The New IFSR Conversations

The IFSR Conversations, initially held in Fuschl near Salzburg, Austria, were established in 1980 and have since been held biennially. These gatherings brought together 30–40 systems scientists and practitioners from around the world to discuss systemic issues and to develop understanding relevant for society and its environment.

Introduced by Bela H. Banathy as an alternative to classical conferences, which often relied on presentations and short question slots, the Conversations created space for small, self-guided groups to explore topics of scientific and social importance over several days. The inquiry, co-reflection, and learning of these groups often manifested in seminal publications such as:

“A Guide to Systems Research: Philosophy, Processes and Practice” (Edson, M., Buckle Henning, P., & Sankaran, S., eds., 2016).

Building on this legacy, the New IFSR Conversations draw further inspiration from systemic dialogue formats pioneered by Bela H. Banathy, David Bohm, Gordon Pask, and the Mirror of Tamkeen. They provide conditions for experience-based and relationship-oriented, co-created and co-facilitated processes of inquiry, learning, and understanding. These dialogues are embedded in epistemic humility, where co-reflected lived experiences foster shared understanding.

This approach is reflected in:

“Growing a community of conversation and understanding: The 2023 agenda for the systems community” (Klein, L., Buckle, P., Nguyen, N., Preiser, R., & Ison, R. L., 2022).