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Think tank dynamo Russell L. Ackoff advocates that managers scrap the way they normally approach problem solving in general and innovation in particular. He champions a process called “synthetic” thinking, a way of thinking about and designing a system that derives the properties and behavior of its parts from the functions required of the whole. His suggestions to managers for promoting creativity, innovation and better strategy are: (1) By understanding what’s happening inside and outside the organization, then by developing a vision of what the organization could be within the emerging culture and environment. Next by preparing a strategy for reaching or moving closer to that vision. (2) Through designs that lead require creativity. Creativity involves a three‐step process. The first step is to identify assumptions that you make which prevent you from seeing the alternatives to the ones that you currently see. These are self‐imposed constraints. The second step is to deny these constraining assumptions. The third is to explore the consequences of the denials. Creativity of individuals can be enhanced by practice, particularly under the guidance of one who is creative. (3) By becoming aware of the nature of the fundamental intellectual transformations now taking place and what their implications are for the future of business and management generally. And by attaching themselves to people who show creative thinking and engage with them in the process of redesigning, from scratch and with no constraints, the systems they manage.

You were one of the founders of operations research and management science in the U.S. In the early 1970s, however, when the “predict and prepare” school of planning was at the peak of its influence in corporate America, you left management science. What made you move away from such a successful paradigm?

The purpose of this paper is to review a recent electronic publication on the menace of spam and, related to previous work, look at the dangers the internet holds for children. A valuable source of information on history of chess is reviewed and the death of Prof. Russell Ackoff in Philadelphia is reported, with links to sources of obituaries and further details.

The aim is to review developments on the internet, especially those of general cybernetic interest.

The data on spam indicate, the nature and extent of the problem it presents. Chess is shown to have deeper historical roots than is widely known. With the death of Russ Ackoff another major figure has disappeared from the scene.

The review of means of combating spam is of undoubted value, as is the mention of a means of seeking police help over internet abuse affecting children. The review of history of chess should be a valuable reference where the game is discussed in an AI context.

It is hoped this is a valuable periodic review.

The authors argue that consultants are of two types: self‐promoting gurus and educators. Gurus that pontificate and promote their proprietary problem solving techniques do not educate their clients. They promote maxims that define rules of behavior but do not increase the competence of managers. They promote their proprietary solution as a fix for all problems instead of trying to increase managerial understanding of a particular corporate puzzle. They provide maxims that are really platitudes and panaceas without proof of effectiveness. A significant proportion of the advice produced by such management gurus is either incorrectly inferred from data (but nevertheless may be true) or is unsubstantiated by genuine evidence. Examples are drawn from the work of Peters, Covey, de Geus, and Hamel. Recommendations for providing management with defensive measures include: recognition that flawed research techniques produces flawed evidence; recognition that many seemingly wise maxims are really platitudes; and effective selection and use of internal and external consultants who perceive their mission to be the individualized education of managers and the solution of their organization’s particular problems.

The purpose of this work is to make a distinction between supportive and operative information systems. The overall aim is to find and argue for a methodology approach which is relevant for designing supportive information systems.

The focus of this work is on the fundamental philosophical conditions for a methodology that can be used for designing supportive information systems. The analyses are founded on works by James G. Miller, John P. van Gigch and C. West Churchman, which means that living systems theory, the metamodeling approach, according to van Gigch, and Churchman's inquiring systems have been used to highlight epistemological considerations that this sketch of a methodology is based on.

Two kinds of information systems have been stressed: operative and supportive information systems. The differences between them are described and their distinction has been accomplished by using, i.e. Miller's theory. The methodology approach bears a strong resemblance to that of system design, according to van Gigch, and that of interactive planning, according to Russell L. Ackoff. The following phases of a sketch of a methodology for designing supportive information systems have been identified: identification phase, specification phase, design phase, and implementation phase.

The different conditions for designing operative and supportive information systems are described. An epistemological contribution related to the basis for a methodology is given. The value of the paper is that it emphasises that the selection and development of a methodology is not a trivial matter.