Universities that teach systems management encourage their students to use systems thinking as part of problem solving. To do this, we look at the relationships between people, processes and structures. The result is usually a “healthy” or “unhealthy” result.  A critical component of systems thinking, and one which is often not given enough attention, is understanding all of the assumptions and validating them when possible. If the assumptions were not thought out carefully and understood, the result could be a total disaster rather than a valuable opportunity. The importance of the assumptions, especially those concerning the enterprise environmental factors surrounding the activity will be discussed, using Disney’s theme parks throughout the world and past Olympic Games as case studies.

Dr. Harold Kerzner is Senior Executive Director for Project Management for the International Institute for Learning (IIL). 

To register call the Alumni Office at (440) 826-2104 to register online please click HERE.