Systems thinking. Impression of systems thinking about society[1] A system is composed of interrelated parts or components (structures) that cooperate in processes (behavior). Natural systems include biological entities, ocean currents, the climate, the solar system and ecosystems. Designed systems include airplanes, software systems, technologies and machines of all kinds, government agencies and business systems. Systems Thinking has at least some roots in the General System Theory that was advanced by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1940s and furthered by Ross Ashby in the 1950s.
The term Systems Thinking is sometimes used as a broad catch-all heading for the process of understanding how systems behave, interact with their environment and influence each other. The term is also used more narrowly as a heading for thinking about social organisations, be they natural or designed, healthy or unhealthy. The concept of a system[edit] The several ways to think of and define a system include: Some examples:
Home | Open University - Systems. t552site. Systems thinking. Systems Thinking and Systems Tools. © Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Adapted from the Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development and Field Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development with Nonprofits. Three of the biggest breakthroughs in how we understand and successfully guide changes in ourselves, others and organizations are systems theory, systems thinking and systems tools. To understand how they are used, we first must understand the concept of a system. Many of us have an intuitive understanding of the concept. Sections of This Topic Include Basics -- Definitions - - - What's a System?
Also seeRelated Library Topics Also See the Library's Blogs Related to Systems Theory, Chaos Theory and Systems Thinking In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Systems Theory, Chaos Theory and Systems Thinking . Definitions: Systems, Systems Theory, Systems Thinking, Tools What's a System? What's Systems Theory? BBC Systems Practice - Resources. Copyrighted image Credit: The Open University Open2.net fades away... For ten years, give or take, Open2.net was the online home of Open University and BBC programming. Over the last few months, though, we've been moving into OpenLearn, creating one home for all The Open University's free learning content. It means we share a home with the Open University's iTunesU and YouTube channels, and much more besides. You can use the navigation at the top of this page to explore what we have on offer.
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