Overview

This is the first full collection of all 122 of Russell Ackoff's f/laws - previously only available in two separate Triarchy Press books (Management f-Laws and Systems Thinking for Curious Managers.) Each f/law in this full collection is accompanied by Ackoff's own witty and acerbic explanatory text and by his original drawings and cartoons. The collection reverts to Ackoff's original typescript without any commentary or other introduction. As Ackoff himself says: Over time I have become aware of some very important truths about the practice of management. These truths, which I call the 'F/laws of Management,' contradict assumptions that are commonly held by managers. These simple management truths are much more important than the fundamental, but complex, truths revealed by scientists, economists, politicians, or philosophers. The truths these wise thinkers reveal are at most frosting on the cake. The truths presented here are the cake. [Hence the title!] This definitive collection distils Ackoff's wisdom and a lifetime of experience about management, leadership, innovation, teamwork and organizations. It should be required reading for anyone who works in an organization.

Full Product Details

9781908009531

Table of Contents

Reviews

From reviews of previous books by Russ Ackoff that included his f/laws: This book is fun - not something one can often say about a management book. It's also a compact piece of distilled wisdom. - Take each f/law in turn and ask how it applies to you, to your role in the organisation and the organisation as a whole. Do it seriously and you might learn a lot. Charles Handy ~ Management Today - you are in the presence of one of the profoundest and wittiest brains ever to engage with the bizarre human activity called management. Simon Caulkin ~ The Observer - an instructive gem that should be required reading for anyone interested in effective management. Prof. Sheldon Rovin ~ Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania If you ever need a reality check after stumbling out of some appalling management meeting, or just need cheering up on a long business trip, this is the book for you. Just about every myth or pompous delusion about management gets punctured - Stefan Stern ~ Financial Times - profound thoughts in digestible bites... easy to read yet full of wisdom. How much better our organizations would be if managers could learn these lessons! Prof. Michael C Jackson ~ Hull University Business School. Wit and wisdom in small doses on the deep rooted abuse of hierarchical power. It takes a Russ Ackoff to unveil myths and illusions of this kind. Goran Carstedt ~ Formerly President, Volvo Cars and Ikea Europe

Author Information

Russell Ackoff was a rare management thinker, often ranked with Peter Drucker, Peter Senge and Charles Handy amongst the world's most influential business thinkers. He was Anheuser-Busch Emeritus Professor of Management Science at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a much-loved educator, writer and speaker. But he was also known as an architect and town planner, as the father of modern Systems Thinking and Idealized Design, as a trailblazer in the fields of organizational and operations theory, bestselling author, distinguished Wharton School professor, and as a consultant. A founding member of the Institute of Management Sciences, his work in consulting and education involved more than 350 corporations and 75 government agencies in the USA and beyond.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available