Systems Thinking with Russell Ackoff
From SystemsWiki
In this video series Dr. Russell Ackoff provides a very understandable introduction to Systems Thinking.
- Change of Age started after WWII
- Way of thinking changes, recognized by Einstein, "You can't solve the problems created by current pattern of thought using current pattern of thought."
- Scientific Method - 3 Step Process called Analysis
- Take it apart
- Try to understand what the parts do
- Assemble the understanding of the parts into an understanding of the whole
- Our entire culture is built on analytical thinking
- In a university you don't study business you study the parts with the assumption that when you understand the parts you will be able to integrate them into an understanding the whole. This is analytical thinking.
- Analysis permeates all of our institutions, corporations, etc.
- You run a corporation by dividing it into parts and then you run each part and then attempt to integrate a running of the parts into the running of the whole. It's an analytical process. Organizational structure is a complete reflection of analysis.
- All this started to get us into trouble in the 1950s
- Ludwig von Bertalanffy - Austrian Biologist wrote General Systems Theory in 1954
- It was the concept of a system which broke the camel's back of the previous era.
- How and why requires that we understand what a system is and why analysis can't answer critical questions about systems.
References
- Systems Thinking
- Systemic Perspective
- Beyond Continuous Improvement with Russell Ackoff
- Systems Based Improvement with Russell Ackoff
- ICSTM 2004 Keynote with Russell Ackoff
- Idealized Design
- Russell Ackoff Memories
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