Systems Theory Paper

An example that includes a lot of the concepts like system perspective and degree of adaptability and cohesion is used in the example when Olive was not allowed to continue with her performance in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. A girl with a dream of winning a pageant is forced to get off the stage by a worker and was not allowed to finish her performance. Olive chases a dream that is most likely not going to come true and the parents know that, but with their system of perspective they have to support her. The parents through the system of perspective think in a different

In society, there are groups that interact with each other. They may be families, churches, government agencies, or anything in between. Those groups can be defined as systems, and in the systems perspective that is what they are referred to (Hutchison, 2017). In the 1960s, Ludwig von Bertalanffy developed the general systems theory in relation to biology, but it was widely publicized and used for various subjects (Hutchison, 2017). Hutchison (2017) summarized Bertalanffy’s theory by saying, “any element is best understood by considering its interactions with its constituent parts as well as its interactions with larger systems of which it is a part.” (p.

A system is “A set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified whole” (robbins 2006), and Systems theory is the

In terms of a system, the meaning is a consistent arrangement of things connected to form unity or to operate as a whole. These systems are dated back in origins to the 1950’s and 1960’s. In this theory we must understand an individual’s family and how it works for that family daily in the community, neighborhood, social aspect, and etcetera. When one part of the system changes, the whole system changes. When everything is balanced it is said to be in equilibrium or homeostasis which seemingly is a good thing (Poorman, 2003). There are many skills

Communication – our attitude toward the group, other members, activities, values, and processes through different types of behavior.

The first concept establishes that all parts of the system are interconnected (Kaakinen et al., 2015). Therefore, if one part of the system experiences a problem then the entire system will be affected. The second and third concepts are an extension of the first. The theory also recognizes that the larger system is composed of smaller subsystems (Kaakinen et al., 2015). However, the entire system is more complex than simply adding all the subsystems together. The final concept states the system has boundaries with internal and external environments (Kaakinen et al.,

The Systems perspective says that a change in one component of the system affects the other parts of the system (Galvin, Dickson and Marrow, 2006). There is an interdependence which is at the center of the system. All of the parts make a whole. As a member move towards or away from each other, all members will be affected. They are all dependent on each other.

The General Systems Theory (GST) came about as an effort to describe the systems approach, born from the biological concept of the organism developed in the first part of the 20th century (Von Bertalanffy, 1972). In contrast to the mechanistic systems which are closed and have a direct relationship between a cause and its effect, a biological or social system is open, operating on a principle of equifinality, where regardless of the starting point, the objective can be achieved (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972). Any system will achieve equilibrium, but an open system can reach a steady state by accessing resources from outside itself (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972). The underlying assumptions of GST rely on the organization of a company resembling the inner workings of an organism. However, subgroups within organizations can act independently of the the whole, in

Peter Senge and Andres Edwards expressed the importance of system thinking in that it is necessary for “understanding the dynamic complexity of a situation”, anticipating “the unintended consequences of proposed actions” and implementing “lasting solutions” (Higgins, K 2014).

In reading Thinking in Systems, it states that there are three things a system consist of: elements, interconnections, and a purpose or function (Meadows, 2008). Systems may exhibit dynamic, self-preserving, goal-seeking and even evolutionary behavior; basically it is more than just the collections of its parts. In the book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge (2006, p 7) suggests that in order to cultivate systems thinking in an organization, they must have these disciplines: Personal mastery, mental models, a shared vision and team learning. Personal mastery is a continually deepening and clarifying our

Communication is how the members of the group communicated during the group session. For example, the way everyone communicated when the grief share group first began was that they were just asked to introduce themselves and tell everyone what it was they did over the summer. Nobody bombarded them with questions as to why they were attending the group, who was the loved one they had lost etc. Since it was the first time the group was starting, the people who run the group wanted everyone to feel comfortable. The people attending the group were told that they were not going to be

3) Thirdly, the greater the number of participants in a group, the higher the organizational costs and the higher the obstacle that must be overcome before at least some collective good is secured. Due to all this, the larger the group, the further it will move away from providing itself with the optimal amount of public good, and usually very large groups, in the absence of coercion or external influence, will not be able to provide it, even in the smallest amount ...

When an organization is approached as a whole, appropriate actions can be assigned to tasks thus making the system of the organization run more smoothly. Besides that, according to Senge, systems thinking gives us the realization of the importance of a feedback means in an organization.

It is used for boosting overall performance. The theory of constraint helps in identifying the important bottleneck in processes and systems, so that we can improve the performance. All the systems are interdependent. Each system has its boundaries and finite capacity. Similarly, Just in Time is also interdependent. These interdependencies may effect a weakness in the system and can harm the whole linkage of the chain. Hence, the weakest link regulates the strength of the system. Many times in our regular life we hear batching, and these batching increases the variations in the system. It reflects dependency. Young man tells that batching can be done in any amount or in any amount of time. Quantity and time are exchangeable in batching and both can be treated as variable and invariable. For instance, we need to batch a load full of material , then material is invariable and time becomes variable. On the flip side, if we say, we need to batch thrice a month, then time is invariable and material is variable. So, batching always reflects the dependency. Furthermore, Youngman discusses the details about detail and dynamic complexity. He describes the detail complexity as a sort where there are many dissimilar variables to consider, whereas Dynamic complexity is defined as the sort where cause and effect are subtle and the effect over the time is not obvious. Detail complexity can be view in operating processes nonetheless of the

There are two principle ideas which the complexity theory works on. The first is based on the structure of an organization with a trade of between the efficiency and flexibility of an organizational structure. This addresses that a system should be partially connected rather than a completely coupled or decoupled system (Kauffman, 1995; Langton, 1990; Gell-Mann, 1994a). According to many when a system is over connected the ability to adapt to changing situations becomes