Imprint: Triarchy Press
Published: 2010
Extent: 144pp.
Size: 14 x 21.6 cm
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-908009-01-2
List Price: £14.00
Tags: Systems Thinking, Design Thinking, Russell Ackoff

Differences That Make a Difference 
Russell Ackoff 
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Differences That Make a Difference: 
An annotated glossary of distinctions important in management  
Russell L. Ackoff 
Foreword by Charles Handy

Thinkers very great and very small - from Voltaire to (most recently) Conservapedia - have underlined the importance of first defining your terms - establishing the exact dimensions of the beast before attempting to argue about it, slay it or revere it.

Towards the end of his life, Russ Ackoff determined to explain how some of the apparently insignificant misinterpretations of language and meaning he observed during his long years of research can, in practice, have far-reaching consequences - especially for our organizational health. His aim was to dissolve (not solve or resolve) some of the many disputes in professional and private life that revolve around such misunderstandings.

In Differences that Make a Difference (the last manuscript that he was to complete before his death) he does exactly that. This book brings together 57 definitions of important terms and concepts, many of which underpin Ackoff's contribution to organizational learning. Definitions like:

  • 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.
  • Development and growth do not mean the same thing. A cemetery or rubbish heap can grow without developing, whereas a person continues to develop long after he or she has stopped growing.
  • Often when an argument seems irrational it is in fact rational, but this can only be understood if you attempt to get to the bottom of each party's judgments in order to see the objectives and values that motivate them. Arguing about someone's values is "fruitless", as it will be very difficult to change them - but realizing the significant role values play in making judgements will lead to smoother discussions and more constructive decision-making.

Readership

For managers, leaders, executives, MBA students, hierarchs and heterarchs of all ages, this book of Russ Ackoff's is a perfect introduction to his writing and thinking. It is, as Charles Handy says, "a manual for clear thinking" - and a fitting tribute to the man.

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