Ackoff's Fables: Irreverent Reflections on Business and Bureaucracy

by Russell L. Ackoff

``Nothing is as obstructive to satisfaction of human needs and desires, let alone human progress, as bureaucracies.'' So goes Russell Ackoff's philosophy on human development. While relating wry observations made during a long career promoting human development, Ackoff demonstrates how most systems created to foster development actually prevent or retard it. You'll laugh at these war stories, but more importantly, you'll learn how to maximize your own personal development or that of your company by beating obstructive systems.

Genres: Management

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

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

[Federico Kereki]

All the chapters and anecdotes ("fables") are quite interesting, but I particularly liked the two chapters on teaching and education.