A lifetime of teaching and consulting involves indebtedness to innumerable sources of wisdom. I have learned from my students and clients far more than I ever taught them. Looking back, I can hardly even begin to recall the fires by which I was warmed, the lights by which I found my way. And yet there are faces that vividly stand out.

Russel L. Ackoff has been my mentor, business partner, and a great friend. He was there, as always, with his infinite wisdom and uncompromising critique to examine every line and dissect every concept of this manuscript. I welcomed his measured views and took all of his recommendations.

Reza Niazmand was the first who found my strange way of thinking interesting enough to trust me to convert The Industrial Management Institute, the entity he had spent all of his professional life to create, into a consulting research and training firm based on systems thinking. Unyielding support of this giant man during my exciting years of tenure as the head of the Industrial Management Institute set the stage for initial development and gutsy practice of many of the ideas presented in this work.

Bijan Khorram, as a friend and colleague of over four decades, the infusion of his thinking on me knows no bounds. He acted as the sounding board to examine the soundness of ideas and the potency of their configurations. He directly collaborated in the redesigns and write-ups of the cases presented in Part Four: Systems Practice. Stylistically, his influence permeated the entire exercise.

Johnny Pourdehnad's insatiable love to search was a blessing. With him around access to valuable resources was fun rather than obstruction.

Jason Magidson helped with graphics. Pat Egner did the editing; the Anglicized version is indebted to her efforts.

Then there were the special clients whose patronage, courage, and intellectual challenge in bringing the conceptual ideas to concrete fruition proved invaluable indeed. Reza Ghotbi, Akbar Etemad, Nader Hakimi, Charlie Ligon, Karl J. Krapek, Len Devanna and Artley Skenandore, Gerry Wilson, Tommy Lee, Pat Stocker, and Kathy Dannemiller with their unfailing trust turned out to be the difference that made the difference.

Last but not least is Karen Speerstra, Publishing Director of Butterworth Heinemann, who, with remarkable decisiveness, got the project rolling. March Jacques proved to be a fantastic matchmaker.

So my gratitude to them will remain a debt I can never repay.