Russell L. Ackoff
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Russell Lincoln Ackoff (born 12 February, 1919) is a Professor Emeritus of the Wharton School in operations research and systems theory. In 1957, his book Introduction to Operations Research, co-authored with C. West Churchman and Leonard Arnoff, appeared as a pioneering text that helped define the field. Dr. Ackoff also has been referred to as the dean of the systems thinking community.
Biography
Dr. Ackoff is Professor Emeritus of the Wharton School and Chairman of Interact, the Institute for Interactive Management. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. He then continued to study at the University of Pennsylvania where he subsequently received his Doctorate in Philosophy of Science in 1947. He next went on to receive his Doctorate of Science from the University of Lancaster in 1967. Throughout the years, Ackoff has held positions at various universities and institutions, as well as publishing numerous books and articles.
Work
Ackoff's work in research, consulting and education has involved more than 250 corporations and 50 governmental agencies in the U.S. and abroad. He has authored or co-authored 20 books and published over 150 articles in a variety of journals.
Books
- Psychologistics, 1946, with C. West Churchman
- Measurement of Consumer Interest, 1947, ed. with C. W. Churchman and M. Wax.
- Methods of Inquiry, 1950, with C. W. Churchman
- The Design of Social Research, 1953.
- Introduction to Operations Research, 1957, with C. W. Churchman and E. L. Arnoff.
- Progress in Operations Research, 1, (ed.), 1961.
- Scientific Method, 1962.
- A Manager's Guide to Operations Research, 1963, with P. Rivett.
- Fundamentals of Operations Research, 1968, with M. Sasieni.
- A Concept of Corporate Planning, 1970.
- On Purposeful Systems, 1972, with Frederick Edmund Emery.
- Systems and Management Annual, (ed.), 1974.
- The SCATT Report, 1976, with T. A. Cowan, Peter Davis, ET. al.
- The Art of Problem Solving, 1978.
- Creating the Corporate Future, 1981.
- A Guide to Controlling Your Corporation's Future, 1984, with E.V. Finnel and J. Gharajedaghi.
- Revitalizing Western Economies, 1984, with P. Broholm and R. Snow.
- Management in Small Doses, 1986.
- Ackoff's Fables, 1991
- The Democratic Corporation, 1994
- Ackoff's Best, 1999
- Re-Creating the Corporation, 1999
- A Theory of a System for Educators and Managers, 2000 with W. Edwards Deming
- Redesigning Society, 2003, With Sheldon Rovin
Monographs
- Some Observations and Reflections on Mexican Development, 1976
- Exploring Personality, 1998
Articles, a selection
- Progress in Operations Research, I. Wiley: New York, 1961.
- Scientific Method. Wiley: New York, 1962.
- F. E. On Purposeful Systems. Aldine-Atherton: Chicago 1972.
- Redesigning the Future. John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1974.
- "General Systems Theory and Systems Research Contrasting Conceptions of Systems Science." Views on a General Systems Theory: Proceedings from the Second System Symposium, Mihajlo D. Mesarovic (Ed.).
External links
- http://acasa.upenn.edu/
- http://ackoffcenter.blogs.com/
- http://www.gwu.edu/~asc/biographies/Ackoff/
- http://www.managementwisdom.com/abdrrusac.html
- http://ackoff.villanova.edu/
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