Beating the System Using Creativity to Outsmart Bureaucracies

by Ackoff, Russell L.; Rovin, Sheldon

• ISBN13: 9781576753309
• ISBN10: 1576753301
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-12
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

Through anecdotes two experts in systems thinking show how anyone who feels mistreated by any system can beat the system and get what they want. The authors use these anecdotes to illustrate successful strategies for combating abusive systems, and they give practical, easy-to-use advice on how to follow these tactics.

Author Biography

Sheldon Rovin is Emeritus Professor of Healthcare Systems at the Wharton School of Business.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
What You Need to Know to Beat Systems	p. 6
Why Systems Need to Be Beaten: Necessity mothers inversion	p. 9
Understanding Systems: Knowledge without understanding is a misguided missile	p. 15
The Nature of Creativity: Those in boxes can't think out of them	p. 25
System Beaters: Their Stories	p. 40
Denying Assumptions: Say it isn't so	p. 45
Turnabout Is Fair Play: Do unto the system as it would do unto you	p. 83
Divide and Conquer: When the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing	p. 93
Threaten the System: Squeeze, but sometimes please	p. 103
Sidestep Constraints: Dazzle them with your footwork	p. 115
When All Else Fails, Revolt: You have nothing to lose but your frustration	p. 125
System Beating in a Nutshell and Making Systems Unbeatable	p. 136
Rules of Thumb for System Beaters: The gist of it	p. 139
Making Systems Unbeatable: An ounce of prevention...	p. 147
Stories by System Category	p. 157
Sources	p. 161
Index	p. 163
Acknowledgments	p. 169
An Invitation to System Beaters	p. 171
About the Authors	p. 173
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