Most corporate mission statements are worthless. They consist largely of pious platitudes such as: "We will hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical behavior." They often formulate necessities as objectives; for example, "to achieve sufficient profit." This is like a person saying his mission is to breathe sufficiently.
Russell L. AckoffEvery problem interacts with other problems and is therefore part of a set of interrelated problems, a system of problems. I choose to call such a system a mess.
Russell L. AckoffNothing is harder to topple than a fact that supports a deeply held prejudice denied by its holder.
Russell L. AckoffTraditional education focuses on teaching, not learning. It incorrectly assumes that for every ounce of teaching there is an ounce of learning by those who are taught. However, most of what we learn before, during, and after attending schools is learned without its being taught to us. A child learns such fundamental things as how to walk, talk, eat, dress, and so on without being taught these things. Adults learn most of what they use at work or at leisure while at work or leisure. Most of what is taught in classroom settings is forgotten, and much or what is remembered is irrelevant.
Russell L. Ackoff