Systems Approaches to ManagementSystems Thinking is a new paradigm set to revolutionize management practice in the 21st century. Systems Approaches to Management is the most comprehensive guide available to the application of this new paradigm in the field of management. It, Traces the emergence of holistic thinking in disciplines such as biology, control engineering, sociology and the natural sciences Details and provides a critique, based upon social theory, of the range of systems approaches, methodologies, models and methods Offers numerous case studies to illustrate systems thinking applied to management Introduces critical systems thinking' as a coherent framework that brings unity to the diversity of different systems approaches and advises managers, consultants, scholars and students on their use Provides an accessible source of inspiration for managers, management consultants, scholars and students £/LIST£ Covers chaos and complexity theory, the learning organization, system dynamics, living systems theory, soft systems methodology, interactive management, interactive planning, total systems intervention, autopoiesis, management cybernetics, the viable system model, operations research (hard and soft), systems analysis, systems engineering, general system theory, sociotechnical systems thinking, the fifth discipline, social systems design, team syntegrity, postmodern systems thinking, critical systems thinking, and much more. Considers the work of Ackoff, Banathy, Beer, Capra, Checkland, Churchman, Eden, Emery, Flood, Forrester, Friend, Freire, Jackson, Jantsch, Linstone, Luhmann, Mason, Maturana, Miller, Mitroff, Prigonine, Rosenhead, Senge, Stacey, Trist, Ulrich, Varela, Vickers, von Bertalanffy, Warfield, Wheatley, Wiener, and many more. |
Contents
OVERVIEWS | 1 |
ORIGINS IN THE DISCIPLINES | 43 |
APPLIED SYSTEMS THINKING | 91 |
THE FUNCTIONALIST SYSTEMS APPROACH | 107 |
THE INTERPRETIVE SYSTEMS APPROACH | 211 |
THE EMANCIPATORY SYSTEMS APPROACH | 299 |
THE POSTMODERN SYSTEMS APPROACH | 333 |
THE ORIGINS OF CRITICAL SYSTEMS THINKING | 355 |
CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL SYSTEMS THINKING AND PRACTICE | 375 |
THREE ILLUSTRATIVE CASE | 395 |
CONCLUSION | 423 |
441 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
achieve Ackoff action adaptive applied systems thinking appreciative systems argued autopoiesis autopoietic Beer behavior chaos theory Chapter Checkland communication complexity theory concepts concern context contingency theory critical systems thinking critique decision disciplines dissipative structures dominant effective emancipation emancipatory systems employed ensure environment example existing feedback fifth discipline function functionalist systems approach goals Habermas hard systems thinking human Humberside important individuals interpretive intervention involved Jackson learning living systems theory metaphor methods Mingers nature operational organization organizational cybernetics organizations-as-systems paradigm participants particular perspective pluralism possible postmodern practice problem situation produce real-world relationships relevant role Rosenhead seek social systems social theory society socio-technical systems sociological paradigms sociology soft systems methodology soft systems thinking stakeholders strategy structure subsystems system dynamics systems analysis systems ideas techniques theoretical thinkers traditional understanding variety Viable System Model