Russell ackoff quotes

Russell L. Ackoff (12 February 1919 – 29 October 2009) was an American organizational theorist, professor and pioneer in the field of operations research, systems thinking and management science.

Quotes

1950s

• … All other languages can be translated into the thing-language, but the thing-language cannot be translated into any other language. Its terms can only be reduced to what are called "ostensive" definitions. These consist merely of pointing or otherwise evoking a direct experience. Hence, the thing-language is absolutely basic. Out of this basic language, we build up the other languages of the sciences, beginning with the language of physics, and proceeding to biology, psychology, and the social sciences.
  • Charles West Churchman, Russell Lincoln Ackoff (1950) Methods of inquiry: an introduction to philosophy and scientific method. p. 185; Partly cited in: Britton, G. A., & McCallion, H. (1994). An overview of the Singer/Churchman/Ackoff school of thought. Systems Practice, Vol 7 (5), 487-521.

• In the last two decades
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  Exploring Systems Thinking Through Russell Ackoff

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  Learning about Deming has led me to another incredible thinker - Russell Ackoff. Born in 1919, Ackoff is best known for his contributions to Systems Thinking.

  In one of his lectures, From Mechanistic to Systemic Thinking, Ackoff discusses systems and the difference between analysis and synthesis. He explains that the essential properties of a system are unique to the system as a whole. These properties arise from the interactions between the parts of the system. In other words, a system is more than the sum of its parts; it is the product of their interactions.

  At first glance, it might seem logical to understand a system by breaking it down into its individual parts and studying each part separately. This approach is called ‘analysis’ - basically, divide and conquer. But when you take a system apart, it loses its essential properties - just like a steering wheel on its own can’t ‘steer’.

  In the 1950s, it became clear that analysis alone couldn’t fully explain a system. This led to the development of another method of th

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  Russell L. Ackoff

  American organizational theorist, consultant and management scientist

  Russell Lincoln Ackoff
  Russell Ackoff at Washington University in St. Louis, May 1993
  Born	(1919-02-12)February 12, 1919 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Died	October 29, 2009(2009-10-29) (aged 90) Paoli, Pennsylvania
  Nationality	American
  Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania BA 1941 University of Pennsylvania PhD 1947
  Known for	organizational theory, general systems theory, operations research
  Scientific career
  Fields	systems sciences management science
  Institutions	Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
  Doctoral advisor	C. West Churchman
  Other academic advisors	Edgar A. Singer, Jr.
  Doctoral students	Peter C. Fishburn, William Richard King

  Russell Lincoln Ackoff (February 12, 1919 – October 29, 2009) was an American organizational theorist, consultant, and Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Ackoff was a pioneer in the field of op