Biography - Russell Ackoff

Russell L. Ackoff ( 1919 – 2011)

Update: May 2011

Memories, a posthumous publication by Ackoff was produced in 2011. Information about the book from Triarchy press is posted below.

"Russ was an incisive, lifelong critic of the modern organizational form. He saw its limitations and argued for radical redesign. He was an advocate for major re-visioning and processes of change that started with helping people see what they truly valued and where they truly wanted to get - and then working backwards to see what it would take to get there." 
Peter Senge, from his Foreword to Memories
When he died late in 2009, Russ Ackoff left two unpublished manuscripts. Memories is the first of these - a collection of stories drawn from his life experience, selected by Russ because they stood out in his memory as instances where he learned something. As he says in his Preface, "Life is a series of relationships formed and dissolved". For Russ, the important principles and qualities around which his work was centred - clear-sightedness, looking at the bigger picture, working backwards towards solutions, radicalism - crossed over into most, if not all, other aspects of his extraordinary life. The stories in Memories focus on the human side of life and, in so doing, they demonstrate how many of the skills and attributes that are fundamental to professional success are found in personal experience.
In this book, Russ draws from his experiences of serving in the US army during World War II; of bringing up a young family; of encountering different cultures whilst working abroad. From analyzing birth rates in India, to a fireside chat with the Queen of Iran, to introducing theme parks to the US, the stories collected in Memories lay bare the workings of a number of well-known businesses and other organizations - and the people who run them. They describe common attitudes, behaviours and assumptions, which, if left unchallenged, can destabilize or even destroy an organization.
The book shows how thinking systemically leads to real organizational improvements in a variety of academic and workplace settings and - just as important - how failure to do so can be both personally embarrassing and damaging to the organization. Each story is used to illustrate a belief, principle or conclusion central to Russ's theories of Systems Thinking and Design Thinking. And each of them is told with his customary generosity, wit and wisdom.

Obituaries:
Mr. Ackoff died in October 2009 at the age of 90.  For two examples of notices of his death see:
“Russell Ackoff: 1919-2009: A Management Philosopher With Heady Ideas About Beer,” Stephen Miller, The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 11, 2009. This account begins with the following remarks:
“An evangelist of the big picture, Russell Ackoff was a management theorist who helped U.S. corporations by reimagining their challenges as opportunities to restructure. Mr. Ackoff, who died Oct. 29 at age 90, was an expert in conceptualizing problems. He liked to say they came in three flavors: problems, messes and puzzles, and each needed its own distinctive toolkit. Mr. Ackoff was one of a small group of management-studies pioneers who changed the way corporations thought about their businesses. Peter Drucker once wrote to Mr. Ackoff that his early work "saved me -- as it saved countless others -- from descending into mindless 'model building' -- the disease that all but destroyed so many of the business schools.”

“Russell L. Ackoff,” J.M. Wilson, The Journal of the Operational Research Society,, Vol.61, No.5, May 2010.

Update 2005:

A new assessment of Ackoff is provided by Maurice Kirby and Jonathan Rosenhead: "IFORS' Operational Research Hall of

Fame: Russell L. Ackoff", International Transactions in Operational Research, Vol.12, No.1, 2005, p.129-134. Ackoff also

published another book which has been ordered: Redesigning Society (with Sheldon Rovin).

Perhaps the best place to begin investigating Ackoff is with the festschrift in his honor that was

published in 1992: Planning for Human Systems: Essays in Honor of Russell Ackoff, edited by Jean-Marc Choukroun and Roberta M. Snow ( HD4904.7.P55 1992). There are 29 essays in the book and the one by Carvajal traces the development of OR, MS and Systems Science as reflected in Ackoff's writings (-see Chapter 6, "OR,MS, Systems Science, and Russell Ackoff: The Development of Two Paradigms".) A complete list of the books by Ackoff in the

Western Libraries collection is provided below along with the call number and location. To find articles by Ackoff, see the lengthy list at the end of the Carvajal essay noted above. One will also find articles by searching ProQuest. For a recent article by Ackoff see "Transformational Leadership", Strategy & Leadership, Jan/Feb 1999. The same journal published an interview with Ackoff in the Mar/April, 1997 issue.

Forthcoming Books by Russell Ackoff

Differences that Make a Difference is a compendium of terms that are often - but mistakenly - used synonymously. Ackoff has the knack of picking on "Why didn't I think of that?" ideas and showing us how they can be quickly applied in the quest for systemic understanding and practical solutions to organisational problems. From the publisher: The simple philosophy behind Differences That Make a Difference is that complicated problems can often be avoided if you take a moment to define your terms at the outset. Ackoff's aim was to dissolve (not solve or resolve) some of the many disputes in professional and private life that he saw as the result of quite basic instances of miscommunication and misunderstanding. For example, there is more than one type of error: there are Errors of Commission (doing something that should not have been done) and Errors of Omission (not doing something that should have been done). Once you understand this distinction, you will also understand the benefits to be gained from leading people to act responsibly rather than managing them through fear. Differences That Make a Difference brings together 57 definitions of such important terms and concepts, many of which underpin Russ Ackoff's contribution to improving organizational health. This book is a perfect introduction to his writing and thinking. It is, as Charles Handy says in his Foreword, "a manual for clear thinking" - and a fitting tribute to the man.

