General Characteristics of Systems
- Emerging: These are systems that have the character of novelty with respect to the characteristics of their components viewed separately or structured differently.
- Homeostasis: The self-regulating capacity of systems to maintain a steady state.
- Equifinality: In a closed system, a steady state is reached in one specific way; in an open system, it can be reached in many ways.
- Entropy: A measure of disorder within a system. Increased disorder leads to higher entropy.
- Synergy: A system that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Dynamic System Models
- Limit Deposits: Component elements with defined boundaries where the elements meet.
- Communication Network: Allows the exchange of energy, matter, and information between elements and deposits.
- Functional Aspects: Includes matter or energy flows, valves that control flow between different streams, and delays resulting from different circulation velocities.
- Feedback Loops: Positive loops lead to growth, while negative loops lead to stability.
Problem Classification and Modeling
- Hard Problems: These are clearly defined with an obvious focus on "How?" to reach a solution.
- Soft Problems: These may not have a clear definition or an obvious solution, requiring an understanding of both "What?" and "How?".
- Rich Picture: A pictographic, informal model of a problem. It represents an initial effort to understand a soft problem, transitioning from an unstructured situation to a structured one.
The Age of Machines
- Analytical Reasoning: A mental process that breaks down anything into its component parts.
- Reductionism: The explanation of the whole comes from the explanation of its target parts and events.
- Mechanistic Approach: Explains behavior by what caused it. A particular effect cannot occur unless the cause has occurred.
The Age of Systems
- Synthetic Reasoning: Viewing a part as a component of a larger system and understanding its role within that greater whole.
- Expansionism: A focus on the whole rather than just the parts.
- Teleology: The study of purposeful behavior in search of goals.
- System: A structured set of objects and/or attributes together with the relations between them.
- Model: A representation of ideas or aspects of the world.
- General Systems Theory: Developed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy.
Properties of Systems (Ackoff)
- Item properties have consequences for the properties of the whole.
- No part or element is independent; all are interdependent.
- Each interdependent subgroup has an effect on the system's behavior.
