Jamshid Gharajedaghi, Managing Partner of INTERACT

As a managing partner of INTERACT (The Institute for Interactive Management), the author has more than 35 years of experience with the practice of systems methodology in design and the development of business architecture, planning, learning, and control systems. His work has taken him into corporations and government agencies around the world for both private and public concerns.

Mr. Gharajedaghi was formerly the Director of the Research Center and Adjunct Professor of Systems Sciences at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1979–1986). He began his career with IBM's World Trade Corporation where he served as a senior systems engineer (1963–1969). He left IBM to become CEO of the Industrial Management Institute (1969–1979). He has held teaching positions at Villanova School of Business (Executive MBA 1999 to present); The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1977–1986); IBM Education Centers (1965–1969); and the University of California, Berkeley (1961–1963).

He received his engineering degree from the University of California, Berkeley (1963) and completed more than 1,800 hours of professional training in systems engineering at the IBM Education Centers in the UK, Germany, and France. From this early training in information systems, his interests led him to operations research, behavioral sciences, and, finally, to the development and application of systems thinking and interactive design.

He has been a member of: the Research Board of the International Systems Institute, United States (1983–1992); the Governing Body of the Asian Productivity Organization, Japan (1972–1979); the Board of Trustees for AZAD University, Iran (1976–1979); and Regional Chairman of the Society for General Systems Research, Asia (1975–1979).

Mr. Gharajedaghi has been involved with the following sponsoring organizations to redesign businesses, product(s), and/or processes:

He was the project manager for two internationally acclaimed projects: New Economic Order, a United Nations project; and Goals for Mankind, a Club of Rome project.

Mr. Gharajedaghi has written several books, including Prologue to National Development Planning and Towards a Systems Theory of Organization. He is the author of numerous published articles in various international scientific and management journals.