The need to take into account aesthetic values in systems/OR practice is more relevant today where there is an increase in the complexity of the situation where choices need to be made and/or issues surrounding a decision(s) need to be deliberated and considered in the context of multiple perspectives. This paper will introduce the concept of aesthetic in relation to the processes of systems and OR. It will draw on a few case studies and will pay particular attention to the space, values and artefacts uncovered in interventions. The paper will also include an introduction to a mode of understanding of systems and OR practice called critical imagination. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.