In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, leaders need new frameworks and tools to make sense of and engage successfully with the challenges they face. We sat down with Dr. Michael C. Jackson, a leading expert in systems thinking, to discuss the EPIC Framework and how it can help leaders navigate complexity and drive meaningful improvements.
UNDERSTANDING THE EPIC FRAMEWORK
Q: Can you briefly explain the EPIC Framework and how it helps leaders reframe and navigate complex challenges?
Dr. Jackson: Before diving into the EPIC Framework, let me take a step back and talk about Critical Systems Thinking (CSP). CSP is a pragmatist approach, acknowledging that there is no ‘God’s eye view’ that can provide complete understanding of complex issues. It therefore facilitates a multi-perspectival approach to sense-making with a view to choosing the most appropriate systems approaches for ensuring multidimensional improvement in a situation of interest.
The EPIC Framework puts CST into practice. Think of EPIC as a method for making sense of deeply complex problem situations and choosing the best approaches that systems thinking has to offer to actively bring about improvement in those situations. Essentially, it helps you gain a much fuller picture of how complex the problem really is and the best way to tackle it. EPIC stands for Explore (the problem situation), Produce (a systemic intervention strategy), Intervene (flexibly), and Check (the results of the intervention).
CST recognises that no single systems approach is universally best. It values diverse systems approaches, understanding their strengths and limitations. By combining these approaches as appropriate to the context, EPIC supports ’complex thought’ – a necessary mindset for thriving in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) or BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) world.
Q: Can you elaborate on “Complex Thought”?
Dr. Jackson: Certainly. Some systems thinkers cling to the idea that they can precisely model a system of interest and use their preferred approach to predict and control what is going to happen. This is what Edgar Morin calls ‘simple thought’. CST recognizes that this is impossible and accepts that no one approach can solve every problem. It argues that getting a complete understanding of reality is unrealistic and that we must rely on useful partial truths. When we look closely, we can see that each systems approach is based on a partial view of reality and offers only a limited form of intervention. It follows that while a particular approach may be most useful in a specific situation, it might not be elsewhere. Relying on a single systems approach oversimplifies the complexity of the VUCA/BANI world, often with disastrous consequences. Developing ‘complex thought’ means learning to inhabit different perspectives and to use a variety of systems approaches to navigate complexity effectively.
Q: How can leaders effectively “Explore” the systemic context before acting? What are some common pitfalls to avoid?
Dr. Jackson: Exploration involves examining the problem through various systemic lenses to uncover primary and secondary issues. These perspectives can help enhance the experience and knowledge of context that good leaders already possess. A key pitfall is the belief that some have that they need to demonstrate certainty in the face of complexity and rush to get things done. This frequently leads to them addressing the wrong problem. Multidimensional complexity demands that issues are explored through multiple perspectives to ensure the right problem is addressed in the right way.
Five systemic lenses—mechanical, interrelationships, organismic, purposeful, and societal/environmental—have shown that they can provide deep insights into complex problems. Using them helps identify failings and opportunities for improvement. I recommend leaders start by methodically exploring with these lenses to develop a deeper, more rounded, and useful appreciation of the problem situation that confronts them.
Q: Can you provide an example of how complex thought can be applied using the five systemic lenses?
Dr. Jackson: Certainly. Let’s consider a healthcare crisis, such as the Covid 19 pandemic, to demonstrate how the five systemic perspectives can foster complex thought, using the UK as an example.
Mechanical Perspective: Think of this as applying an engineering mindset. From this lens, we examine tangible infrastructure issues like staff shortages, lack of hospital beds, PPE, and ventilators, supply chain disruptions, no adequate ‘track and trace’ mechanisms, and insufficient microbiology and virology labs. These are concrete operational problems that require practical solutions.
Interrelationships Perspective: This perspective involves recognizing how different components of the system interact with one another. For example, the relationship between the NHS and care homes is crucial; the degree of coordination between these sectors can hugely impact the overall effectiveness of crisis response. In the UK this relationship had been neglected with significant consequences for the spread of the disease.
