[.ca] Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity: A ... (ISBN 0750679735)

A "Grand Unified Theory" of Management Practice?:
I have been an incurable "process geek" since first reading Hammer and Champy's "Reengineering the Corporation" about a decade ago. However, despite practicing reengineering and process management since then, it has always felt like something was missing. Other popular business books have filled in some of the missing puzzle pieces but the picture has not been complete. Jamshid Gharajedaghi's "Systems Thinking" brings it all together in a coherent whole. It's as close as I've come to a "Grand Unified Theory" of management practice. Gharajedaghi's book is paradoxical. It is in some ways a difficult read, being at times quite theoretical and always intellectually stimulating. Like many other readers have reported, I had to read the book several times to really understand it (I've read it five times over the past six months). On the other hand, the material is extremely logical, well laid out, and quite common sense. At one level it is almost depressing as it lays out the challenges of dealing with highly complex and even messy sociocultural systems. Yet, it presents a straightforward methodology for systems design, analysis and improvement that can seemingly be used for any sort of organization. The book has all the rigor a scientific and analytical person would insist upon; but, it presents the purposeful and sociocultural organization in such a holistic way that I'm sure most philosophers, psychologists and sociologists would be nodding their heads in approval throughout the journey. I'm sure Jamshid would not view these as paradoxes at all. I'm sure he'd view all of these apparently opposing tendencies as "two sides of the same coin." Since reading the book, I've had a chance to begin applying the principles to two design efforts. Understanding systems has helped immensely, and I have just barely dipped my toes into these waters. I won't forget the process management tools. Not at all. As it turns out, however, process management is, as Gharajedaghi might say, "necessary but not sufficient" for business success. For those interested in putting their management tools together in one extremely useful took kit, "Systems Thinking" is a great albeit challenging next step. I've recommended it to many, and I recommend it to you.

The best of the best!:
This book has taught me more than the $50,000 top 25 MBA program I am just finishing. It is unbelievably rich. You will find yourself turning each page amazed at the depth of insights presented. I honestly can't think of a business book that I would recommend more.

An important book of theory for systems practitioners:
This is a book for people who want to know the why of systems theory and the how of systems practice. In addition to chapters on those two subjects, it also includes actual examples of organization designs the author and his colleagues have created with their clients. Imagine a theory expansive enough to guide the redesign of a nation, an organization, a work unit, a product, a service, or a process. This is what Gharajedaghi has done. Gharajedaghi's contributions are particularly useful and challenging to practitioners of quality management. Systems practice (design) produces unique solutions to entire sets of problems that can't be solved one at a time. It produces solutions dependent on the context or situation rather than attempting to replicate "best practices" across settings. (Deming's admonition against copying holds true here.) Gharajedaghi emphasizes that function (what the organization, product, or process is supposed to do or produce), structure (the component parts or work groups and their relationships--what Gharajedaghi calls the architecture), and processes (for governance, engagement, learning, throughput, and conflict management) must be considered and designed simultaneously for compatability. Quality management practices address function and processes, but offer no guidance for structure. The book is not an easy read: the concepts are substantive, and the theory is relatively complex. But the text is clear and the language spare, with few wasted words. Gharajedaghi has contributed an important book, one to be read, re-read, studied, translated, tested, and challenged by those who would tackle the large and complex problems of social system organization and operation.

Systems thinking applied to perfection:
This is a book about changing the way we usually think. It goes beyond simply proposing systems thinking to delve into the art of managing complexity (as the title mentions). The book is in fact divided into two portions. The first is an in depth description of systems thinking, a somewhat dry read, given the extreme density of the subject. The second is a number of case studies with which the author was involved. This section, in my opinion, is the most interesting part of the book, as Gharajedaghi shows us how he applies, in practice, what he preaches. There is one story in particular, about the Oneida indian nation, that is simply delightful; I believe it yields significant lessons for anyone seeking to work with development, but is locked into a purely economic standpoint.

Practical systems thinking!:
I have just reread Mr. Gharajedaghi's book. It is a very thoughtful and engaging review of systems thinking placed in the context of other world views in Modern Times. It is occasionally and with good humor spiced with thoughts from Persia, as well as from the author's direct experience with Russell Ackoff. It ties together thoughts on Business Process Management with larger views on gathering consensus, resolving conflict, engaging in beauty, and managing for profit. It is an ambitious undertaking and succeeds with great integrity.