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What are Angus Jenkinson's main points and principles

4 min read

What are Angus Jenkinson's main points and principles?

Angus Jenkinson’s contributions focus heavily on the philosophical distinctions between types of systems, the epistemological limits of modeling, and the need for organic, pattern-based approaches to intervention.

**The Distinction Between “Complicated” and “Complex”**Jenkinson argues that a fundamental problem in systems thinking is treating “complexity” as if it were merely “complicated”[1],[2].

• Complicated: Systems like car engines are complicated; they have many factors but can be analyzed and understood by experts through the study of their parts[1].

• Complex: The organic world (e.g., the human body or organizations) is complex; it cannot be fully comprehended by analyzing parts as if they were mechanical components[1]. Jenkinson asserts that even a complicated machine belongs to a “different order of order” than an organism or human organization[2].

• Critique of Reductionism: He critiques attempts to simplify complexity using network models (such as Eric Berlow’s TED talk), arguing that these actually address complication rather than true complexity, often reversing the presuppositions used to create the model in the first place[3].

Systems Thinking as a Perspective on OrderJenkinson views systems thinking as a smarter approach than simple cause-and-effect reasoning because it recognizes that observed conditions are brought about by the “entire operation of all the interrelated parts”[4].

• Reduced Blame: A key benefit of this perspective is that it reduces the blame placed on individuals for failures, recognizing that specific outcomes were dictated by the conditions of the “system” rather than individual error[4].

• Models vs. Reality: He questions whether our external descriptions and models ever achieve a definition consistent with “organic reality,” asking rhetorically if a seed becoming an oak is tuned to our concepts of systems thinking[5]. He suggests that the failure to recognize the relationship between the “model as system” and the “reality in the world” is a major problem within the discipline[6].

Methodologies of Observation and InterventionJenkinson advocates for observation techniques derived from art and philosophy rather than mechanics.

• Exact Sensorial Imagination: Citing Goethe, he suggests observing large, complex organizations as one would observe a painting—looking for observable patterns until one suddenly “sees the order,” similar to how a magic eye picture reveals a 3D image[1].

• Homology and Intervention: He champions the concept of “homology,” where a continuous pattern of attitudes or behaviors is identified across an entire organization (e.g., shared by junior staff in developing nations and VPs in America)[7]. By identifying this single underlying pattern, one can design a single, low-cost intervention that changes the pattern everywhere at once, rather than attempting to manage many separate changes[7].

**Epistemology and “Thinking about Thinking”**Jenkinson challenges the notion that we cannot think about thinking, citing the philosopher Owen Barfield and his concepts of “alpha and beta thinking” to argue that self-reflective thinking is fundamental to human development and science[8].

• Modes of Knowing: He references Steiner’s 12 modes of philosophical knowing to suggest that specific epistemologies (such as a mathematical way of knowing) are not wrong, but are incomplete and only sufficient in specific contexts[9].

• Hierarchical Concepts: He posits that concepts exist in hierarchical relationships (e.g., a specific cat is a domestic cat, which is a feline, which is a mammal), and that deep thinking involves traveling through this “mental whole”[6].

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