Introducing the Critical Systems Forum
Recently I published “An Enlightened Vision for 2021 and Beyond”. It provided something of the backstory to the launch of the Enlightened Enterprise Academy. It introduced the three Inquiries we will launch in the second quarter of the year. I also mentioned the launch of a number of forums and courses, plus online events, and conference plans.
In this, the fourth in a series of articles, I will introduce another Enlightened Enterprise Academy activity in more detail. And I will explain how it relates to the purpose of the Academy - to realise the vision of a more enlightened approach to enterprise - intended to massively improve wellbeing and human flourishing, just as the first enlightenment movement did.
The Critical Systems Forum website is already live, a Steering Group is being formed, a private LinkedIn Group with over 250 members has already been established, and the launch of the Forum will happen in early 2021.
Back in November, I wrote an article that provides the backstory to the creation of the Critical Systems Forum. The title of that article makes clear how important systems are: “Before Being Born, Until the Day We Die, We Depend on Systems.” The Covid pandemic has exposed just how fragile many of our systems are, and just how much we depend on them to solve our problems. It also exposed how poor our understanding of our systems really is, and how poorly many are managed.
This was a topic that interested me long-before the pandemic. I had many discussions with Andy Wilkins, a friend and colleague, who has been developing a vision for healthcare based on a 10-15years horizon and taking account of all the new technologies that offer great potential, but major systemic challenges if we are to realise that potential.
When the Steering Group for this forum is in place, it will first review the draft development plan, I wrote with input Andy, and from Dr Mike Jackson who proposed I might create this forum. Mike had been a speaker at the related conference I ran at the Royal Society of Arts, London back in March. He is an internationally recognised expert in systems thinking, author of Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity, and a Professor Emeritus at Hull University Business School which he founded and was Dean of for twelve years.
Now I can share the news that John Kay, one of Britain’s leading economists, has accepted my invitation to take part in the forum and will participate in the Steering Group. John’s career has spanned the academic world, business and finance, and public affairs. He has held chairs at the London Business School, the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and is a Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford, where he began his academic career in 1970. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. John is also a director of several public companies and a contributing editor of the Financial Times.
John is the author of many books, including The Truth about Markets (2003), The Long and the Short of It (2009, new revised edition 2016) and Obliquity (2010). Other People’s Money (2015) was "Book of the Year" for Bloomberg, The Economist and the Financial Times, winner of the Saltire Literary Prize for non-fiction, and was short-listed for the Orwell Prize for political writing. His more recent books included Radical Uncertainty, jointly written with Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England, and Greed is Dead, co-authored with Paul Collier
Of direct relevance to the Critical Systems Forum, John chaired the Review of UK Equity Markets and Long-Term Decision-Making which reported to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in July 2012. Known as the Kay Review, is was a thorough examination of the UK Equity Markets that took a systems thinking approach, and this is one of my primary reasons for inviting John to join the forum. That said, it will become clear just how much relevance there is in all his other works. I say this having re-read Obliquity over the Christmas break.
John has also agreed to speak at a conference I am organising for March. The title is "Beyond the False Dichotomy: Ending the Shareholder v Stakeholder Nonsense"
Other members of the forum work in a wide range of industries and represent many sectors and specialisms. They include Dr David Hancock, Construction Director at the UK Government Cabinet Office for Infrastructure and Major Projects, and the author of Tame, Messy and Wicked Risk Leadership.
JOIN THE MAILING LIST to receive all new announcements