Book description
This book is an ideal resource for busy managers whose time is scarce.
It provides a rapid introduction to straightforward, yet powerful ideas
that enable users to address real world problems. Systems theory and
practice is predominantly a framework for thinking about the World, in
which holistic views are maintained. In this respect it contrasts with
some familiar techniques of management science, in which problem
situations are broken down into their constituent parts with resultant
loss of coherence.
Frank Stowell: Is Emeritus Professor of Systems and Information
Systems at the University of Portsmouth. He has extensive management
experience both within the university sector, e. g .he was director of
campus at De Montfort University, Milton Keynes and within central
government as a consultant within a Management Systems Development
Group. He has a PhD in Organisational Change and his research
interests are in participative methods of problem definition. He is
chair of the Systems Practice for Managing Complexity network, (http://www. spmc. org. uk/)
which is concerned with providing workshops for managers interested in
learning about ways of addressing and managing change. He is past
President of the UK Academy of Information Systems and the UK Systems
Society (http://www. ukss. org.
uk/), is a board member of the world cybernetics organisation and
is presently the chair of the Council of Information Systems
Professors. He has supervised a number of research projects including
modelling complex decision-making in mental health care. He has
published papers and texts in the field and presented papers at a
number of international conferences in Europe and the United States.
Prior to his academic career he was employed by central government as
a member of a small team of management consultants.
Christine Welch currently works as a principal lecturer in the
Business School at the University of Portsmouth, where she teaches in
Systems-related fields. Her particular focus is on critically-informed
approaches to inquiry and contextual analysis, in which area she holds
a doctorate. She has published many articles, book chapters and
conference papers in the Systems field and other related areas such as
systems analysis, knowledge management and organisational learning,
and has also supervised doctoral candidates in Systems-related topics.
Christine has worked with a number of organizations in relation to
Systems capability and organizational development, and has
participated in the delivery of several workshops on Systems
approaches, through the Systems Practice for Managing Complexity
network. She is a member of a community of practice of business
improvement professionals from public and private sector organisations
which meets in Portsmouth Business School to explore and share
approaches to process visualisation and development. She leads the
Systems Thinking & Creativity team in the Centre for Enterprise,
Research and Innovation in Portsmouth Business School. She is a
director and past President of the UK Systems Society, and a member of
the American Society for Cybernetics and the Informing Science Institute.
