Accommodation and critique: A necessary tension

Smith, Alistair; Midgley, Gerald

Abstract

A dilemma in critical systems thinking is how to balance a desire for critique to inspire far-reaching transformations in society with the requirement for people to reach accommodations to enable on-the-ground change. Both critique and accommodation are necessary to realise transformations, yet they are often in tension. If critique is undertaken by lone researchers and prioritised over accommodation, then the lack of stakeholder buy-in can lead to a failure of implementation. Conversely, if accommodation is prioritised over critique, then implementation is more likely, but it may be less than transformative due to the need to keep more conservative stakeholders engaged. A strategy to address this problem is offered by Gillian Rose. This paper discusses how her strategy can inform critical systems thinking. It then ends with more general reflections on the value of the work of Gillian Rose for systemic intervention.

Citation

Smith, A., & Midgley, G. (online). Accommodation and critique: A necessary tension. Systems research and behavioral science, 42(1), 23-50. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.3096

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 18, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Nov 25, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 28, 2024
• Journal: Systems Research and Behavioral Science
• Print ISSN: 1092-7026
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 23-50
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.3096
• Keywords: Accommodation; Broken middle; Critical systems thinking; Critique; Interpretive systemology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4869199