Systems approach (original) (raw)
Related papers
Social systems according to specific systems theory
Sciences, 2023
The Specific Systems Theory (STS) proposes a system definition that describes them precisely based on six postulates that establish the sufficient and necessary elements for some real entity to be a system. This contradicts and rejects the traditional definition of Bertalanffy (1968), which mentions that a system is a conglomerate of interacting components. Based on the definition of system that is the main foundation of STS, the various types of social systems, which have been scarcely studied, are analyzed in this study. The literature that exists in this regard is abundant in arguments about their behavior, but all the arguments generated have been developed based on various concepts that have no relation to their systemic properties. In this work, social systems are analyzed from the perspective of their systemic characteristics, their systemic nature and their systemic properties. The definition of system that supports STS makes it possible to clearly and easily understand how social systems work and explain their behavior as systems and not simply as societies, which is the inadequate approach that has been used to discuss them until now.
Traditions of Systems theory: An Observer Report
Constructivist Foundations Vol. 15, No. 1, 78-81, 2019
> Abstract • Despite some questionable decisions regarding its organization , this anthology is an interesting read and a valuable general education resource concerning the intellectual history, and subsequent evolution, of systems theory. The book details early conceptual landmarks while emphasizing latter-day developments and applications, in particular in the context of cultural studies and the socio-economical sciences. While commenting on the book's form and content I also raise questions concerning systems theory's standing in relation to such themes as consciousness, constructivism, and the machine metaphor.
Systems Analysis in the Study of the Political Elite
The main topic of the research is applying of systems approach in studying of political elite. This approach was applied in the analysis of Russia's regional power elite (1991 to 2010). The elite was studied as a complex self-reference system oriented at its own environment, not only in an adaptive way, but first and foremost in structure. The systems approach specifies the following conceptual framework of the study: self-reference, system boundaries, and interaction between the political elite and the surrounding world. Application of the systems analysis to studying the political elite enabled to analyze the structure and functions of the elite, create a model of elitogenesis, and receive study matrix.
Usual management theories focus on phenomenological aspects of organisations and management. Systems theory offers a different approach, which can be used to analyze social systems, uncover their internal logic and structure, and to understand their interactions with other social systems. This paper shows how to apply the systems approach to management. This analysis reveals that the management is a sub-system of the organisation, which deals with memories of the organisation, and organizes as an information sub-system and possibly as an identity sub-system of the organisation. We discuss how the systems theory interpretation helps in understanding some management related issues: the growth of management, charismatic leadership, and the trade-off between complexity and standardisation.
Gradinarov_Social Sciences in Front of the Paradigm of Systems Thinking, pdf
Papers of BAS Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 2, No 1-2, 2015
he article analyzes the new challenges faced by the social sciences in an attempt to defend their right to provide adequate knowledge of their object of study, and what is more important, to formulate more accurate predictions about its behaviour and change. The increasingly explicit penetration of information technology in the deep structures of modern civilization creates a fundamentally new situation in the research of society as well. Separation of the different scientific fields becomes counterproductive and the current methodological arsenal shows more visible deficits. A new paradigm is being formed in which apparently will be implemented research of society in the future the paradigm of systems thinking. It enables and requires adequate knowledge of complex objects like all objects of social sciences, to be organized so that their functioning as system dynamic integrity to come to the fore. Systems thinking is a common conceptual framework, a set of attitudes, knowledge, methods and tools, united by the idea that when a particular social area has to be explored, it is necessary to take account of the whole and to understand the processes by which the parts of reality are linked together.
Evolution of the Concept of System and Systems Approach
Актуальні питання у сучасній науці
Taking into account that all systems tend to function in the same way, the authors emphasize the significance of a deep understanding of the concept of a system for any scientific research. A holistic view of the concept of a system, its development, and its application gives deep understanding of how to organize the process of scientific research effectively. Therefore, this retrospective view provides insight into the past contributions of system thinkers, researchers, and educators to the evolutionary development and application of the concept of systems in different fields of knowledge. The article aims to review the concept of system, analyze the definitions of "system" in dictionaries and scientific research, compare the ontological, epistemological, and methodological interpretation of the term "system" from general to special, trace the genesis of the system; evaluate different concepts. In the research, data collection and analysis were used to trace the development of the concept of a system. Concept review, as a study type, was used to evaluate different meanings of the concept of a system to figure out which one is the most appropriate in the system of higher education. The analysis was structured around the theoretical and methodological foundations of the concept of a system.
Rethinking Systems Theory A Programmatic Introduction
Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 2007
Abstract Does systems theory need rethinking? Most social scientists would probably say no. It had its run, was debated critically, and found wanting. If at all, it should be treated historically. Why then might systems theory need rethinking, as the title of this symposium claims? The reason is that, unlike in the natural and biosocial sciences, any conception of system in the social sciences has remained suspect in the wake of problematic Parsonian and cybernetic systems theories. The premise of this special issue is that abandoning ...
The Handbook of Group Research and Practice
The introduction of systems theory into the study of groups and group practice provides a metatheory for understanding groups and group dynamics. Systems theory can be used to look at the functioning of any group, regardless of the theoretical orientation of the group practitioner or leader, or of the group goal. This applies to all groups, whether a therapy or work group, an organization, or a political body. Systems theory offers an orientation for thinking about how groups form, develop and change, and manage the vicissitudes of group dynamics. Systems thinking emerged from the shift of scientific assumptions that occurred in the early 20th century as theories of relativity and quantum mechanics upended the security of