Professional Biography
Kevin B Kreitman, Ph.D.
The crux of my professional work focuses on the understanding of complex systems: analyzing them, understanding their emergent behaviors, influencing them and architecting systems which must work inside them.
My background is balanced among qualitative analysis, facilitation and organizational expertise, and quantitative skills, including formal systems theory and cybernetics, chaos theory and system dynamics, as well as conceptual and computer assisted modeling and simulation.
I have consulted, taught, trained and worked in applied systemics for over twelve years, working with large and small businesses, non-profit and educational institutions as well as with government and military organizations. My major concern in life is why systems which look like they should work, don't--and how to design systems which do. This work focuses on integrating the technical and human aspects of our organizations into a seamless whole, creating a working environment that naturally supports the achievement of desired outcomes.
On the academic side, I spent six years teaching systems, cybernetics and complexity at the university level, including Cybernetics and Systems theory, critical and creative thinking about Chaos theory, and System Dynamics simulation. I continue to work with interested students in this area. (For more information, see the Internet University pages.)
I earned my Master's degree in Cybernetic Systems from San Jose State University in 1986, and my Ph.D. in Advanced Technology from the Thomas J Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State University of New York at Binghamton in 1992. My dissertation "The ECCO System: Foundations for Total Quality Management" developed a set of formal principles underlying successful quality efforts, which have since been effectively applied in a variety of business and military settings.
My prior experience includes six years as university faculty, a year as a professional motorcycle mechanic, three years as an over the road trucker, two years as a professional musician, and several years in small business operations, management, and administration.