article

Michael C. Jackson (2006). Creative holism: a critical systems approach to complex problem situations. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 23(5), 647-657. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.799

Creative holism: a critical systems approach to complex problem situations

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