Books by Russell Lincoln Ackoff in the Western Libraries
(in reverse chronological order)

Ackoff, Russell
Memories
HD31.A2834 2010
Memories is a collection of stories, drawn from Russ's own life experience, each of which is used to illustrate a belief, principle or conclusion central to his theories of Systems Thinking and Design Thinking. The stories range from introducing theme parks to the US to buying sanitary towels in Holland and are told with his customary generosity, modesty, wit and insight. The book shows how thinking systemically leads to real organisational improvements in a variety of workplace settings and - just as important - how failure to do so can be both personally embarrassing and damaging to the organisation.

Ackoff, Russell L. and Daniel Greenber
Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back on Track
LB41.A184x 2008

Ackoff, Russell et al. Management f-Laws: How Organizations Really Work (HD58.7.A256 2007)
f-LAWS are described as “truths about organizations that we might wish to deny or ignore”. To sample 13 of them, go to Management f-LAWS. One is: “Managers who don’t know how to measure what they want settle for wanting what they can measure”. To read all of them, borrow the book or buy it from the web site.
For the related site see: http://www.f-laws.com/

Ackoff, Russell et al.
Idealized Design: Creating an Organization's Future
HD53.A28 2006

Ackoff, Russell L. and Sheldon Rovin
REDESIGNING SOCIETY
HN 59.2.A256 2003
"This new book from two gifted systems thinkers, takes a no holds barred approach to radically transforming the way we think about societal infrastructures. "Health care, education, welfare, law - the perceived success or failure of these social institutions is constantly being debated in the public arena. In this book, Ackoff and Rovin join the discussion, using systems theory to develop new approaches to governance, the structure and function of our cities, and civic leadership in general. Each chapter tackles a different, important, and timely issue. The authors develop and present specific solutions, with the intention of starting a national dialogue about the structure and organization of American society. Their redesign, radical in its scope and ambition, draws upon existing technology and social constructs, but provides innovative ways to apply them. As the authors contend, ìit is only through creative thought and innovation that our society will be transformed into one that provides a more equitable distribution of wealth, quality of life, and opportunities for development."

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
Re-Creating the Corporation: A Design of Organizations for the 21st Century
HD31.A284 1999

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
ACKOFF'S BEST: HIS CLASSIC WRITINGS ON MANAGEMENT
HD31.A2813 1999

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
THE DEMOCRATIC CORPORATION: A RADICAL PRESCRIPTION FOR RECREATING CORPORATE AMERICA AND REDISCOVERING SUCCESS
HD70.V5A25 1994

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
ACKOFF'S FABLES: IRREVERENT REFLECTIONS ON INESS AND BUREAUCRACY HD38.4.A27 1991

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
MANAGEMENT IN SMALL DOSES
HD31.A283 1986

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
A PROLOGUE TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
DBWSTK HD87.5.G45 1986

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
A GUIDE TO CONTROLLING YOUR CORPORATION'S
RDL HD30.28.A248 1984

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
REVITALIZING WESTERN ECONOMIES
DBWSTK HC59.A674 1984

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
CREATING THE CORPORATE FUTURE: PLAN OR BE PLANNED FOR
HD30.28.A25 1981

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
THE ART OF PROBLEM SOLVING: ACCOMPANIED BY ACKOFF'S FABLES
HD30.29.A25 1978

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
THE ZUCKER LECTURES, 1975-1977
HD31.Z8 1977

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
DESIGNING A NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
RDL Q224.3.U6D47 1976

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
REDESIGNING THE FUTURE: A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO SOCIETAL PROBLEMS
DBWSTK HN65.A6 1974

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
ON PURPOSEFUL SYSTEMS
DBWSTK H61.A38 1972

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
A CONCEPT OF CORPORATE PLANNING
HD31.A28 1970

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
FUNDAMENTALS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
, DBW, RDL T57.6.A2 1968

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
A MANAGER'S GUIDE TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH
HD20.5.A3 1963

Ackoff, Russell Lincoln
THE DESIGN OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
DBW, H62.A4 1961

Ackoff, Russell et al.
Idealized Design: Creating an Organization's Future (HD53.A28 2006)
From Publishers Weekly:
"Idealized design is a great concept: in order to find the ideal solution to a iness challenge, you envision the perfect solution, then work backward to the possible. The authors appear to have followed that concept, asking themselves what the ideal iness book should include. A thorough explanation of the concept and convincing proof of its value in a variety of situations and organizations? Check. An inventory of the ideal environment for performing idealized design experiments? Check. case studies? Check. The development of idealized design is largely credited to Ackoff, a management professor emeritus and author of 22 books who is praised in the foreword as "no doubt one of the greatest management innovators of our time." The progressive concepts described here are useful to companies undergoing a difficult transition or wanting to push themselves to the next level. More impressively, this volume ventures beyond the iness realm to explore how idealized design can be applied to larger social issues, such as a national health care system or a new electoral system. Regardless of whether the reader agrees with the proposed designs, those examples expand the interest of this book beyond its traditional category and readership."