As this century draws to a close and the new one approaches, the United States is still struggling with serious and persistent social problems. These troubling dilemmas, including poverty, homelessness, discrimination, and severe inequity, afflict some subgroups of the population more than others, and it is the plight of these at-risk groups-childr

As this century draws to a close and the new one approaches, the United States is still struggling with serious and persistent social problems. These troubling dilemmas, including poverty, homelessness, discrimination, and severe inequity, afflict some subgroups of the population more than others, and it is the plight of these at-risk groups. This book provides keen and powerful insights into the problems affecting the "disadvantaged" populations of this nation. The contributors' informed perspectives are critically important if we are to comprehend the scale and complexity of the obstacles to achieving an "equitable society" in the twenty-first century.

The author thoroughly describes and analyzes the most significant systems methodologies-organizations as systems, ' hard, soft, cybernetic, and critical-and demonstrates the complementary strengths of different systems approaches.

Twenty five years ago, in 1964, The Operational Research Society's first International Conference (held at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge) took as its theme "Operational Research and the Social Sciences." The Conference sessions were organised around topics such as: Organisations and Control; Social Effects of Policies; Conflict Resolution; The Systems Concept; Models, Decisions and Operational Research. An examination of the published proceedings (J.R.Lawrence ed., 1966, Operational Research and the Social Sciences, Tavistock, London) reveals a distinct contrast between the types of contribution made by the representatives of the two academic communities involved. Nevertheless, the Conference served to break down some barriers, largely of ignorance about the objects, methods and findings of each concern. In the ensuing twenty five years, although debate has continued about the relationship between OR and the social sciences, mutual understanding has proved more difficult to achieve than many must have hoped for in 1964.

The theme ofthe conference at which the papers in this book were presented was'Systems Thinking in Europe'. Members of the United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS) were conscious that the systems movementflourishes notonly in the UK, America and the Antipodes, but also in continental Europe, both East and West, and in the USSR, a nation increasingly being welcomed by the European comity. Membership of the UKSS had not perhaps had the opportunity, however, of hearing important new ideas from continental Europe, and this conference provided an opportunity to do so. Some interesting papers are to be found here from both the West and the East, if the editors may be forgiven for perpetuating what may be an increasingly irrelevant dichotomy. One lesson to be learned from this conference, though, is that systems thinking is truly international. This is not to say that there is one systems paradigm unifonnly applied, however. Perhaps the core of systems thinking is that one is interested in complex 'wholes' with emergent properties, to which cybernetic ideas can be applied. Examples of such systems thinking can be found in these proceedings, for example in the section entitled "Applications of Systems Thinking." Attempts to bring about change with these ideas, however, have given rise to a diversity of approaches, as is evidenced by the papers dealing with the application of methodologies in the 'hard' and 'soft' systems traditions.

Systems Prospects is a record of the papers presented at the first con ference organised by the United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS), held at Thwaite Hall, Hull University (UK), on the dates 12th-15th July, 1988. The UKSS originally came together in 1978 as the Barford Group (the first meetings were held in the town of Barford), comprising academics from the four institutions that incorporated departments which primarily were con cerned with developing the theory and practice of so-called systems scienc- namely Aston University, City University, Lancaster University and the Open University. The meetings of the Barford Group were deemed to be successful, so much so that a decision was made to widen its horizons to incorporate more generally those of the United Kingdom systems community (a diffuse number of academics and practitioners) - hence the title UKSS. The society, ten years later, is extant and has achieved new levels of success in the last few years in terms of rising membership and international reputation. The membership is now drawn from a wide variety of academic and commercial and industrial organisations, and from most reaches of the nation. There is also an international contingent in the membership. It is right that there should be such diversity since the UKSS is founded on the notion of equality (of creed, sex, race, class and so on *** ). This community is "glued" together by the Society's own publication, Systemist, as well as through workshops and now this conference.

Systems 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 GBP/LISTGBP 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.

Systems 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 GBP/LISTGBP 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.

The author thoroughly describes and analyzes the most significant systems methodologies-organizations as systems, ' hard, soft, cybernetic, and critical-and demonstrates the complementary strengths of different systems approaches.

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.