Download or read book Ackoff s Fables written by Russell L. Ackoff and published by . This book was released on 1991-03-27 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this insightful new book, bestselling author Russell Ackoff speaks out on everything from personal development and beating the system, to problem solving and the failure of public education. In a series of fables he offers practical advice that readers can put to use in every aspect of their lives. Throughout, his guiding principle is that the most direct route to problem solving is to ignore truisms and cut right to the heart of the matter.
Download or read book The Art of Problem Solving written by Russell Lincoln Ackoff and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1978 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A witty, literate and, most of all, convincing reflection...[Ackoff] shines an often bright light into corners where problems hide, showing the manager how to understand the consequences of his own behavi identify real, rather than supposed, elements of problems; perceive another's aims; determine what is controllab and deal with other nettlesome factors." -Inc. The Art of Problem Solving Russ Ackoff-author, consultant, and teacher extraordinaire. During his long career, he has shown thousands of managers, architects, engineers, attorneys, advertising people, software developers, and scientists the way to more creative, artful problem solving. This new paper edition of The Art of Problem Solving is perhaps the best example of Ackoff in action. Step by step, this practical guide shows you how to develop an understanding of the art of creative thinking and the design of creative solutions. Using "Ackoff's Fables"-humorous yet eminently practical parables, based on real problems by real managers-you'll see why solving a problem seldom solves the problem, but why approaching it from a new, unorthodox angle often does. The result is vintage Ackoff-controversial, funny, and always on target. If you like to dig beyond simple solutions-to imaginative solutions that work-this book is for you.
Download or read book Ackoff s Best written by Russell L. Ackoff and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1999-02-16 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russell Ackoff is a very special management thinker. As an architect, city planner, doctor of philosophy, behavioral scientist, trailblazer in the fields of organizational, operations, and systems theory, bestselling author, distinguished Wharton School professor, and head of his own management education and consulting firm, he qualifies, as do few others in this century, for the title of "Renaissance Man." Fortunately, he makes up for this grievous shortcoming by also being an outrageously funny observer of homo commercium. Now, Ackoff's Best offers you an opportunity to become acquainted with this irreverent genius who, over the past forty years, has done so much to shape our understanding of the modern business organization. Compiled by the author, Ackoff's Best encapsulates the author's most controversial, influential, and wittiest work to appear since the 1970s. Ackoff's groundbreaking exploration of systems theory and its effect on business provides the backbone of this collection. Also included are his most lasting and thought-provoking writings on an array of topics in business, society, and human behavior that well reflect the sweeping scope of Ackoff's intellect and expertise. From managing teams, maximizing the effectiveness of information systems, and problem solving, to creativity, crime, and the role of the corporation in a democratic society, these writings are a cornucopia of insights, observations, and powerful lessons that will help you maximize your personal development and the effectiveness of your organization. An excellent introduction for newcomers to Russell Ackoff, and a welcome compendium of Ackoff's pithiest writings for those already familiar with his ideas from such classic works as Creating the Corporate Future and The Art of Problem Solving, Ackoff's Best is required reading for every intelligent businessperson. "The range, depth, and perspectives of these essays on management illustrate, once again, Russ Ackoff's unique genius." —Warren Bennis, University Professor, University of Southern California, and Co-author, Co-Leaders "Russ Ackoff uses words that cut through the familiar and open doors in one's brain." —Arie P. de Geus, Author, The Living Company "Ackoff's Best captures the lucid and compelling explorations of one of the most profound and influential thinkers of our time." —Ray Stata, Chairman of the Board, Analog Devices "This collection reminds me that I have learned my most valuable lessons from Russ Ackoff." —Vince Barabba, General Manager, Corporate Strategy and Knowledge Development, General Motors Corporation
Download or read book Management in Small Doses written by Russell L. Ackoff and published by . This book was released on 1986-08-19 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ackoff gives the reader 52 small doses of sound management thinking, delivered with characteristic Ackoff wit, humor and clarity.
