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The Systems Bible: The Beginner's Guide to Systems Large and Small Paperback – January 1, 2003

by John Gall (Author)

27 customer reviews

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Book is in Good condition

Paperback: 316 pages
Publisher: General Systemantics Pr (January 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0961825170
ISBN-13: 978-0961825171
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 27 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2299 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor
- #6640 in Books > Science & Math

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DMH

Critical Theory for "Systems". Good thought exercise but NOT a "Bible".

April 7, 2018

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This book - either you seem to hate it or love it. I enjoyed it for what I believe (or at least hope) it is supposed to be. It is designed to get you really thinking about systems in general. It has definitely helped me see things differently. A key takeaway for me is the idea that a properly functioning system should generate a minimal amount of "messages". It's been very hard to come up with effective ways to measure the efficiency of processes I manage. Now I can see a much easier way to get a general read on efficiency: how much message traffic (emails, phone calls, IM's) is required to complete a task?

Now for the bad. This is really Critical Theory as applied to Systems. It does a good job of highlighting weaknesses but offers no real solutions. It's great to get you thinking but like Critical Theory in general, you'll need to come up with solutions on your own. The author also undermines his own credibility by being pretty obvious about his biases.He is very much a part of the "you can't hug your children with nuclear arms" crowd and it undermines his credibility to some extent. Everyone is entitled to their views but the simplistic examples make you start to question the author's intent.

This is why I call it Critical Theory. It's very easy to cherry-pick your facts to bash something you don't like, especially when you don't consider benefits or alternatives. You can string together a bunch of facts about Oil Supertankers to make them seem silly but neglect to mention where the gas in your car comes from.

A quick example of his bias and simplistic analysis: in attempting to criticize Military systems he uses the example of what was the M1 Abrams tank, new when this book was first written.

"The latest model Tank for the U.S. Armed Forces are so designed that the engine must be removed in order to change the oil, a procedure that must be performed every few hundred miles. Huge cranes - themselves armored - must follow the Tanks into battle to ensure proper servicing."

Yes, these facts themselves are true for the most part, but even a little bit of research will give you the real story. Or, simply ask a Vet. The M1 has a turbine engine that is removed as an entire pack for quick replacement in the field. Oil changes are a bit different than crawling under your Honda. It's use on the battlefield might be a little bit different, too.

Overall, I like this book because it approaches systems from a different angle and really makes you think about then in a different light. However, you really need to be aware of the author's selective biases as you think about the implications of your own systems and processes. Just don't think it's a "Bible". It's a good thought exercise and will give you another lens to view your systems through, but it is by no means a complete reference to Systems or System design.

4 people found this helpful5 people found this helpful

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Carlos J. Rendon

Kindle version has formatting issues

August 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

Reviewing the Kindle formatting. Many words are scrunched together "likethis", especially the italic formatting. It makes it hard to read. The kindle version needs an editor to do one pass and fix all of the glaring issues.

Otherwise, the book itself is entertaining. The best part is all of the anecdotal evidence they produce to "prove" their theorems about systems.

11 people found this helpful12 people found this helpful

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Nicholas Lesiecki

Fascinating but Irritating

May 23, 2016

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The aspiring Student of Systemantics embarks upon a tour of systems Large and Small with the Humble But Wise Author, whose approach to the subject may be summarized thus:

ANNOUNCING PITHY QUOTABLES IN ALL CAPS

Luckily these aphorisms, oh Student, are based on a Lifelong and Deep Study Of Systemantics, and proposed as semi-serious Laws (like Murphys). The approach wisdom in the limit, but often seem to rest on

ASSERTING THEM WITH CONFIDENCE

and when that fails, the Extremely Humble, But Very Perceptive Author can resort to

PROOF BY ONE MADE UP EXAMPLE

~~
I want to like this book, but the whole thing reads like the prose above, and want Gall to settle down and spend time exploring his genuine nsights, and explaing why systems behave the way they do rather than Just Asserting That They're Weird.

15 people found this helpful16 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Must read for any one working in or around a bureacracy.

July 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

Witty and insightful.

Slightly more uplifting than Kafka.

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

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charles krin

Five Stars

April 28, 2017

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I've referred to this book in several Graduate Level papers recently, and the references were well received.

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

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RalphDaly28

This is a great book for anyone regardless of whether or not you ...

September 22, 2016

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This is a great book for anyone regardless of whether or not you are involved in technology related to complex systems. Life itself is a complex system and there are many non-intuitive insights that the author provides that have helped me be a more effective person at both the professional and personal level. Much of what he wrote about systems was before computers were everywhere yet seems to apply directly to computers as well. Granted, this is not a strict theoretical treatment of the subject of complexity and systems. But it is very entertaining and it dispenses some very useful insight into why complex systems that work are very difficult to develop. This book is a must-read for anyone that works in a large organization (public or private) or has to interact effectively with a large organization.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

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Tonyandoc

Resign yourself to living in a systems world.

October 12, 2015

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Anyone whose nervous system is in tatters due to the stress of wrangling with the systems we surround ourselves with to make our lives easier needs to read this book.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

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Aleksey

Pretty good

January 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

Resonates a lot with my actual experience, but sometimes makes an elephant out of the fly, especially when giving examples of problems induced by the systems.

Plus lots of industries mentioned in the book were disrupted in recent years. It would be great to analyze them, so I hope for edition #4 to arise.

One person found this helpful

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