Ackoff's Best : His Classic Writings on Management
Author: Russell L. Ackoff
List Price: $29.95
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ISBN: 0471316342
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (05 February, 1999)
Sales Rank: 63,633
Average Customer Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Great collection of essays
This book is a great colection of essays by a brilliant thinker. In essays ranging from topics such as crime, education, psychology, and management, Ackoff manages to outline what systems thinking is truly about. Though I often did not agree with his prescriptions, the creative nature of his solutions very unique, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a thought provoking experience.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Ackoffs 2nd Best - right after Re-creating the Corporation
The only book by Ackoff that I would recommend more highly is Re-creating the Corporation. These two books summarize much of his thought and philosophy of business design. If you are looking for a better understanding on systems thinking and its implications for organization design and peformance, and did not find it in Senge's The Fifth Discipline, then here is a great place to go. Put on your thinking cap and delve into Ackoff's Best.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Highly Recommended!
This book collects provocative, insightful essays by Russell L. Ackoff, architect turned city planner turned behavioral scientist turned professor. True to his convictions about systems thinking, his pieces form a coherent whole. Like a successful system, the whole of this book is greater than the sum of its parts. And what parts: the roots of systems thinking; a properly irreverent approach to bureaucracy; the role of planning; a standard for mission statements; effective advertising advice. Ackoff is a voice in the wilderness as he fondly remembers his bureaucracy-bucking, folly-filled, smart-as-heck past. Although this book tends to veer toward the academic, managers and students of management will find it useful. We [...] recommend it to anyone seeking insight on creativity, education, and science. Tear into this book a little at a time; you won't be disappointed.
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