Systems science has evolved significantly from the early 20th Century. There have been three waves of systems methodologies since then, offering different practice approaches. Are we about to witness a new wave? Systems thinking enables practitioners to recognise patterns and connections and identify leverage points to deal with some of the world’s most wicked problems. However, despite its promise and a recent upsurge of interest, its adoption has not been as transformative as it could be. Some feel that systems science (the science behind systems thinking) relies excessively on abstract conceptual thinking and esoteric language, and thus remains apart from the mainstream. While the application of systems thinking is better in this respect, a lot of systems practice shows inadequate awareness of people’s inherent partialities. These affect how we perceive the world and seek to intervene even when we use a systems approach. Our current global political, economic and ecological crises beg the question: is there something missing? How is it that war, exploitation and climate change are feasible and profitable? Could the lack of weaving in the inner development goals be a key factor leading to failure to achieve the SDGs by 2030? Can either systems thinking or critical self-reflection in isolation bring about a thriving humanity and planet? In this webinar, Shakti Saran, Shaktify Founder, will be in conversation with Emeritus Professor Gerald Midgley, University of Hull, and Dr Rachel Lilley, faculty, University of Birmingham. Together, they will revisit how systems thinking inter-connects with self-reflection and sense-making and they will identify what’s missing in systems practice. They will shed light on advancements in neuroscience and sciences of mind and perception and discuss the role of introspective praxes such as Mindfulness, Meditation and Somatic Inquiry. In summary, they will explore what it takes to make systems thinking reach its full potential
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Speakers
Gerald MidgleyEmeritus Professor of Systems Thinking in the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, UKGerald Midgley is an Emeritus Professor of Systems Thinking in the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, UK and holds visiting professorships at the University of Birmingham (UK), the Australian National University and Linnaeus University (Sweden). Gerald’s transdisciplinary research on the theory and practice of systems thinking and systemic leadership is centred around developing generic theory and methodology applicable in a wide range of policy and management contexts. For almost forty years, he has moved between academia, government research and consultancy working on projects across public health, social service design, natural resource management, community development, public sector management and technology foresight. Gerald has previously served as the President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences and is a prolific author having written or edited over 400 papers and books on systems thinking. Gerald and Rachel Lilley from the Birmingham Leadership Institute have recently teamed up to take on the challenge of bringing systems thinking to the emerging field of systemic leadership. In collaboration they have been researching the implications of contemporary neuroscience and cognitive psychology (particularly how cognition, emotion and action combine to form a single anticipatory system in the body) for systemic leadership and systems thinking. This research is at the cutting edge of a ‘new wave’ of systemic inquiry that marries together the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ work required to address some of the most challenging local-to-global issues of our time. See More
Rachel LilleyAssociate Professor in the Birmingham Leadership Institute at the University of BirminghamRachel Lilley is a practitioner/academic who has spent over 30 years working at the intersection of social and environmental change, supporting individuals, organisations and communities to engage with complex challenges. Her work brings together systems thinking, behaviour change, neuroscience and contemplative inquiry. She is an Associate Professor in the Birmingham Leadership Institute at the University of Birmingham, where she has developed and now directs an innovative Masters in Systems Thinking and Leadership. The programme integrates systems thinking and leadership with reflective practice and embodied approaches to support practitioners to work skilfully with complexity and to facilitate systemic change. Alongside her academic work, Rachel is a yoga and mindfulness teacher with over 20 years’ of experience and has a longstanding commitment to inquiry and contemplative practice. Her teaching creates space for inner inquiry to be fundamentally important to action and change making. This supports more grounded and effective engagement with the world. Rachel and Gerald Midgley from the Centre of Systems Studies, University of Hull, have recently teamed up to take on the challenge of bringing systems thinking to the emerging field of systemic leadership. In collaboration they have been researching the implications of contemporary neuroscience and cognitive psychology (particularly how cognition, emotion and action combine to form a single anticipatory system in the body) for systemic leadership and systems thinking. This research is at the cutting edge of a ‘new wave’ of systemic inquiry that marries together the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ work required to address some of the most challenging local-to-global issues of our time. See More
