Visionary thinking and creative insight does not always come from being an academic. I have spoken and written many times about the creativity and insight of those applying systems thinking in their everyday work. They generally aren’t sat at computers writing journal articles, paying for them to be published or going through grueling peer review processes. They aren’t always the ones spending hours writing books or even blogs like this one. They are just getting on with things and generating incredible insights along the way. They are not just the thinkers or the creators. They are the ones who can turn abstract ideas into reality, a skill in its own league, the significance of which is often overlooked.

Sadly, no matter how much experience you have, how good you are at your craft, how many qualifications you have, if you do not enter into the archaic labyrinth that is academic publishing, you generally don’t exist and nor will you ever. You will never be quoted, referenced or referred to because it isn’t the done thing in academia to make reference to the work of a ‘non-academic’. So, as a practitioner what do you do? Keep your insights to yourself? Just use them for personal use and don’t share? I guess that would be the easy way but I do not think it is the right way. I think all of the systems practitioners out there who do not sit in an academic context need to have their insights, creativity and wise and sometimes daring application showcased.

I would love to see a ‘festival of systems practice’ that was not devised, designed, engineered, hosted or controlled by people with an academic or even a consultancy background. Consultants often collaborate with academics, which I discuss in the book ‘Crossing the Bridge’ (2023). Together they have dominance in the field. A festival of practice for internal agents is what is on my mind – those using systems thinking in the work place, usually without the title of ‘systems thinking practitioner’ and/ or without projects specifically badged as systems thinking. A festival that demonstrates their embodiment of systems thinking concepts and ideas. I can, however, already envisage the unintended consequences of showcasing such creative brilliance. I would, however, like to see it not just happen, but become the established norm with a new system of recognising new insights generated by the systems practitioner. Insights which do not have to be written up in an antiquated, cumbersome process of academic publishing.

Reference:

Roberts, P (2023) ‘Crossing the Bridge: A practitioner’s learning journey into systems thinking and Creating the Conditions for Change’ UK: Kindle direct publishing

This is my 100^th blog on being a systems thinking practitioner and the insights the application and my journey have created.