Russell Ackoff
Russell Lincoln Ackoff (born February 12, 1919 in Philadelphia , † October 29, 2009 in Paoli (Pennsylvania) ) was an American organizational theorist .
Russel Ackoff was a pioneer in operations research and systems thinking .
Life
Russell L. Ackoff was an American scientist and business consultant. He received his bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. From 1942 to 1946 he did military service, then he received his doctorate in 1947 at the University of Pennsylvania as the first graduate student of C. West Churchman .
From 1947 to 1951 Ackoff was assistant professor of philosophy and mathematics at Wayne State University , then from 1951 to 1964 professor of operations research at the Case Institute of Technology . In 1961 and 1962 he was also visiting professor at the University of Birmingham . From 1964 to 1986 he was Professor of Systems Sciences and Management Science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The first of several honorary doctorates he received in 1967 from Lancaster University .
Russell Ackoff had a son and two daughters from his first marriage; after the death of his first wife, he married a second time in 1987.
plant
Russell L. Ackoff developed the sociosystemic approach in organizational theory . He also dealt with corporate design and management theory . He postulated so-called interactive management, the primary task of which is to plan and shape the future of the company. The companies should be continuously designed in an iterative process of interactive planning. The question is not what the company should look like in the future, but how it can now adapt to the idealized image of itself.
Interactive planning is done backwards. First, an idealized image of the company is developed, as it would look like in the present. A design process is then started with the aim of approximating this image as closely as possible.
Web links
- Ackoff Collaboratory for Advancement of the Systems Approach
- Literature by and about Russell Ackoff in the catalog of the German National Library
- Ackoff Center Weblog - Systems Thinking Blog
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ackoff, Russell |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ackoff, Russell Lincoln |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American organizational theorist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 12, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 2009 |
| Place of death | Paoli, Pennsylvania , USA |