11 December 2020

Systems Thinking: Systems Theory (Quotes)

"Linking the basic parts are communication, balance or system parts maintained in harmonious relationship with each other and decision making. The system theory include both man-machine and interpersonal relationships. Goals, man, machine, method, and process are woven together into a dynamic unity which reacts." (George R Terry, "Principles of Management", 1960) 

"The aim of systems theory for business is to develop an objective, understandable environment for decision making; that is, if the system within which managers make the decisions can be provided as an explicit framework, then such decision making should be easier to handle." (Richard A Johnson et al, "Systems Theory and Management", Management Science Vol. 10 (2), 1964)

"System theory is basically concerned with problems of relationships, of structure, and of interdependence rather than with the constant attributes of objects. In general approach it resembles field theory except that its dynamics deal with temporal as well as spatial patterns. Older formulations of system constructs dealt with the closed systems of the physical sciences, in which relatively self-contained structures could be treated successfully as if they were independent of external forces. But living systems, whether biological organisms or social organizations, are acutely dependent on their external environment and so must be conceived of as open systems." (Daniel Katz, "The Social Psychology of Organizations", 1966) 

"Whereas traditional reductionism sought to find the commonality underlying diversity in reference to a shared substance, such as material atoms, contemporary systems theory seeks to find common features in terms of shared aspects of organization." (Ervin László, "The Systems View of the World: A Holistic Vision for Our Time", 1972)

"A system may be specified in either of two ways. In the first, which we shall call a state description, sets of abstract inputs, outputs and states are given, together with the action of the inputs on the states and the assignments of outputs to states. In the second, which we shall call a coordinate description, certain input, output and state variables are given, together with a system of dynamical equations describing the relations among the variables as functions of time. Modern mathematical system theory is formulated in terms of state descriptions, whereas the classical formulation is typically a coordinate description, for example a system of differential equations." (E S Bainbridge, "The Fundamental Duality of System Theory", 1975)

"Systems theory is a scientific discipline concerned with the explanations of various phenomena, regardless of their specific nature, in terms of the formal relationships between the factors involved and the ways they are transformed under different conditions; the observations are explained in terms of the relationships between the components, i.e., in reference to the organization and functioning rather than with an explicit reference to the nature of the mechanisms involved (e.g., physical, biological, social, or even purely conceptual)." (Mihajlo D Mesarovic & Y Takahara, "Foundations for the mathematical theory of general systems", 1975)

"The subject of study in systems theory is not a 'physical object', a chemical or social phenomenon, for example, but a 'system': a formal relationship between observed features or attributes. For conceptual reasons, the language used in describing the behavior of systems is that of information processing and goal seeking (decision making control)." (Mihajlo D Mesarovic & Y Takahara, "Foundations for the mathematical theory of general systems", 1975)

"The most general form of systems theory is a set of logical or mathematical statements about all conceptual systems. A subset of this concerns all concrete systems. A subsubset concerns the very special and very important living systems, i. e., general living systems theory." (James G Miller, "Living systems", 1978)

"Systems theory looks at the world in terms of the interrelatedness and interdependence of all phenomena, and in this framework an integrated whole whose properties cannot be reduced to those of its parts is called a system. Living organisms, societies, and ecosystems are all systems." (Fritjof Capra, "The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Turning Culture", 1982)

"The emphasis in system(s) theory is on the dynamic behaviour of these phenomena, i.e. how do characteristic features (such as input and output) change in time and what are the relationships, also as functions of time. One tries to design control systems such that a desired behaviour is achieved. In this sense mathematical system(s) theory (and control theory) distinguishes itself from many other branches of mathematics in the sense that it is prescriptive rather than descriptive." (G J Olsder & J.W. van der Woude, "Mathematical Systems Theory" 2nd Ed., 1983)

"For a long time, people have been trying to characterize or define the notion of system. After all, ‘systems’ are supposed to be what System Theory is about. The results so far have been contradictory and unsatisfactory. This confusion at the foundations has led many to conclude that there is no such thing as a ‘system’ and hence to deny that System Theory is about anything. Even those most sympathetic to the notion have difficulties at this level. The very founders of System Theory did not try to say what a system was; and as for System Theory, they characterized it only obliquely, by saying it comprised all studies of interest to more than one discipline. They thereby begged the entire question." (Robert Rosen, "Some comments on systems and system theory", 1986) 

"Systems theory pursues the scientific exploration and understanding of systems that exist in the various realms of experience, in order to arrive at a general theory of systems: an organized expressing of sets of interrelated concepts and principles that apply to all systems." (Béla H Bánáthy, "Systems Design of Education", 1991)

"Systems theory is antireductionist; it asserts that no system can be adequately understood or totally explained once it has been broken down into its component parts." (Charles Zastrow, "Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People", 1993)

"Systems theory, in its concern for the whole and its emergent properties, ignores the components." (Walter F Buckley, "A Complex Adaptive System: Essays in Social Theory", 1998) 

"Systems theory is an interdisciplinary field of science concerned with the nature of complex systems, be they physical or natural or purely mathematical." (Thomas B Sheridan, The System Perspective on Human Factors in Aviation, 2010) 

"Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research. The term does not yet have a well-established, precise meaning, but systems theory can reasonably be considered a specialization of systems thinking; alternatively as a goal output of systems science and systems engineering, with an emphasis on generality useful across a broad range of systems (versus the particular models of individual fields)." (Gabriela Walker & Elizabeth Pattison, "Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Framework to Design Support Systems for Education and Special Education: Learning About Thought Systems", 2016)

"The assumption that quality of a part of a system can only be understood in its relationship to the whole and investigating the parts in isolation cannot explain their combined effect on the whole system." (Margaret S Suubi, "Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Higher Education", 2019) 

[Systems Theory:] "Framework of describing how smaller, multiple units and components work together to create a larger system that is designed to carry out a particular function or meet a certain goal." (RaMonda Horton, "Systems-Based Approaches to Speech-Language Pathology Service Delivery for School Age Children", 2020)

[Systems Theory:]"Is an interdisciplinary study of systems that takes a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the elements within a system, how they interrelate, how they work over time and within the context of larger systems (e.g., natural or man-made)." (Tatiana C Valencia & Stephanie J Valencia, "Cultivating Flow and Happiness in Children", 2020)

"Systems theory is an interdisciplinary theory about the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It is a framework by which one can use to study, investigate and describe any group of objects that work in collaboration towards a common purpose/goal."
(Cheryl M Cordeiro et al, "Culture From a Value Systems Perspective", 2020)

[Systems Theory:] "The domain of systems inquiry that explores the principles and the description models of the abstract organization of phenomena, in an interdisciplinary manner and independently of their nature (natural or social systems) or scale of existence." (Evangelos C Papakitsos et al, "The Challenges of Work-Based Learning via Systemic Modelling in the European Union", 2020)

[Systems Theory:] "Theory that holds that systems in nature are holistic, interconnected and interdependent. If a change occurs in one part of a system, other parts of the system are affected as well." (Joe Monaco & Edward W Schneider, "Building Performance Systems That Last", 2020)

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