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Zusatztext "Provides an excellent guide and introduction to systems thinking for students of management." (Professional Manager! March 2004) Informationen zum Autor About the Author Michael C. Jackson graduated from Oxford University and has since worked in public sector management, in academia, and as a consultant. He is Professor of Management Systems at the University of Hull, United Kingdom, and Director of its business school. Mike is author of Systems Methodology for the Management Sciences , Plenum, 1991; Creative Problem Solving , Wiley, 1991 (with R.L. Flood); Systems Approaches to Management , Kluwer/Plenum, 2000; and numerous articles in academic and professional journals, including some of the most cited in the field. He is also editor-in-chief of Systems Research and Behavioral Science and associate editor of Systems Practice and Action Research . Mike has been Chair of the UK Systems Society and President of the International Federation for Systems Research and the International Society for the Systems Sciences. His work has been translated into six languages and he has given invited lectures in over twenty countries. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, the Chartered Management Institute, and the Cybernetics Society. Klappentext Too often, today's managers are sold simple solutions to complex problems. But as many soon discover, simplicity is rarely effective in the face of complexity, change and diversity. Despite apparent promise, quick-fix panaceas fail because they are not holistic or creative enough. They focus on parts of the organization rather than the whole, take little account of interaction, and pander to the notion that there is one best solution in all circumstances. As instances of such failure escalate, intelligent managers are increasingly seeking to improve results through Systems Thinking.Whatever stage you are at in your study of Systems Thinking, this book will help. If you are new to the field then it will serve as a solid introduction. If you are familiar with a few concepts but not with how they can be linked and used by managers, then it will give you a greater understanding of how holistic ideas developed and how to use them in practice. And if you are expert in some approaches but not in others, then it will expand your knowledge and provide you with more choice. In all cases you will achieve competency in creative holism, emerge better equipped to solve complex problems, and ultimately become a more effective Systems Thinking manager. Zusammenfassung Too often, managers are sold simple solutions to complex problems. But as many soon discover, simplicity is rarely effective in the face of complexity, change and diversity. Despite apparent promise, quick-fix panaceas fail because they are not holistic or creative enough. This book helps you in various stages in the study of Systems Thinking. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface xiii Introduction xix Part I Holism and Systems Practice 1 1 The Systems Language 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Philosophy 4 1.3 Biology 5 1.4 Control Engineering 7 1.5 Organization and Management Theory 9 1.6 The Physical Sciences 11 1.7 Why is the Systems Language so Powerful? 12 2 Applied Systems Thinking 15 2.1 Introduction 15 2.2 Hard Systems Thinking 16 2.3 The Development of Applied Systems Thinking 17 2.4 The Main Strands of Applied Systems Thinking 24 2.5 Conclusion 28 3 Creativity and Systems 31 3.1 Introduction 31 3.2 Creativity and Metaphor 32 3.3 Creativity and Paradigms 37 3.4 Conclusion 39 Part II Systems Approaches 43 Type A Improving Goal Seeking and Viability 45 4 Hard Systems Thinking 47 4.1 Introduction 47 4.2 D...
