Customer Reviews

The Manager's Pocket Guide to Systems Thinking and Learning

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Simplifies and clarifies a new, universal approach to all organizational change--systems thinking--that I was able to put into action immediately and virtually eliminate crisis management.

Provides clear, easy-to-implement management tools--including a great strategic planning model--for facilitating change on every level, while supplying a blueprint for real-time, interorganizational communication.

I was looking for a simple book on systems thinking and this is definitly it. However I find it in many cases too simplistic. It mixes hard and soft system thinking without enough care for the origin of this separation. If you are interested in system thinking you can start here but certainly not stop here.

Apart from the number of typos which I got distracted by (maybe someone forgot to run the book through spell check) the book is definitely just a pocket guide that takes some general systems thinking concepts to support a traditional top down strategy development & change management approach. Topics such as emergence and self organization appear to be missing.

The book is just a bit too off the mark for me. Didn't clarify ST- just muddied the waters. Not recommended.

This neat little pocket book has lots of practical tools. I specially recommend the chapters on change. If you're interested in the subject, Steven Haines' company offers white papers for free download...

I use this book as a reference my graduate leadership class. A great review/overview of systems thinking for leadership team. I teach nursing and I like this book because it provides the "out of the box" thinking for nursing and provides insight into how other disciplines make decisions or view any given situation. A quick read for insight and understanding of sytems thinking and practical application of concepts.

Dr. Jan Eckhart

Having read Haines' "The Complete Guide to Systems Thinking & Learning," I was glad to see a shorter, easy to use guide. What I liked most about this guide is the simple models & guideline boxes. How much simpler can it get than having someone remind you how to use the models or ask you the questions necessary to put theory into practice? In my opinion, this pocket guide is a great fit for today's "time crunching" managers.

Haines gives an excellent explanation of systems dynamics. This book makes systems theory understandable, practical, and easy to apply. Haines provides models, tools, and explanations that help the reader put systems theory to use in personal and organizational development.

This book presents the elements of systems thinking in a clear and simple way.