Download or read book Rethinking the Fifth Discipline written by Robert Louis Flood and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-01-04 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Fifth Discipline' is one of the very few approaches to management that has attained position on the International Hall of Fame. Professor Flood's book explains and critiques the ideas in straight forward terms. This book makes significant and fundamental improvements to the core discipline - systemic thinking. It establishes crucial developments in systemic thinking in the context of the learning organisation, including creativity and organisational transformation. It is therefore a very important text for strategic planners, organisational change agents and consultants. The main features of the book include: * a review and critique of 'Fifth Discipline' and systemic thinking * an introduction to the gurus of systemic thinking - Senge, Bertalanffy, Beer, Ackoff, Checkland, and Churchman *a redefinition of management through systemic thinking *a guide to choosing, implementing and evaluating improvement strategies *Practical illustrations. Robert Flood is a renowned and authoritative expert in the field of management. He has implemented systemic management in a wide range of organisations in many continents and lectured by invitation in 25 countries, including Japan and the USA. Professor Flood has featured on many radio and TV programs. His book Beyond TQM was nominated for the 'IMC Management Book of the Year 1993'.
Download or read book Redesigning Society written by Russell Lincoln Ackoff and published by Stanford Business Books. This book was released on 2003 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Health care, education, welfare, law the perceived success or failure of these social institutions is constantly being debated in the public arena. In this new book Ackoff and Rovin examine a variety of these issues and use systems theory to develop solutions for many of the problems society currently faces."
Download or read book Redesigning the Future a Systems Approach to Societal Problems written by Russell Lincoln Ackoff and published by Wiley-Interscience. This book was released on 1974 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Management F Laws written by Russell Lincoln Ackoff and published by Triarchy Press Limited. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Management f-LAWS: How Organizations Really Work brings together a collection of Professor Russell Ackoff's subversive insights into the world of business. Russell Ackoff is one of the world's leading business thinkers and one of the founding fathers of Systems Thinking. His Management f-Laws (a term coined by Ackoff) expose the conventions and laws of management - the hierarchies and power struggles, the ineptitudes and time-wasting, the prejudices and careless thinking - as flaws of management: all of which hinder successful strategies for organizational change and development.
Download or read book Idealized Design written by Russell Lincoln Ackoff and published by Ft Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Don't settle for incremental change: invent tomorrow today! bull; Discover your 'ideal' solution: then, work backwards to make it happen! bull; The definitive guide to idealized design, authored by its legendary creator, and leading practitioner. bull; Start-to-finish techniques and examples drawn from hundreds of companies, nonprofits, and government organizations. [Source : 4e de couv.].
Download or read book Systems Thinking for Curious Managers written by Russell Lincoln Ackoff and published by Triarchy Press Limited. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces the world of Systems Thinking and its 'Dean', Russell Ackoff, to curious and enquiring managers, teachers, business people, and those who work in an organisation. This book presents 40 more of Russ Ackoff's famously witty and incisive f-Laws (or flaws) of business - following on from his 2007 collection "Management f-Laws".
Download or read book Visible Thinking written by John M. Bryson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2004-08-20 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Causal mapping is a tool that enables you to make sense of challenging situations so that you can get more out of them. A causal map is a word and arrow diagram in which ideas and actions are causally linked with one another through the use of arrows. Typically, only specialists such as physical or social scientists and operations researchers know about causal mapping and the tool is therefore not widely known or its broad applicability understood. Until now there has been no guidance available on how to make use of the tool for more general purposes. This book lets managers understand the theory and practice of causal mapping in layman's terms for use in both individual and group settings. It shows managers how to develop and use action-oriented strategy maps and logic models in business decision making. The authors show how causal mapping can be used as a tool to make sense of challenging situations and develop effective business responses.
Download or read book Beating the System written by Russell L. Ackoff and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2005-06-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When was the last time you dealt with a bureaucracy—the phone company, an airline, a hospital, school, or government agency—and got what you wanted without weaving through a maze of infuriating hand-offs? Have you found these systems to be utterly indifferent to the inconvenience or hardship they cause? Russell Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin say, "Enough is enough!" They have extensively studied organizational systems—how they function and malfunction, what drives them, and where their weaknesses are. Here they share both perversely entertaining anecdotes about the abuse of individuals by various bureaucracies and detail the creative—and deeply satisfying—approaches these people used to get even. Best of all, they offer successful strategies and tactics you can use to pinpoint the weakness of any system and exploit it to your advantage.
