Learning Systems Thinking in Management - directed readings for beginners

Quite a number of students of mine learn systems thinking in management; some study Administrative Management; others study Computer Science and Information Systems Management. I also find it useful to teach systems thinking and systems theories in dissertation workshops. In the present education system, students do not have time to properly study the subject due to severe time constraints. Below is my suggested reading list for those who are genuinely interested in learning Systems Thinking. I am sure you will have time to study these references some day and, as a result, have a more solid understanding of this subject:

Introductory references I

1. Churchman, C.W. (1979) The Systems Approach, Laurel.
2. Flood, R.L. and Carson, E.R. (1988) Dealing with complexity: an introduction to the theory and application of systems science, Plenum Press.
3. Schoderbek, P.P., Schoderbek, C.G. and Kefalas, A.G. (1985) Management Systems: Conceptual Considerations, 1985.

Introductory references II

1. Jackson, M.C. (1991) Systems Methodology for the Management Sciences, Plenum Press.
2. Ackoff, R.L. (1981) Creating the corporate future, Wiley.
3. Clemson, B. (1984) Cybernetics: A new management tool, Abacus press.

Try to study references I before you move on to references II. There are many other references on systems thinking; the ones I list above are relatively easy to read, thus suitable for beginners on this subject. You cannot learn systems thinking in  1 - 2 months in order to do your homework and then forget it afterward; to learn systems thinking in management, you need to develop a genuine life-long interest in the subject matter. The education system's time constraint does not apply in this case.


References

1. On Systems Thinking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_thinking
2. On Soft Systems Methodology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_Systems_Methodology
3. On critical systems thinking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_systems_thinking
4. On Management Cybernetics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_cybernetics#Organizational_Cybernetics
5. On Systems theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory