Professionalising systems thinking in practice: what’s not to celebrate?

Abstract

2020 marked a significant landmark for professional recognition of systems thinking in practice (STiP) in the UK. Government approval was secured for a new Level 7 (postgraduate) Apprenticeship Standard associated with an occupational role for the systems thinking practitioner (STP). Professional recognition for the STP can be celebrated on several counts; primarily with installing greater confidence amongst users of, and potential commissioners for, STiP.  But professionalization also prompts potential systemic downsides. The paper provides a systemic inquiry into the professionalization of STiP based on a lite-touch framing of four sources of influence from critical systems heuristics (CSH): who gets what (motivation)? who owns what (control)? who does what (knowledge/ expertise)? and who suffers what (legitimacy)?  The framing opens up conversation and questions regarding four key stakeholding issues: (i) what value is generated by STiP as a profession and for whom? (ii) what are appropriate governance structures for steering STiP ? (iii) how might the increasing diversity and creativity of STiP be guaranteed and (iv) what ethos of professionalism might circumscribe purposeful development of STiP?  On this last question, the paper contrasts two models of possible direction for STiP – client professionalism and civic professionalism.  The latter suggests STiP as ultimately generating value as a ‘public good’ (source of motivation), through ‘public work’ with appropriate governance to allow for autonomy (control) enabling trusted expertise based on resonance and relevance as much as reliability (knowledge), and adaptable for variable contexts informed by an ethos of social justice and ‘public service’ (legitimacy); an ethos not to be confused with serving only the public sector.  The two models can be considered as occupying opposite poles on a systematic - systemic spectrum of professional development, with client professionalism caricatured as a Systems-industrial complex and the more systemic civic professionalism retaining features of a Systems-adaptive complex.  Maintaining ongoing conversation around features of each model may help mitigate concerns around STiP losing her ultimate transformative power – similar to the Ancient Greek tragedy regarding the God of Fire -  Prometheus Bound.