Beating the System: Using Creativity to Outsmart Bureaucracies

by Russell L. Ackoff, Sheldon Rovin

When was the last time anyone interacted with an organization, a business, a government agency, a school, or a hospital and got a direct and accurate answer to a question or received a desired service without having to weave through a maze of frustrating and infuriating hand-offs? How often do people attempt to speak to a human in these organizations, but the system wouldn't allow it? Beating the System is for anyone who has faced the bureaucratic blank wall. The authors explain how systems are designed, how they function (and, particularly, malfunction), where their weaknesses are, and the incentives that drive them - as well as how to be creative in beating a system. Entertaining and informative stories illustrate how each creative strategy is used, and the authors offer suggestions for how organizations themselves can avoid frustrating those they serve and employ.

Genres: Business

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2005

About the author

Russell Lincoln Ackoff was Anheuser Busch Professor Emeritus of management science at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Professor Ackoff was an American organizational theorist and consultant, and a pioneer in the fields of operations research and management science.

Reviews

[Stevan Cirkovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be republished as system-beating for dummies. I enjoyed the read and the only annoying thing is that so many examples were related to academia. Which is a pity as the author seemed to have to say a lot more about other spheres of life with his clear expertise on organisations and businesses of any kind.

[Jen Watkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bloated bureaucracies like the sexagenarian I work for are the bane of human achievement. Therefore, it is a moral imperative to amass tools to defeat them. This book helps, but is a little anti-establishment for my taste.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. Quick read. All about stories of people being creative to overcome the flaws in a company's policies (i.e. bureaucratic red tape). It wasn't particularly informational. Felt more like one of those fun fact books people put in their bathrooms.