Books by Barry Oshry

This book is about seeing systems. It is about overcoming system blindness. It is about seeing our part in the context of the whole in ways that enable us to avoid misunderstandings and to interact more productively across organizational lines (Act One). It is about seeing the present in the context of the past, such that we can get a more accurate picture of our current condition (Act One). It is about seeing ourselves in relationship with others and creating satisfying and productive partnerships in these relationships (Act TwoIt is about seeing our systems' processes in ways that enable us to create systems with extraordinary capacities for surviving and developing (Act Three). It is about seeing the uncertainties in our system conditions in ways that enable us to move past the destructive battles of righteous position versus righteous position (Act IV).

Barry Oshry explains how genocides occur when cultures meet and demagogues sell us messages of superiority or purity. The two conventional solutions to encountering the "other", Purity and Tolerance, both exact a terrible cost. Instead we must change our patterns of interaction so the possibility of Power and Love, working together, can emerge.

When systems thinker Barry Oshry felt dismissed and disregarded by an organization that had meant so much to him, rather than simmer and sulk, he struck back with a remarkable weapon. He wrote a letter. It was a most unusual letter, a letter to a system in whole and in parts. It was addressed to specific individuals, to leaders and members, past and present, and, in its way, it was addressed to all of us who have ever suffered indignities at the hands of our organizations. In this anniversary edition, with a new introduction and additional information and analyses, Oshry continues to illuminate system life for all of us. The Systems Letter offers valuable insights for both the oppressors and the oppressed, and offers hope and inspiration to all those who feel diminished, dismissed, and disrespected by their organizations. "A warning about the Systems Letter: Once you start, you will not be able to put it down. You will be reading the work of an organizational anarchist who understands systems better than anyone… Oshry's Letter is written to you and to me making it all the more personal and meaningful. And one final warning: On completion of your reading, to borrow a phrase from the Systems Letter, 'the last traces of your innocence (regarding systems) will be gone'". W. Warner Burke Edward Lee Thorndike Professor of Psychology and Education Teachers College, Columbia University

Barry Oshry explains the problem with organizational structures in this dialogue between two consultants about a change initiative. A guide to Systems Thinking for Organizations, it's as engaging and helpful as any business book you've ever read. Give it to team leaders, trainers, HR people, managers and chief execs and transform your organization.

In this extensively revised and updated edition of his classic book, Barry Oshry shows how we can transform "system blindness" into "system sight", enabling us to live and work together in productive partnership. Based on more than thirty years of research and packed with illustrative cases and solid systems theory on human interaction, Seeing Systems provides a penetrating look at the dynamics of systems and a unique foundation for revolutionizing our understanding of system life. This new edition features an extensive new section on having the wisdom and courage to face and work with the reality of uncertainty, and a new epilogue describing how Oshry is currently using theater, blogs, and podcasts to extend his multi-pronged revolution aimed at transforming system blindness into system sight.