The resonance of Mike Jackson's work with the use of systems ideas in community operational research

Abstract

The body of work of Mike Jackson covers several major themes in OR/Systems Thinking and articulates key aspects of Critical Systems Thinking; with an interest throughout in applications to complex social challenges. In this paper, as a direct response to this Festschrift, and acknowledging his contribution to Community OR, five active UK‐based researchers have engaged in their own process of community‐based learning in order to articulate the ways Jackson's work resonates with their contemporary research and practice. The researchers used a variation of the Delphi method to reflect first on the ways that the body of work of Jackson resonated with their practice and research agendas. This produced a framework of ideas. Examples from the UK and overseas are then provided to illustrate these points. Ultimately, the researchers used these experiences and reflections to produce a series of statements for developing Community OR practice (and theory)—reflecting and extending Jackson's work.