In this Book
- Planning for Human Systems: Essays in Honor of Russell L. Ackoff
- Book
- 2015
- Published by: University of Pennsylvania Press
Russell Lincoln Ackoff is a recognized authority in the field of operations research and systems theory. This volume is divided into four major sections. The first deals with Ackoff's intellectual roots in the American pragmatic tradition. The second section demonstrates how systems thinkers have incorporated Ackoff's ideas in their own work. The third section shows the influence of Ackoff's thinking on decision making and problem solving, while the final section offers a reassessment of current approaches to systems planning on the national level. In addition, the editors have provided a general introduction, as well as introductions to each of the five sections. Planning for Human Systems will be of interest to students and scholars of operations research and systems theory.
Contributors: Michel Chevalier, C. West Churchman, Thomas A. Cowan, Eric Trist, Ian I. Mitroff, Stafford Beer, and Ignacy Sachs.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-x
- Introduction
- pp. xi-xvi
- Section I: Russell Ackoff and Anheuser-Busch: The Story of a Model Relationship
- Section II: Pragmatism and Progress: Foundations
- 3. Analysis of Concepts
- pp. 21-30
- 4. The Apostle of Progress
- pp. 31-48
- 5. A Present of the Future
- pp. 49-52
- 8. OR in Organizations
- pp. 98-110
- 9. Andras Angyal and Systems Thinking
- pp. 111-132
- 10. A Theory of Management
- pp. 133-141
- 11. Educating for Reflection-in-Action
- pp. 142-161
- Section IV: Decision Making and Problem Solving: Purposeful Action Within Systems
- 17. Inequalities in Decision Theory
- pp. 223-236
- 19. Measuring Process Creativity
- pp. 254-269
- 20. Innovation and Optimization
- pp. 270-281
- 21. Is It the Right Problem?
- pp. 282-287
- 23. Innovation in Juvenile Justice
- pp. 295-304
- Section V: Planning for National Development
- 26. Redesigning Western Foreign Policy
- pp. 354-373
- List of Contributors
- pp. 417-418
- Subject Index
- pp. 419-427
- Name Index
- pp. 428-431
Additional Information
Copyright
1992