Shakti SaranFounder of ShaktifyShakti Saran is the founder of Shaktify, an organisation that aims to empower changemakers. He holds an MBA degree from Boston University and worked in the corporate sector for over three decades, with the latter half spent at IBM. It was during his time at IBM, that employees were encouraged to volunteer which kindled the social sector interest in him. On retiring from IBM, he joined the Leadership program at India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS), deepening his commitment to environmental sustainability, inclusive economics and social justice. He transitioned and worked as a Senior Fellow with the India chapter of Pyxera Global, a D.C.-based non-profit organization. Furthering his expertise through the Radical Transformation Leadership (RTL) program and certifications in systems thinking from eCornell and Fritjof Capra’s Systems View of Life course, he established Shaktify, a think-tank to empower changemakers. Shakti’s pursuit for advanced systems thinking under Fritjof Capra happened simultaneously whilst seeking enrolment in a Vipassana meditation program, in the tradition of Mr S.N.Goenka. He has been a regular practitioner of Vipassana meditation from which he has benefited considerably. His Vipassana meditation experience has been a journey of self- discovery and the pursuit of equanimity. In his experience this disposition is a leverage point in the application of systems thinking and bringing about meaningful social and environmental change. Shaktify promotes social and environmental change through webinars, storytelling, masterclasses, pro-bono resources, and mentoring services. See More
Transforming Systems Thinking Through Self-Reflection and Sciences of Mind and Perception
[I’m so sorry to hear that Marie Davidová passed away on April 10, 2026. She seemed really inspiring and a fantastic thinker, doer, and collaborator. I heard her talk in person on her wood project, whihc was inspiring, and have valued her constant engagement and support of the systems and systemic design communities. RIP]
A paper by Mossio, Bich and Moreno (https://t.co/iZPapik4cp; for pdf https://t.co/kxTPu2lRpE), talking about part-whole relations in the context of emergence, some issues with some forms of top-down causation, and arguing for organizational closure as an emergent causal regime. pic.twitter.com/Xw612Yfq1g
Original Article | Published: 31 July 2013 Volume 78, pages 153–178, (2013) Cite this article
Matteo Mossio, Leonardo Bich & Alvaro Moreno
Abstract
In this paper, we advocate the idea that an adequate explanation of biological systems requires appealing to organizational closure as an emergent causal regime. We first develop a theoretical justification of emergence in terms of relatedness, by arguing that configurations, because of the relatedness among their constituents, possess ontologically irreducible properties, providing them with distinctive causal powers. We then focus on those emergent causal powers exerted as constraints, and we claim that biological systems crucially differ from other natural systems in that they realize a closure of constraints, i.e. a second-order emergent regime of causation such that the constituents, each of them acting as a constraint, realize a mutual dependence among them, and are collectively able to self-maintain. Lastly, we claim that closure can be justifiably taken as an emergent regime of causation, without admitting that it inherently involves whole-parts causation, which would require to commit to stronger ontological and epistemological assumptions.
Upcoming event from Systems Change Educators United. Daniela Papi-Thornton on LinkedIn:
“Have you read “Thinking in Systems” by Donella Meadows? Or have you had it on your shelf for years and always wanted to read it? Now is your chance to read, or reread this formative book.
Marta Ceroni who runs the Donella Meadows Institute and the Academy for Systems Change will host the book debrief on May 13th… so read up! This call is open to all! See you there!”
Kristof Van Assche, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada, Gert Verschraegen, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Belgium and Monica Gruezmacher, University of Alberta, Canada
In this Concise Introduction, Kristof Van Assche, Gert Verschraegen and Monica Gruezmacher provide an accessible explanation of the complex genealogy of systems thinking. Covering both social and natural sciences, the authors present the key implications of this perspective for the understanding and transformation of systems and their context.
