Alexander Christakis
Encyclopedia
Alexander Christakis (1937 Athens
, Greece
) is a Greek
American social scientist
, systems scientist and cyberneticist
, former faculty member of several Universities, organizational consultant and member of the Club of Rome
, known for his "study and design of social systems".
at Princeton University
and a Ph.D.
in theoretical nuclear physics at Yale
. Later on he proceeded studying urban planning
, and systems science
until 1970.
In the 1960s he returned to Greece and joined the architectural firm of Doxiadis Associates
, which was specialized in architecture and town planner. In 1968 he was co-founder of the Club of Rome
, where he was a collaborator of Aurelio Peccei
, Erich Jantsch
and Hasan Özbekhan
. Since the 1970s Christakis has served on the faculties of Yale University
, Georgetown University
, University of Athens, and the University of Virginia
. He also spent five years at George Mason University
as the Director of the Center for Interactive Management. In 1989 Christakis founded his own management consultancy firm CWA Ltd. dedicated to apply Interactive Management principles, and he has been CEO ever since.
Christakis serves on the Editorial Boards of several journals, including Systems Research and Behavioral Science
s, Systems: Journal of Transdisciplinary Systems Science, and the Journal of Applied Systems Studies.
In 2002, Dr. Christakis served as President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
. He also serves as President of the Institute for 21st Century Agoras, a non-profit organization dedicated to the evolution of civic, global, and institutional capacity for coordinated democratic decision-making using systems principles (Co-Laboratories of Democracy.) The Institute for 21st Century Agoras is credited for the formalization of the science of Structured dialogic design in its present form. Dr. Christakis is also a partner with Dialogic Design International http://dialogicdesignllc.com a consulting firm that deploys SDD in systemic design approaches for complex organizational and systems problems.
In 2007 he served on the Board of Directors of the Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO), of Future Worlds Center
and also as an Advisor to the Ambassadors Program of AIO, which serves indigenous people around the world.
He has received numerous awards and distinctions including the DEMOSOPHIA Award, the Creative Programming Award from the National University Continuing Education Association and the most prestigious medal of the Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies
to name a few.
led the implementation of series of mass scale dialogues using the Structured dialogic design process in the Civil Society Dialogue project in Cyprus
and in the Act Beyond Borders project in Middle East
Articles and papers, a selection:
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) is a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
American social scientist
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
, systems scientist and cyberneticist
Cyberneticist
A cyberneticist or a cybernetician is a person who practices cybernetics.Heinz von Foerster once told Stuart Umpleby that Norbert Wiener preferred the term "cybernetician" rather than "cyberneticist", perhaps because Wiener was a mathematician rather than a physicist.On the other hand, Nicolas...
, former faculty member of several Universities, organizational consultant and member of the Club of Rome
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and...
, known for his "study and design of social systems".
Biography
Christakis came to the United States in 1956, and received a BA in theoretical physicsTheoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in theoretical nuclear physics at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. Later on he proceeded studying urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, and systems science
Systems science
Systems science is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It aims to develop interdisciplinary foundations, which are applicable in a variety of areas, such as engineering, biology, medicine and social sciences.Systems...
until 1970.
In the 1960s he returned to Greece and joined the architectural firm of Doxiadis Associates
Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis
Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis , was a Greek architect and town planner. He became world wide known as the lead architect of Islamabad, the new capital of Pakistan, and later as the father of Ekistics...
, which was specialized in architecture and town planner. In 1968 he was co-founder of the Club of Rome
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and...
, where he was a collaborator of Aurelio Peccei
Aurelio Peccei
Aurelio Peccei was an Italian scholar and industrialist, best known as the founder and first president of the Club of Rome.- Early life :...
, Erich Jantsch
Erich Jantsch
Erich Jantsch was an Austrian astrophysicist.In the mid-1960s his increasing concern regarding the future led him to study forecasting techniques...
and Hasan Özbekhan
Hasan Özbekhan
Dr. Hasan Özbekhan was a Turkish American systems scientist, cyberneticist, philosopher and planner who was Professor Emeritus of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania...
. Since the 1970s Christakis has served on the faculties of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, University of Athens, and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He also spent five years at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
as the Director of the Center for Interactive Management. In 1989 Christakis founded his own management consultancy firm CWA Ltd. dedicated to apply Interactive Management principles, and he has been CEO ever since.
