We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg has been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of Systems (ISSN: 2079-8954).

Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg is a Professor of operations management and systems thinking at Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK. He is in his second term as Head of the Operations and Service Management Department and has previously been Associate Dean for Business Engagement. Prior to that, he worked in several UK universities, was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University (CA, USA), and previously completed a PhD using systems thinking in systems engineering, a company apprenticeship in business and management (Marconi), and a first degree in management science.

Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg’s current research interests are developing the PrOH (Process Oriented Holonic) Modelling Methodology (“PrOH” rhymes with “show” as in “show-and-tell”) which is a soft systems methodology used to change human activity systems in and across organizations to bring about innovative solutions in digitalization, productivity, efficiency leanness, and quality. He is a specialist in applied action research. His passion is generating and developing systems thinking, theory, and methods of all types to create positive practical impacts for socio-technical systems through the enhanced interactions of people, processes, and technology. 

Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg has a leading textbook on Operations Management from McGraw-Hill and has published widely in top journals on topics covering systems thinking, operations and supply chain management, quality, productivity, digitalization, efficiency, and change management. He is a chartered engineer, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), and a member of the Engineering Council (EC) UK. He has worked with large and small companies in design, manufacturing, and services to make positive impacts.

Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg has been nominated for and won several awards for his teaching, research, and wider engagement and impact activities. To date, his research has attracted more than GBP 4 million in industry and government grants. He has published approximately 200 outputs and has a Google Scholar H-index of over 33. He has been a major player in the growth of Aston Business School and the recent rise in the popularity of systems thinking. Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg has delivered two highly rated REF(UK) impact studies (2014 and 2021) based on his use of systems thinking. He has been a member of the European Operations Management (EurOMA) board, member of the Production and Operations Management (POM) Society (USA), the International Council of Systems Engineers (INCOSE), and the Operations Research (OR) Society. Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg looks forward to making contributions to the International Society for Systems Science (ISSS).

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg, who shared his vision for the journal and his views on the research area:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Editor-in-Chief?
It is a great honor to become Editor-in-Chief of Systems. I have long wanted to be in such a position where I am able to champion systems thinking and systems practice, in its various forms, which have been sidelined and underrated for far too long and need to be brought into the mainstream for managers, analysts, policymakers, researchers, and society in general. I see being Editor-in-Chief of MDPI’s Systems as an opportunity to pursue this aim.

2. What is your vision for the journal?
My vision for the Systems journal is to publish high-quality research using systems theories and methodologies and systems practice that focus on improving socio-technical systems in the broadest sense. Too many other journals fail to recognize the significance of systems approaches and systemic topics and Systems should become the leading journal in this domain.

I aim to get the Systems journal highly ranked on all leading journal ranking tables and boost its citations and impact factor. I believe that all forms of systems theory, methods, and applications are relevant but would like Systems to focus less on complex mathematical modeling return to the origins of ISSS, and bring Systems back to socio-technical systems using truly systems-based approaches to solve systemic problems. This aim will be an essential qualifying criterion which must be met by work submitted to Systems before it can be reviewed. I also wish to make sure we have a diverse authorship in the journal that gives a global perspective on systems. 

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
I believe the future of systems disciplines will become more important as the world deals with increasing amounts of data, systemic challenges of all kinds, and changing human priorities. Authors and editors should encourage work that deals with complex systemic issues in ever-changing socio-technical systems. It is an exciting time to be writing about systems, and a fantastic opportunity awaits systems thinkers as systems approach with a true focus on systemic issues are neglected by many other journals.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?
Open access publishing is a relative newcomer to the publishing world and has in the past been criticized for compromised quality and standards, but I believe this criticism is now decreasing. Indeed, authors can often write more freely when they are unconstrained by conventional protocols and there is no rational reason why open access publications cannot be as good quality, or even better quality, than restricted access publications from publishers who have optional production charging rules to collect payments from their authors.

Open access publishers can often be faster to publish as they are better resourced by professional editorial staff and less reliant on volunteers. As Editor-in-Chief of Systems, I will strive to ensure that open access publishers, such as MDPI, invest and support their authors by creating highly visible quality publications with strong potential for high citation rates and credible recognition.

We wish Prof. Dr. Ben Clegg every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.