Breyer State University's Management Systems Curriculum

As managerial problems become more complex, their solutions would benefit greatly if managers had access to, or a working knowledge of, the systematized body of knowledge known to the systems-orientated family of scientists. This assumes that the managers and the scientists have something in common - they both view organizations as a system. Unfortunately, this assumption is fraught with incompatibility. The manager's knowledge is based on experience with their particular organizational system, whereas the scientist's knowledge is based upon experience with many other type systems; e.g., biological, electrical, solar, et cetera. Thus, the two have different conceptual frameworks that govern their understanding of a system. It is obvious, therefore, that managers dealing with organizational problems would be well advised to learn the systems thinking approach to help solve them. This is especially important as the constraints of the Systems Age continue to evolve.

Breyer State University's Management Systems curriculum provides the student of management with a systems thinking approach to managing. Systems thinking is valuable in that it can help management design smart and enduring solutions to problems. In its simplest sense, systems thinking provides management with a more accurate picture of reality, so that they can work with a system's natural forces in order to achieve the results they desire. It also encourages management to think about problems and solutions with an eye toward the long view and what unintended consequences these solutions might have both on their organization and its environment. Finally, systems thinking is founded on some basic, universal principles that managers will begin to detect in all arenas of life once they learn to recognize them.

"The business environment has changed in fundamental ways over the past decade. Innovations in communication and other technologies have made the global business environment more relevant for a greater number of organizations. The changing landscape of economic and political relations around the globe are more closely tied than ever to business decisions. The complexity of business has grown dramatically as a consequence to these changes. We believe that the systems approach offers extraordinary power to managers as a tool for understanding the complexity arising from the interaction among these many forces and factors."

" Management Systems - A Global Perspective"

Steven Cavalari, Central Connecticut State University

Krzysztof Obloj, University of Warsaw

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