Christakis serves on the Editorial Boards of several journals, including Systems Research and Behavioral Science
Systems Research and Behavioral Science
Systems Research and Behavioral Science is an international scientific journal for theory and research in the fields of systems sciences....
s, Systems: Journal of Transdisciplinary Systems Science, and the Journal of Applied Systems Studies.
In 2002, Dr. Christakis served as President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
International Society for the Systems Sciences
The International Society for the Systems Sciences is a world-wide organization for systems sciences.- Overview :The initial purpose of the society was "to encourage the development of theoretical systems which are applicable to more than one of the traditional departments of knowledge."The idea...
. He also serves as President of the Institute for 21st Century Agoras, a non-profit organization dedicated to the evolution of civic, global, and institutional capacity for coordinated democratic decision-making using systems principles (Co-Laboratories of Democracy.) The Institute for 21st Century Agoras is credited for the formalization of the science of Structured dialogic design in its present form. Dr. Christakis is also a partner with Dialogic Design International http://dialogicdesignllc.com a consulting firm that deploys SDD in systemic design approaches for complex organizational and systems problems.
In 2007 he served on the Board of Directors of the Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO), of Future Worlds Center
Future Worlds Center
Future Worlds Center is a non-profit, non-Governmental independent organization active in programs with future orientation in areas related to positive social change, social entrepreneurship and transformation.-Founding history:...
and also as an Advisor to the Ambassadors Program of AIO, which serves indigenous people around the world.
He has received numerous awards and distinctions including the DEMOSOPHIA Award, the Creative Programming Award from the National University Continuing Education Association and the most prestigious medal of the Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies
Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies
The Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies The Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies The Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies ( is a scientific non-profit society that was established in 2003. It is a member of the International Society for the Systems Sciences and International Federation of...
to name a few.
Contributions to international peace building
Christakis has been invited to support the peace process in Cyprus and the Middle East. He and LaourisYiannis Laouris
Yiannis Laouris is a social and business entrepreneur. He is a neurophysiologist and systems scientist trained in Germany and the US, who has also become known for his socially responsible work and scientific contributions in the fields of peace and development through the application of modern...
led the implementation of series of mass scale dialogues using the Structured dialogic design process in the Civil Society Dialogue project in Cyprus
Civil Society Dialogue project in Cyprus
The Civil Society Dialogue Project in Cyprus follows the negative outcome of the referendum in Cyprus for the re-unification of the island , which took place on the 24th of April 2004. A number of Cypriot peace pioneers launched the Civil Society Dialogue Project aiming to provide opportunities for...
and in the Act Beyond Borders project in Middle East
Publications
Christakis has published over 100 papers on the management of complexity in refereed journals. He is also the co-author of three books on "Technology Assessment". Books:- 2009. The Talking Point:Creating an Environment for Exploring Complex Meaning. With T.R. Flanangan. Boston, MA: Information Age Publishing.
- 2006. Co-laboratories of democracy: how people harness their collective wisdom to create the future. With Kenneth C. Bausch. Boston, MA: Information Age Publishing.
- 2005. Pragmatic Design Dialogue.
Articles and papers, a selection:
- 1970. "The Predicament of Mankind Quest for Structured Responses for Growing World-wide Complexities and Uncertainties". With co-authors like Hasan Özbekhan, Erich Jantsch, Peccei, ...and others (PDF)
- 1987. John N. WarfieldJohn N. WarfieldJohn Nelson Warfield is an American systems scientist, who was professor and director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Integrative Sciences at George Mason University.- Biography :...
, and Christakis, A.N. "Dimensionality," Systems Research 4, pp. 127–137 - 2004. "Retrospective Inquiry of the predicament of menkind prospectus of the Club of Rome"
- 2009. Learnings and Vistas based on revisiting 40 years of the "Global Problematique" http://sites.google.com/site/21stcenturyagora/sources-club-of-rome/40years-problematique Interview in Europe'sWorld by Heiner Benking, November, 2009
External links
- Biography Alexander N. Christakis, 2003.
- Review Dialogue for the Information Age Democracy, by Alexander N. Christakis, 2005.
- Institute for 21st Century Agoras http://globalagoras.org a non-profit organization founded by Christakis with Kenneth Bausch to promote the pursuit of democratic approaches to collective wisdom and decision making made possible with Co-Laboratories of Democracy.
- Wiki managed by world-wide SDD scientists and practitioners