Rating: 
Summary: An Old IBM saying
Review: The reason I bought this book is purely out curiousity on the subject. I got this one along with the one by Ludwig Van. One sentence in this book has had a profound impact on how I do what I do. I will state it below.
"... the customer is right, always right. If you don't believe this, you will not work here. He is right even if you don't know why. Your job is to find this rationale and learn why he is doing what he is doing." - An old IBM saying... .
This is explained with a great example to support it, in a manner in which one could directly apply it to their work. I am product manager and I have been successful taking this as a guideline.
Jamshid, I owe you one. Thanks. P
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best!
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the Beef?
Review: This book is written by one of Ackoff's disciples. In the middle of the dot.com boom, while many less qualified people were successfully marketing "high-concept" business books, JG must have felt the urge to join the club. After all, as a managing director of a strategy consulting firm and a former Wharton professor, he was indeed more qualified than a journalist to do so. Unlike Ackoff however, this author does not have the greatness of the mind nor the sharpness of the pen. Many statements would be considered plagiaristic if they weren't tired cliches. Therefore, this book is nothing at all of the sort of wonderful things that all these other reviewers are claiming it to be.
One of the more useful and accurate reviews on these pages is written by Keith Bycholski below. His indictment is only a shade harsher than mine. The bibliography is good and the acknowledgements of great minds and their contributions to the field are a valuable source of further study. Occasionally, JG has some brilliant sage advice sentences of the kind a good father figure might utter. Those are worth underlining or being incorporated into a web site by one of his admirers or by himself. A thin essay volume focusing on human nature and society might have been a hit indeed.
Half of the book is about the theory of systems thinking, not very systematically written. The second half is a summary of JG's work with selected clients. For consultants selling strategy engagements to clients, this part may be of some value as long as you are talking to CEO's and top administrators of non-business organizations who are at a complete loss as to what to do with their organization.
Rating:
Summary: A must have reference book for systems thinking practioners
Review: This book will be considered one of the break through works on systems thinking. Gharajedaghi has brought profound wisdom to the printed word and provided examples of its application in several settings. The book's approach to managing chaos and complexity will help us to evolve to the next level of sophistication with our systems. It is not a light read - expect to be intellectually challenged and somewhat daunted by the depth of thought. It may take several reads to assimilate the concepts presented by the author. Any one of the major concepts could be a book in and of itself. The "beauty" of the book is the integration of the concepts in an understandable and usable format. The description of the operational methods with which to practically apply this approach in the real world is the gift that Gharajedaghi gives us with this work. My profound appreciation to the author for his willingness to share his wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: Systems thinking applied to perfection
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Systems thinking applied to perfection
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: An important book of theory for systems practitioners
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for all consultants!
Review: This is an absolutely amazing book that should be required reading for all consultants (technical and business). I work in the computer industry and have amassed a large library of reference material and books on nearly every subject from project management to technical tomes (databases, operating systems, networking, programming, etc.) This book goes to the top of the list as one of the most influential works that I have read in the past 25 years. Regardless of what your areas of expertise are (technical or business) I strongly recommend that you purchase this book and make the time to read it from cover-to-cover.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for all consultants!
Review: This is an absolutely amazing book that should be required reading for all consultants (technical and business). I work in the computer industry and have amassed a large library of reference material and books on nearly every subject from project management to technical tomes (databases, operating systems, networking, programming, etc.) This book goes to the top of the list as one of the most influential works that I have read in the past 25 years. Regardless of what your areas of expertise are (technical or business) I strongly recommend that you purchase this book and make the time to read it from cover-to-cover.
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