Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity: A Platform for Designing Business Architecture

by Jamshid Gharajedaghi President and CEO of Interact, former director of The Busch Center, the research arm of

Overview

Systems Thinking, Third Edition combines systems theory and interactive design to provide an operational methodology for defining problems and designing solutions in an environment increasingly characterized by chaos and complexity. This new edition has been updated to include all new chapters on self-organizing systems as well as holistic, operational, and design thinking.

The book covers recent crises in financial systems and job markets, the housing bubble, and environment, assessing their impact on systems thinking. A companion website is available at interactdesign.com.

This volume is ideal for senior executives as well as for chief information/operating officers and other executives charged with systems management and process improvement. It may also be a helpful resource for IT/MBA students and academics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780123859150
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	06/29/2011
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

Part I: Systems Philosophy: The Name of the Devil
1. How the Game Is Evolving

Part II Systems Theory: The Nature of the Beast
2. Systems Principles
3. Socio-cultural Systems
4. Socio-cultural System 2

Part III: Systems Methodology: Logic of the Madness
5. Holistic Thinking
6. Operational Thinking
7. Design Thinking
8. Design Thinking (2), Formulation of mess
9. Designing thinking (3), Business Architecture

Part IV: Systems Practice: The Gutsy Few
10. Oneida Nation
11. Butterworth Health System
12. Marriott Corporation
13. Commonwealth Energy
14. Carrier Corporation

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A viral bestseller on developing systems methodologies for optimal organizational efficacy, now featuring the hot topic of design thinking

Editorial Reviews

"Einstein once wrote, "Without changing our pattern of thought, we will not be able to solve the problems we created with our current patterns of thought." Jamshid develops a pattern of thought that will yield solutions to those problems." —Russell Ackoff, Professor Emeritus, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

"Gharajedaghi challenged us to think backwards from an ideal competitive position instead of forwards from our existing position with all its constraints. The result was bolder thinking about change. Jamshid forces a realistic assessment of a company’s strengths and weaknesses, an idealistic view of what it could be, and creates the path from point A to point B." —Bill Tiefel, President, Marriott Lodging

"Gharajedaghi was perfect! He had passion and brilliance. He could challenge our traditional thinking and make us see our actions and opportunities from a different perspective." —William G. Poist, President and CEO, Commonwealth Energy System

"This volume on business management explores the development of complex systems and advocates for iterative design principles as a foundational philosophy for dealing with complex, chaotic systems. The volume discusses system theory and changes to traditional paradigms in light of emerging technologies and business methodologies and explores case studies from industry leaders that showcase these systems philosophies." —SciTech Book News

From the Publisher

Gharajedaghi (president and CEO of INTERACT) goes beyond the simple declaration of the desirability of systems thinking and provides a practical orientation along with a theoretical depth. He operationally deals with the art of simplifying complexity, managing interdependency, and understanding choice using a novel scheme called iterative design. Twelve chapters discuss systems philosophy, theories, methodology, and practice. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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