Download or read book Re Creating the Corporation written by Russell L. Ackoff and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1999-07-29 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last three decades the average life expectancy of a corporation in North America has dipped well below 20 years. In fact, by 1983 a full third of the 1970 Fortune 500 companies had been acquired, merged, or broken apart. In this landmark book, one of the business world's foremost pioneers, Russell L. Ackoff, delivers this indispensable guide for those hoping to beat these odds--and to better navigate the corporate challenges of the next millennium. While most business and management schools continue to teach the functions of a corporation separately--production, marketing, finance, personnel--the reality is that for a corporation to endure each division must work with the others to create an effective system. Re-Creating the Corporation is Ackoff's masterful blueprint for understanding and creating these model corporate systems. In four comprehensive sections--Background, Process, Designs, and Change--Ackoff lays out in clear concise prose the five organizational goals of successful corporate systems: plan effectively, learn and adapt rapidly, democratize, introduce internal market economies, and employ a flexible structure that will minimize the need for future restructuring. And through a deft mix of practical and theoretical examples drawn from a wide range of applications in a wide range of firms, this book ultimately guides executives to the system best suited to meet their organizational goals. Re-Creating the Corporation, which is the culmination of a lifetime of innovative and insightful business thought from one of the business world's premier thinkers, is essential reading for those attempting to navigate the rapidly changing economic environment of the next millennium.
Download or read book Creating the Corporate Future written by Russell L. Ackoff and published by Wiley. This book was released on 1981-04-27 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here's why thousands of readers in business and management turn to Russell Ackoff for innovative and effective ideas: "Russell Ackoff has probably influenced more managers than any other living person.. Two of his books, Scientific Method (1962) and Redesigning the Future (1974), are the cornerstones of much of the theory and methods for systematic analysis of problems in management and planning." --APA Journal "Russell Ackoff is undoubtedly one of the great masters of this art." [of storytelling as a means of conveying information]. --Omega, The International Journal of Management Science The Art of Problem Solving is. "A witty, literate, and most of all convincing reflection.. He shines an often bright light into corners where problems hide, showing the manager how to understand the consequences of his own behavior; identify real, rather than supposed, elements of problems; perceive another's aims; determine what is controllable; and deal with other nettlesome factors." --INC.
Download or read book Swans Swine and Swindlers written by Ian Mitroff and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2011-07-05 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Swans, Swine, and Swindlers addresses a core, contemporary question: What steps can we take to better anticipate and manage mega-crises, such as Haiti, Katrina, and 9/11? This book explores the concept of "messes." A mess is a web of complex and dynamically interacting, ill-defined, and/or wicked problems; their solutions; and our conscious and unconscious assumptions, beliefs, emotions, and values. The roots of messes can be classified as Swans (the inability to surface and test false assumptions and mistaken beliefs), Swine (the inability to confront and manage greed, hubris, arrogance, and narcissism), and Swindlers (the inability to confront, detect, and stop unethical and corrupt behavior). Working systematically with this concept and these classifications, authors Can M. Alpaslan and Ian I. Mitroff reveal that all crises are messes; one must learn to understand and manage them as such. They then provide tools and frameworks that readers can use to more effectively deal with the crises of today and tomorrow. Drawing on ideas from research areas as diverse as human development, philosophy, rhetoric, psychology, and high reliability organizations, this book aims to be the definitive guide for a new era in crisis management. Therefore, it is a must-have for practitioners, scholars, and students who study and deal in real-life crises.
Download or read book Cybernetics written by Barry Clemson and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 1991 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Systems Methodology for the Management Sciences written by Michael C. Jackson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author thoroughly describes and analyzes the most significant systems methodologies-`organizations as systems,' hard, soft, cybernetic, and critical-and demonstrates the complementary strengths of different systems approaches.
