did-you-know? rent-now

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

did-you-know? rent-now

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

We're the #1 textbook rental company. Let us show you why.

9780470845226

Systems Thinking Creative Holism for Managers

by
  • ISBN13:

    9780470845226

  • ISBN10:

    0470845228

  • Edition: 1st
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Copyright: 2003-11-07
  • Publisher: WILEY

Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.

Purchase Benefits

  • Free Shipping Icon Free Shipping On Orders Over $35!
    Your order must be $35 or more to qualify for free economy shipping. Bulk sales, PO's, Marketplace items, eBooks and apparel do not qualify for this offer.
  • eCampus.com Logo Get Rewarded for Ordering Your Textbooks! Enroll Now
List Price: $88.48 Save up to $61.48
  • Rent Book $50.44
    Add to Cart Free Shipping Icon Free Shipping

    TERM
    PRICE
    DUE
    USUALLY SHIPS IN 24-48 HOURS
    *This item is part of an exclusive publisher rental program and requires an additional convenience fee. This fee will be reflected in the shopping cart.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

Summary

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."It's neat, easy to read and easy to absorb... It is a boon to students and executives alike.."J P. von Gigch in Systems research and Behavioural Science " ... excellent summary of the latest research findings and ... very clear explanations and accessibility" "No other recent book in the systems field aims for such an accessible and at the same time rigorous interpretation of the major developments of systems theory"D. Petkov in Journal of the Operational Research Society "As far as I can tell there is no other book that includes all the major developments in systems thinking over the last fifty years"Misha Hebel (Amazon Review)

Author Biography

<b>Michael C. Jackson</b> 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 <i>Systems Methodology for the Management Sciences</i>, Plenum, 1991; <i>Creative Problem Solving</i>, Wiley, 1991 (with R.L. Flood); <i>Systems Approaches to Management</i>, 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 <i>Systems Research and Behavioral Science</i> and associate editor of <i>Systems Practice and Action Research</i>. 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.

Table of Contents

Preface.
Contents.
Introduction.
PART 1 : HOLISM AND SYSTEMS PRACTICE.
The Systems Language.
Applied Systems Thinking.
Creativity and Systems.
PART II : SYSTEMS APPROACHES.
SECTION A : IMPROVING GOAL-SEEKING AND VIABILITY.
Hard Systems Thinking.
System Dynamics : The Fifth Discipline.
Organisational Cybernetics.
Complexity Theory.
SECTION B : EXPLORING PURPOSES.
Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing (SAST).
Interactive Planning.
Soft Systems Methodology (SSM).
SECTION C : ENSURING FAIRNESS.
Critical Systems Heuristics.
Team Syntegrity.
SECTION D : PROMOTING DIVERSITY.
Postmodern System Thinking.
PART III : CREATIVE HOLISM.
Total Systems Intervention.
Critical Systems Practice.Conclusion.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Rewards Program