Michael Christopher Jackson OBE (born 1951) is a British systems scientist,

consultant A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servi ...

and Emeritus Professor of Management Systems and former Dean of

Hull University , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

Business School, known for his work in the field of

systems thinking Systems thinking is a way of making sense of the complexity of the world by looking at it in terms of wholes and relationships rather than by splitting it down into its parts. It has been used as a way of exploring and developing effective actio ...

and management.

Biography

Jackson studied

Politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

from 1970 to 1973, where he received his PPE. After spending 4 years in the civil service, he received his MA in Systems in Management at the

Lancaster University , mottoeng = Truth lies open to all , established = , endowment = £13.9 million , budget = £317.9 million , type = Public , city = Bailrigg, City of Lancaster , country = England , coor = , campus = Bailrigg , faculty ...

in 1978. Jackson spent his academic life teaching at the

, the

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020 ...

, the

University of Lincoln , mottoeng = Freedom through wisdom , established = 1861 – Hull School of Art1905 – Endsleigh College1976 – Hull College1992 – University of Humberside1996 – University of Lincolnshire and Humberside2001 � ...

and the

, appointed Professor of Management Systems in Hull from 1989 to May 2012.Emeritus Professor Mike C Jackson
at the Hull University Business School, retrieved Oct 2014. He was Visiting Professor at the

Indian Institute of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are central government owned public technical institutes located across India. They are under the ownership of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. They are governed by the Insti ...

(New Delhi) and Honorary Professor at the Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru. In 1997 he was an Erskine Scholar at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, New Zealand. Jackson is a past President of the UK Systems Society, of the International Federation for Systems Research from 1996 to 2000, and of the

International Society for the Systems Sciences The International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) is a worldwide organization for systems sciences. The overall purpose of the ISSS is: :"to promote the development of conceptual frameworks based on general system theory, as well as their ...

in 2001. He has also served on the Council of the Operational Research Society. He is a Fellow of the

British Computer Society Sir Maurice Wilkes served as the first President of BCS in 1957 BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, known as the British Computer Society until 2009, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in inf ...

, the

Chartered Management Institute The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is a professional institution for management based in the United Kingdom. The major membership classes are ''Member'', ''Fellow'' - for those with significant expertise - and ''Companion'' - the most sen ...

, the

Cybernetics Society The Cybernetics Society is a UK-based learned society that exists to promote the understanding of Cybernetics. The core activity of the Cybernetics Society is the organization and facilitation of scientific meetings, conferences, and social events. ...

and the Operational Research Society. Jackson is Editor-in-chief of the journal ''

Systems Research and Behavioral Science ''Systems Research and Behavioral Science'' is a scientific journal for theory and research in the fields of systems sciences. It is the official publication of the International Federation for Systems Research. ''Systems Research and Behavioral ...

'', published by John Wiley, and he is on the editorial board of 5 other journals. He has delivered plenary addresses at numerous international conferences, and has undertaken many consultancy engagements with outside organisations, both commercial and non-profit. In 2009, his work was honored from the

Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies The Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies ( el, Ελληνική Εταιρεία Συστημικών Μελετών, ΕΕΣΜ) is a scientific non-profit society that was established in 2003. It is a member of the International Society for t ...

with their most prestigious

Medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

. He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to higher education and business. In 2017 he received the Beale Medal of the UK Operational Research Society for ‘an outstanding lifetime achievement in the philosophy, methodology or practice of OR’.

Work

Jackson's teaching and research interests are

Systems thinking Systems thinking is a way of making sense of the complexity of the world by looking at it in terms of wholes and relationships rather than by splitting it down into its parts. It has been used as a way of exploring and developing effective actio ...

Organizational cybernetics Management cybernetics is concerned with the application of cybernetics to management and organizations. "Management cybernetics" was first introduced by Stafford Beer in the late 1950s and introduces the various mechanisms of self-regulation app ...

, Creative problem solving,

Critical systems thinking Critical systems thinking (CST) is a systems approach designed to aid decision-makers, and other stakeholders, improve complex problem situations that cross departmental and, often, organizational boundaries. CST sees systems thinking as essential ...

Management science Management science (or managerial science) is a wide and interdisciplinary study of solving complex problems and making strategic decisions as it pertains to institutions, corporations, governments and other types of organizational entities. It is ...

and Systems science.

Publications

Jackson has written 5 books, edited 6 others and has published over 70 articles in refereed journals,including Journal of Management Studies, Omega, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Systems Research, Systems Practice, SCOS, Journal of Information Systems, International Journal of General Systems, International Journal of Information Management, Kybernetes, System Dynamics Review, Organization. Books: * 1991, ''Systems Methodology for the Management Sciences''. * 1991, '' Creative Problem Solving: Total Systems Intervention'', with

Robert L. Flood Robert Louis (Bob) Flood (born 1955) is British organizational scientist, former Professor of Management Sciences at the University of Hull,Flood, Robert Louis. Rethinking the fifth discipline: Learning within the unknowable'' Routledge, 2002. p. x ...

, Wiley. 268 p. * 2000, ''Systems Approaches to Management'', London: Springer 465 p. * 2003, ''Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers'', Wiley. * 2019, ''Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity'', Wiley. Articles, a selection: * 1993, with

, "Critical Systems Thinking", in: ''Organization Studies'' Vol 14, p. 613.

Notes and references

External links

Emeritus Professor Mike C Jackson
at the Hull University Business School.
Michael C. Jackson
IFSR Newsletter 34/35 - December 1994. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Mike 1951 births Living people British business theorists British systems scientists Fellows of the British Computer Society Officers of the Order of the British Empire The Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies Medal Academics of the University of Hull Alumni of the University of Oxford Presidents of the International Society for the Systems Sciences