Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Art of Systems Thinking: Essential Skills for Creativity and Problem Solving by Joseph O'Connor, Ian McDermott ISBN: 0-7225-3442-6 Publisher: Thorsons Pub Pub. Date: April, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.57 (7 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: poorly designed book: not adequate for its' subject
Comment: It's hard to know what to say. There wasn't enough juice to this book that it kept my interest. The writing style is dull and pedantic, the examples are trivial, the illustrations useless. There is something fundamentally wrong with this entire genre of *thinking skills* books. The authors usually show little ability to relate complex, real world problem solving to higher models or theories. It appears that there are two classes of writer: those with much practical experience and good war stories who rely on instinct and intuition, and those who read like they have been up in their ivory towers and do nothing but trade academic papers back and forth. For some reason the two never meet so we are forced to choose between guys who don't know how to translate the thought processes behind their actions into words OR guys who have no idea of how they could bridge their concepts into profitable, concrete action. This book, regrettably, falls squarely into the second category of think-a-mush. Completely uninspiring. Typical of books that are forced on unfortunate college students. Save your money for something better, whatever that might be.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great Introduction to system thinking - but read the title
Comment: I think the title of the book sums it up.
For the word Art: read ART. Expect broad brush stokes about concepts, lots of story telling. Ideas, big picture stuff. Great framework for stimulating thought, getting a feel for the ideas and going on to explore them. You may be disappointed if you expect rigorous maths or science or much detail about the mechanics of system dynamics.
Essential skills - expect broad real life applications for the ideas, lots of questions to challenge and update your mental models Maybe don't expect to be able to map the ecosystem in your front garden or solve world hunger (yet)
Creativity and Problem solving - the emphasis here is on applying systems thinking as a skill. The tone is very much 'thinking about thinking'. That is 'what mental model do I hold about thinking'. How does the model of reality I am creating in my head effect the system. Does the reality create my thinking or my thinking create reality (or is this a loop?)
If all of this system's stuff has anything to offer, then the application of its own thinking would suggest more people need to have these thinking skills at their disposal. Hope to see a pop up/colouring in/video game version soon.
Rating: 5
Summary: excellent
Comment: this book really gives different focus about the way we think, and help to improve our life.
 |
Title: The "Thinking" in Systems Thinking: Seven Essential Skills by Barry Richmond ISBN: 188382348X Publisher: Pegasus Communications Pub. Date: 05 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
 |
Title: The Manager's Pocket Guide to Systems Thinking and Learning by Stephen G. Haines ISBN: 0874254531 Publisher: Human Resource Development Pr Pub. Date: February, 1999 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
 |
Title: Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity : A Platform for Designing Business Architecture by Jamshid Gharajedaghi ISBN: 0750671637 Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann Pub. Date: 10 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
 |
Title: The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge ISBN: 0385260954 Publisher: Currency Pub. Date: 01 October, 1994 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: Systems Thinking Basics: From Concepts to Causal Loops by Virginia Anderson, Lauren Johnson ISBN: 1883823129 Publisher: Pegasus Communications Pub. Date: March, 1997 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
