THE SYSTEMS THINKER Renaming Contest

In the spring, we held a contest to solicit possible names for The Systems Thinker®. After more than 14 years of publication, we wondered whether a new name might more vividly reflect the constantly evolving thought and groundbreaking practices that grace its pages. We received and considered close to 100 thoughtful and creative entries. In addition, many readers asked us to keep the name as is.

After much debate, for now, we decided to heed the call of those who pleaded with us to maintain our “brand identity.” For the indefinite future, we’ll proudly continue to call ourselves The Systems Thinker: Building Shared Understanding.

Because we did not choose one of the submissions, we randomly drew a name from the pool of entrants to receive our prize of a free registration to this year’s Pegasus Conference, Building Collaborations to Change Our Organizations and the World: Systems Thinking in Action®. David Clarkson from Australia was the winner. As much as we would love to meet Dave in person, we can understand why he has asked to transfer his registration to 2005—his wife is expecting a baby on the last day of the conference!

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the contest. Your energy and enthusiasm for this publication and the practical application of systems thinking tools are truly inspiring.