Types
of systems
Except for physical and
mechanistic systems all others adapt to their environment or die.
Organizations are social
systems. Definitions
- A set of components that work together for the
overall objective of the whole (Bertalanffy 1958).
- A series of functions or activities within an
organization that work together for the aim of the organization
(Deming 1989)
- A set of variables that influence one another (Senge
1990)
- A set of interrelated or interacting elements
(ISO 9000:2005)
Properties of a system
- When a system is taken apart it loses its
essential property and so do the parts
- The performance of the system depends on how well
the parts fit together, not how well they perform individually
- The best parts do not necessarily make the best
whole they have to fit together
- A system is not the sum of its parts - it is the
product of their interactions
- Systems interact with their
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