Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SYSTEMS
V O L U M E 1 0
H
T
N U M B E R 5
THINKER
TM
J U N E / J U L Y
1 9 9 9
B U I L D I N G S H A R E D U N D E R S T A N D I N G
Editor’s note: This in the present. I am a founding mem- not want to prove. I have been greatly
article is drawn ber of the Presentology Society. influenced by [satirist] Ambrose Bierce’s
from a speech I also have no interest in recon- definition of self-evident:“Evident to
given by Russell
structing the past as I would like it to one’s self and to nobody else.”
Ackoff in March at
Villanova Univer-
have been. I learned from it precisely Here is a very small sample of the
sity. Dr. Ackoff because it wasn’t what I expected, obvious things I have found to be
spoke at a confer- which also explains why I don’t wrong:
ence honoring his remember it. Furthermore, you can- • Improving the performance of the
lifetime of work in not learn from my mistakes, only parts of a system taken separately will
systems theory and from your own. I want to encourage, necessarily improve the performance of
practice—and celebrating his 80th birth-
not discourage, your making your the whole. False. In fact, it can destroy
day. In the address below, he reflects on
what he has enjoyed most about being a
own. an organization, as is apparent in an
lifelong systems thinker. This article is example I have used ad nauseum:
reprinted by permission of Plenum Press. I have no interest in forecasting Installing a Rolls Royce engine in a
Hyundai can make it inoperable.This
hen one reaches 80, one is con- the future, only in creating it explains why benchmarking has
W sidered to be ripe and ready for almost always failed. Denial of this
by acting appropriately in the
picking. Picking usually consists of principle of performance improve-
the pickers asking the pickee to present. I am a founding ment led me to a series of organiza-
reflect back on the wisdom he has member of the Presentology tional designs intended to facilitate
gained over his lifetime.This request Continued on next page ➣
foresee the future increases with age. principal sources of the fun that I Organizational Learning at Philips
Display Components
The fact is that whatever we can see have experienced.
clearly about the future we will take SYSTEMS THINKING 10
steps to prevent from happening. As Denying the Obvious WORKOUT
Kenneth Boulding once said, If we I have very much enjoyed denying Reader Response to “Telecommuting:
The New Workplace Balancing Act”
saw tomorrow’s newspaper today, the obvious and exploring the conse-
tomorrow would never happen. quences of doing so. In most cases, I FEEDBACK/FOLLOWUP 11
Unfortunately, as you know, I have no have found the obvious to be wrong.
interest in forecasting the future, only The obvious, I discovered, is not what CALENDAR 12