For those interested, there is a particular systems methodology called (for rather obscure reasons) Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, or CHAT for short. CHAT was developed by Mike Cole and Yrjö Engestrom. Etienne Wenger later of Communities of Practice and Situated Learning fame, was also involved in the early days. CHAT is based on the idea that if systems approaches are intended to be opportunities for learning, then why not develop a systems methodology based on learning theories. In this case, it was based on Vygotsky’s ideas of learning as a social process. CHAT is a fascinating approach that has strongly influenced my practice, but in essence is based on the idea that an individual’s journey to fulfilling a need is mediated by the tools they use (including language), the rules of the community they are part of and the roles that they play in that community. How an individual learns how to fulfill that need is dependent on how they addresses and resolve the contractions within and between tool, rules, roles and needs. Now expand this into a work setting (ie a community of practice) where people are working on the same activity but fullfilling different needs, and you have a whole bunch more contradictions that need to be addressed, as this article so succinctly describes. CHAT is frequently used in high risk environments especially concerning health and safety issues, where contradictions abound. If anyone is interested to find out more, there is a description of CHAT in my book System Diagrams, along with the questions that CHAT addresses. The book is donationware (ie free but you can pay something if you wish) and can be downloaded from https://bobwilliams.gumroad.com
This inspired me to do a little run on CHAT – and also links to
Gerald MidgleyEmeritus Professor of Systems Thinking in the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, UKGerald Midgley is an Emeritus Professor of Systems Thinking in the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, UK and holds visiting professorships at the University of Birmingham (UK), the Australian National University and Linnaeus University (Sweden). Gerald’s transdisciplinary research on the theory and practice of systems thinking and systemic leadership is centred around developing generic theory and methodology applicable in a wide range of policy and management contexts. For almost forty years, he has moved between academia, government research and consultancy working on projects across public health, social service design, natural resource management, community development, public sector management and technology foresight. Gerald has previously served as the President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences and is a prolific author having written or edited over 400 papers and books on systems thinking. Gerald and Rachel Lilley from the Birmingham Leadership Institute have recently teamed up to take on the challenge of bringing systems thinking to the emerging field of systemic leadership. In collaboration they have been researching the implications of contemporary neuroscience and cognitive psychology (particularly how cognition, emotion and action combine to form a single anticipatory system in the body) for systemic leadership and systems thinking. This research is at the cutting edge of a ‘new wave’ of systemic inquiry that marries together the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ work required to address some of the most challenging local-to-global issues of our time. See More
Rachel LilleyAssociate Professor in the Birmingham Leadership Institute at the University of BirminghamRachel Lilley is a practitioner/academic who has spent over 30 years working at the intersection of social and environmental change, supporting individuals, organisations and communities to engage with complex challenges. Her work brings together systems thinking, behaviour change, neuroscience and contemplative inquiry. She is an Associate Professor in the Birmingham Leadership Institute at the University of Birmingham, where she has developed and now directs an innovative Masters in Systems Thinking and Leadership. The programme integrates systems thinking and leadership with reflective practice and embodied approaches to support practitioners to work skilfully with complexity and to facilitate systemic change. Alongside her academic work, Rachel is a yoga and mindfulness teacher with over 20 years’ of experience and has a longstanding commitment to inquiry and contemplative practice. Her teaching creates space for inner inquiry to be fundamentally important to action and change making. This supports more grounded and effective engagement with the world. Rachel and Gerald Midgley from the Centre of Systems Studies, University of Hull, have recently teamed up to take on the challenge of bringing systems thinking to the emerging field of systemic leadership. In collaboration they have been researching the implications of contemporary neuroscience and cognitive psychology (particularly how cognition, emotion and action combine to form a single anticipatory system in the body) for systemic leadership and systems thinking. This research is at the cutting edge of a ‘new wave’ of systemic inquiry that marries together the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ work required to address some of the most challenging local-to-global issues of our time. See More
Shakti SaranFounder of ShaktifyShakti Saran is the founder of Shaktify, an organisation that aims to empower changemakers. He holds an MBA degree from Boston University and worked in the corporate sector for over three decades, with the latter half spent at IBM. It was during his time at IBM, that employees were encouraged to volunteer which kindled the social sector interest in him. On retiring from IBM, he joined the Leadership program at India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS), deepening his commitment to environmental sustainability, inclusive economics and social justice. He transitioned and worked as a Senior Fellow with the India chapter of Pyxera Global, a D.C.-based non-profit organization. Furthering his expertise through the Radical Transformation Leadership (RTL) program and certifications in systems thinking from eCornell and Fritjof Capra’s Systems View of Life course, he established Shaktify, a think-tank to empower changemakers. Shakti’s pursuit for advanced systems thinking under Fritjof Capra happened simultaneously whilst seeking enrolment in a Vipassana meditation program, in the tradition of Mr S.N.Goenka. He has been a regular practitioner of Vipassana meditation from which he has benefited considerably. His Vipassana meditation experience has been a journey of self- discovery and the pursuit of equanimity. In his experience this disposition is a leverage point in the application of systems thinking and bringing about meaningful social and environmental change. Shaktify promotes social and environmental change through webinars, storytelling, masterclasses, pro-bono resources, and mentoring services. See More
Systems Community of Inquiry 
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