Gerald Robert Midgley (born 1960) is a British

organizational theorist Organizational theory refers to the set of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also attempts to explain how interrelated units of organiz ...

, professor 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 ...

, director of the Centre for Systems Studies at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

, and past president (2013-2014) 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 ...

. He is known for his work on "Systemic Intervention;" which he defined as "purposeful action by an agent to create change ''in relation to reflection upon boundaries''."

Life and work

Midgley received his BA from

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, and his M.Phil and in 1992 his PhD from the

City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...

with the thesis, entitled. ''Unity and Pluralism.''Midgley, Gerald Robert.
Unity and pluralism
'' Diss. City University London, 1992. From 1997 to 2003 Midgley was Director of the Centre for Systems Studies at the

. In 2003 he went to Australia to become Adjunct Professor at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, and senior science leader at the

Institute of Environmental Science and Research The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute (CRI). Its purpose is to deliver scientific and research services to the public health, food safety, security and justice systems, and the enviro ...

in New Zealand. In 2004 he also became Adjunct Professor at the

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, and in 2007 Adjunct Professor 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 ...

. Since 2010 back in England he is Professor of

and again director of the Centre for Systems Studies at the University of Hull.Interview with systems thinker Gerald Midgley
at ''shiftn.com.'' March 5, 2012. Accessed 18.05.2015. Midgley's research interests are in the fields of philosophy, methodology and practice, especially in interrelationship between those three. With

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Robert L. Flood and

Werner Ulrich Werner Ulrich (born 1948, Berne, Switzerland) is a Swiss social scientist and practical philosopher, and a former professor of the theory and practice of social planning at the University of Fribourg. He is known as one of the originators of cr ...

he originated

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 ...

, and with Ulrich he developed the theory of

boundary critique Boundary critique (BC) is the concept in critical systems thinking that, according to Ulrich (2002), states that "both the meaning and the validity of professional proposition In logic and linguistics, a proposition is the meaning of a declarati ...

Publications

Midgley authored and/or edited eleven books and over 300 papers. A selection: * 1995. ''Mixing methods Developing systemic intervention''. Hull University, UK. Centre for Systems Studies * 2000. ''Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology, and Practice''. Springer, 1 sep. 2000. * 2000. ''Dealing with Human Relations in Chinese System Practice''. With

Jifa Gu Gu Jifa (; born 1930s) is a Chinese systems scientist, and Professor of Operations Research and Systems Engineering at the Institute of Systems Science, Academy of Mathematics and System Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is known for hs ...

and David Campbell. * 2001. ''Operational Research and Environmental Management: A New Agenda''. Operational Research Society. * 2003. ''Systems Thinking. Volumes I-IV''. Edited by Gerald Midgley. Sage Publications Ltd. * 2004. ''Community Operational Research: OR and Systems Thinking for Community Development''. Kluwer. * 2006. ''Systems Thinking and Complexity Science: Insights for Action''. Edited with K. Richardson and W. Gregory, Boston: ISCE Press * 2011. ''Forensice DNA Evidence on Trial: Science and Uncertainty in the Courtroom''. With Victoria Grace, Johanna Veth and Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll, Litchfield Park AZ: Emergent Publications ;Articles, a selection * 1996. "What Is This Thing Called CST?". In: ''Critical Systems Thinking'' 1996, pp 11–24 * 1998. "The theory and practice of boundary critique: developing housing services for older people". With Munlo I.; Brown M. in: ''Journal of the Operational Research Society'', Volume 49, Number 5, 1 May 1998, p. 467-478 * 2000. "Systems Practice in China: New Developments and Cross-Cultural Collaborations". with

Jennifer Wilby Jennifer M. Wilby (born 1953) is an American and UK management scientist, and past director of the Centre for Systems Studies, and a senior lecturer and researcher in management systems and sciences in The Business School, University of Hull. Sh ...

In: ''Systemic Practice and Action Research'' Vol 13, Nr 1. Febr 2000. pp. 3–9.

References

External links

Gerald Midgley
at Hull University Business School
An Introduction to Systems Thinking by Gerald Midgley
at youtube.com, Oct. 3, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Midgley, Gerald Robert 1960 births Living people British business theorists British systems scientists Academics of the University of Hull Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of the University of London University of Queensland faculty Victoria University of Wellington faculty Presidents of the International Society for the Systems Sciences