This paper deals with the critical role that assumptions play in strategic planning and strategic problem forming. It attempts to formulate a methodology or systematic procedure for (1) uncovering (surfacing), (2) analyzing the effect, and (3) challenging key policy assumptions. The paper shows...

Chapter 1. Wrestling with The Inner Demons of Contemporary Life: A Brief Overview of Psychoanalytic Thought -- Chapter 2. Crises: A Major Systems Problem -- Chapter 3. Wicked Messes: The Ultimate Challenge to Reality. Chapter 4. Inquiry Systems: How Do We Know What We Need to Know?- Chapter 5....

This paper describes the results of a two-and-a-half year effort in proactive planning at the Bureau of the Census in Washington, D.C. Most large-scale organizations merely react to their future(s) instead of actively planning for and thus anticipating the future(s) they would like to bring...

Most of the published literature on planning is either prescriptive (i.e., what ought to be the way planning is done), or descriptive (i.e., how it is actually carried out). This paper addresses the problem of moving from a relatively ineffective planning process to one that meets the...

It's all about assumptions : the critical role of an applied epistemologist -- Doing what is right : the role of an applied ethicist -- Think like a system : be an applied systems thinker -- Thinking like a crisis manager -- Wisdom : how the leaders of purpose-driven organizations manage from...