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Weekend Conference Presentation
Closing Keynote - June 14th
A Practical Application of Systems Leadership

Presented by Vince Barabba

   
 

Abstract: Most of my education and career in business and government can be described as a journey to design an improved decision making process for addressing complex problems. Based on a journey of fifty years, the experiences of the journey provide demonstrated evidence of the need to create a meaningful dialogue between those who provide information and insights and those who combine that contribution with their existing knowledge to make decisions.  The term dialogue is used in the spirit of a description provided by David Bohm, “A dialogue can be among any number of people, not just two."

In this presentation, I will further amplify the concepts of systems thinking through an application of the practice of architecture and home building. The reason I chose the building of the home is that while designing a new home, I was reminded that Russ Ackoff informed me that he got his first sense of systems thinking when he was being educated as an architect.

The presentation starts with a copy of the architect’s original drawing and then shows how some of the parts, which by themselves were good, were eventually changed to create a home, which in the eyes of the owners, was greater than the sum of its parts.

As a keynote speaker, Vince's presentation was "translated" into a 4ft by 15ft mural by our graphic recorder, Greg Whicker. Click on image for an expanded view.

Vince Barabba

 

Vince Barabba

Biography: Vincent Barabba is the Co-founder and Chairman Market Insight Corporation which created MyProductAdvisor, a consumer-facing web site designed to provide shoppers with unbiased customized automotive product recommendations. He and his wife Sheryl, who is an artist, live in Capitola, California.

Vince retired in 2003 as the general manager of corporate strategy and knowledge development at the General Motors Corporation where he played a critical role in the development of OnStar. He is a member of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission and twice served as director of the U.S. Bureau of the Census and was the only Director appointed by Presidents of different political parties. Between his government service and GM assignments he served as Director of market research for the Xerox Corporation and Eastman Kodak. Mr. Barabba was the co-founder of Decision Making Information and from 1969 to 1973 provided electoral information to political campaigns from City Hall to the Presidency. He has also served on the board of directors for the Marketing Science Institute, the American Institutes for Research, and the National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago. Mr. Barabba is a past president and a fellow of the American Statistical Association.

In recognition of his performance in the private and public sectors, Vince has received:
An Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from the Trustees of the California State University
• Induction into the Market Research Council Hall of Fame
The American Marketing Association’s Parlin Award; and the MIT/GM Henry Grady Weaver Award.

In addition, Vince has authored three books: The Decision Loom (2011), Surviving Transformation (2004), and Meeting of the Minds (1995). He is the co-author of Business Strategies for a Messy World (2013), Hearing the Voice of the Market (1991), and The 1980 Census: Policy Making Amid Turbulence (1983).

Vince received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Woodbury College (now Woodbury University, our host site), followed by his BS from California State University, Northridge and an MBA from UCLA.

Contact: Vince can be reached by e-mail at vbarabba@sbcglobal.net for additional information about this Weekend Conference session.

   
       
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