Picture 1 of 1

Stock photo

Beating the System: Using Creativity to Outsmart Bureaucracies by Ackoff: New - Picture 1 of 1

Beating the System : Using Creativity to Outsmart Bureaucracies by Russell L. Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin (2005, Trade Paperback)

AlibrisBooks (459347)

98.6% positive Feedback

Price:

US $69.29

Approximately£51.35

+ $15.58 postage

Estimated delivery Mon, 28 Jul - Wed, 6 Aug

Returns:

30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.

Condition:

New

New Trade paperback

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherBerrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated

ISBN-101576753301

ISBN-139781576753309

eBay Product ID (ePID)44674827

Product Key Features

Book TitleBeating the System : Using Creativity to Outsmart Bureaucracies

Number of Pages192 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2005

TopicOrganizational Behavior

IllustratorYes

GenreBusiness & Economics

AuthorRussell L. Ackoff, Sheldon Rovin

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.6 in

Item Weight8.3 Oz

Item Length8.4 in

Item Width5.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2004-062787

Reviews"I loved the book and read every blessed word of it, savored it, and recommended it to virtually every sentient person I know who works in an organized setting." --Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management at USC and author of On Becoming a Leader and Geeks and Geezers "No one has contributed more to systems thinking in management than Russell Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin. Who better to offer a lifetime of insight into how systems work and how to keep them from preventing creative work?" --Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline and Founding Chair, Society for Organizational Learning "Two of the most thoughtful people on Systems Thinking have taken the courageous step of pointing out what you can do when the entity or activity in which you are seeking a product or service is not operating at the level of systemic interaction the authors have spent much of their lives attempting to create." --Vincent P. Barabba, former General Manager, Corporate Strategy and Knowledge Development, General Motors

Dewey Edition22

Dewey Decimal302.3/5/019

Table Of ContentPreface Introduction Part I. What You Need to Know to Beat Systems 1 Why Systems Need to Be Beaten Necessity mothers inversion 2 Understanding Systems Knowledge without understanding is a misguided missile 3 The Nature of Creativity Those in boxes can't think out of them Part II. System Beaters: Their Stories 4 Denying Assumptions Say it isn't so 5 Turnabout Is Fair Play Do unto the system as it would do unto you 6 Divide and Conquer When the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing 7 Threaten the System Squeeze, but sometimes please 8 Sidestep Constraints Dazzle them with your footwork 9 When All Else Fails, Revolt You have nothing lose but your frustration Part III. System Beating in a Nutshell and Systems Unbeatable 10 Rules of Thumb for System Beaters The gist of it 11 Making Systems Unbeatable An ounce of prevention Stories by System Category Sources Index Acknowledgments An Invitation to System Beaters About the Authors

SynopsisWhen was the last time you dealt with a bureaucracy--the phone company, an airline, a hospital, school, or government agency--and got what you wanted without weaving through a maze of infuriating hand-offs? Have you found these systems to be utterly indifferent to the inconvenience or hardship they cause? Russell Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin say, "Enough is enough " They have extensively studied organizational systems--how they function and malfunction, what drives them, and where their weaknesses are. Here they share both perversely entertaining anecdotes about the abuse of individuals by various bureaucracies and detail the creative--and deeply satisfying--approaches these people used to get even. Best of all, they offer successful strategies and tactics you can use to pinpoint the weakness of any system and exploit it to your advantage., This book is for anyone who has faced the bureaucratic blank wall. The authors explain how systems are designed, how they function (and, particularly, malfunction), where their weaknesses are, and the incentives that drive them - as well as how to be creative in beating a system., When was the last time you dealt with a bureaucracy-the phone company, an airline, a hospital, school, or government agency-and got what you wanted without weaving through a maze of infuriating hand-offs? Have you found these systems to be utterly indifferent to the inconvenience or hardship they cause? Russell Ackoff and Sheldon Rovin say, "Enough is enough!" They have extensively studied organizational systems-how they function and malfunction, what drives them, and where their weaknesses are. Here they share both perversely entertaining anecdotes about the abuse of individuals by various bureaucracies and detail the creative-and deeply satisfying-approaches these people used to get even. Best of all, they offer successful strategies and tactics you can use to pinpoint the weakness of any system and exploit it to your advantage., When was the last time anyone interacted with an organization, a business, a government agency, a school, or a hospital and got a direct and accurate answer to a question or received a desired service without having to weave through a maze of frustrating and infuriating hand-offs? How often do people attempt to speak to a human in these organizations, but the system wouldn't allow it? Beating the System is for anyone who has faced the bureaucratic blank wall. The authors explain how systems are designed, how they function (and, particularly, malfunction), where their weaknesses are, and the incentives that drive them - as well as how to be creative in beating a system. Entertaining and informative stories illustrate how each creative strategy is used, and the authors offer suggestions for how organizations themselves can avoid frustrating those they serve and employ., This title shows how anyone who feels mistreated by any system can beat the system and get what they want. It presents numerous tactics and strategies that can be applied to a broad range of abusive situations - practical, easy-to-use advice for how to beat any system that is trying to beat you. It is written by two people with extensive experience working with and in a wide variety of organizations (systems) including airlines, education, healthcare, manufacturing, financial and service organizations, and government. Russell Ackoff is an internationally renowned pioneer in the world of systems thinking "Beating the System" shares anecdotes about the abuse of individuals by a variety of systems, particularly bureaucracies, and the tales of those individuals' successful efforts to "get even." The authors use these anecdotes to illustrate successful strategies for combating abusive systems and show how anyone can use these tactics.

LC Classification NumberHM806.A35 2005