Organismic Perspective: Viewing the system as a living organism emphasises learning, adaptability and local autonomy. Unlike machines, biological systems learn from their environment and evolve. Applying this lens, we see that the health system had not sufficiently learned from past epidemics like SARS or Ebola. Further, an overly centralised response failed to adequately support local initiative and learning. Greater decentralisation would have improved the agility of the response.
Purposeful Perspective: This perspective considers the beliefs, mental models, and intentions of the actors within the system. Factors such as trust, groupthink around ‘the science,’ political opportunism, and the cultural view of the NHS as ‘sacred’ influenced decision-making and public compliance. Understanding these cultural and political motivations is crucial for effective leadership.
Societal/Environmental Perspective: Finally, this lens addresses broader social and environmental factors. During a pandemic, vulnerable groups—such as BAME populations and individuals with disabilities—are disproportionately impacted. Systematic ageism and social inequalities further shaped the outcomes, highlighting the importance of equity-focused preparation and response.
By undertaking Explore, viewing the situation of interest through all five perspectives simultaneously, leaders and stakeholders develop a more nuanced understanding of all the different factors at work, encompassing matters of efficiency, interrelationships, organisational agility, mutual understanding, groupthink, and inequality. This multiperspectival approach enables them to Produce an intervention strategy using the most appropriate systems approach or approaches available for dealing with the most pressing problems they face. Leaders can then move on to Intervene flexibly, aware that the situation will be constantly changing and they may need to revisit Explore to determine whether the intervention strategy needs adjusting. Periodically, a Check is done to ensure that multidimensional improvement is indeed occurring. It is not sufficient just to improve efficiency if, in the process, agility and trust are compromised. See diagram of the EPIC cycle.
BUILDING SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
Q: What advice would you give to leaders just beginning to explore systemic approaches like EPIC?
Dr. Jackson: The most important step is fostering a mindset shift. Leaders must accept that no single approach can fully address a complex ‘mess’. Instead, they need to use multiple perspectives to explore the situation fully, identify the most appropriate issues that need addressing, and understand the variety of systems approaches available to tackle those issues and their various strengths and weaknesses. The key is knowing when and how to deploy them. In this way, leaders can avoid simplistic solutions and more effectively navigate complexity.
FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
Q: Are there emerging trends or challenges that the EPIC Framework is particularly well-suited to address?
Dr. Jackson: EPIC was designed for and is especially useful when confronting complex issues – when trying to solve truly complex, multi-layered problems. However, many problems that may initially appear simple can turn out to be highly complex when you engage with them. It is, therefore, always sensible to go through the Explore stage to expose hidden difficulties. This can save time and money in the long run. It is always better to embrace complexity rather than ignore it.
Q: In your view, how will frameworks like EPIC shape the future of strategic management and leadership?
Dr. Jackson: Frameworks like EPIC will be instrumental in shifting leadership practices in a more holistic, adaptive, participative, and inclusive direction. They encourage leaders to operate using diverse perspectives, think and act systemically, consider multiple stakeholders, and remain flexible in the face of uncertainty. These qualities are all essential for thriving in the current BANI environment.
Q: In your experience, how likely is it for any organisation or government to embrace complex thought using critical systems thinking and EPIC. Can you provide examples?
Dr Jackson: Governments and all organisational types are having to face up to increased complexity and are coming to recognise systems thinking as the means to navigate complexity. There are different systems approaches available which address different aspects of complexity. Critical Systems Thinking identifies what they are each good at and EPIC shows you how to use them in tandem to navigate multidimensional complexity. EPIC has only recently been developed (M.C. Jackson, ‘Critical Systems Thinking: A Practitioner’s Guide’, Wiley, 2024). But is already being applied to problems of strategy, organisational design, project management, supply chain management, risk, and evaluation in government departments, local authorities, health policy and administration, education, business, the third sector, and community work.
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