Systems Theory (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what systems theory is, who its author was and what its principles are. Also, systems theory in administration.

electronic systems theory — Systems theory allows us to analyze everything from electronics to ecology.

What is Systems Theory?

It is known as Systems Theory or General Systems Theory. study of systems in general, from an interdisciplinary perspective that is, it covers different disciplines.

Its aspiration is to identify the various identifiable and recognizable elements and tendencies of systems, that is, of any clearly defined entity, whose parts have interrelationships and interdependencies, and whose sum is greater than the sum of its parts.

This means that To have a system, we must be able to identify the parts that make it up and there must be a relationship between them such that by modifying one, the others are also modified, generating predictable patterns of behavior.

On the other hand, Every system has a relationship with its environment to which it adjusts to a greater or lesser extent and with respect to which it must always be able to be differentiated. These considerations, as will be seen, can be applied to biology, medicine, sociology, business administration and many other fields of human knowledge.

However, General Systems Theory, considered as a metatheoryaims to preserve its general, global perspective of the systems, without proposing anything too specific. For example, it allows us to differentiate between types of systems based on their essential characteristics, but it is not concerned with what type of specific objects make up said system.

Author of Systems Theory

Systems Theory is not the first attempt by humans to find a general approach to real objects, but rather emerges in the 20th century as an attempt to breathe new life into the systemic approach to reality.

Its objective was to overcome some of the fundamental dichotomies or oppositions of classical philosophy, such as materialism versus vitalism, reductionism versus perspectivism or mechanism versus teleology.

In fact, this theory emerged within biology, a discipline in which it still plays a fundamental role, when In 1950, the Austrian biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy presented its foundations for the first time development and applications.

The studies of Charles Darwin and the father of cybernetics, Norbert Wiener, were key in this formulation. It was the basis for more complex and later theories that started from the basic notion of systems, such as Chaos Theory (1980) or more recent developments that attempt to apply General Systems Theory to human groups and the social sciences.

Principles of Systems Theory

systems theory animal ecology — Living beings are systems that share information and matter with the environment.

According to this theory, every system is made up of:

Inputs, inputs or inputs Which are those processes that incorporate information, energy or matter into the system, coming from outside.
Outputs, products or outputs Which are what is obtained through the operation of the system and which generally leave the system to the external environment.
Transformers, processors or throughput. System mechanisms that produce changes or convert inputs into outputs.
Feedback Those cases in which the system converts its outputs into inputs.
Environment Everything that surrounds the system and exists outside of it, which in turn constitutes a system within another system and so on to infinity.

Systemic approach

The systemic approach is the approach to an object, situation or matter under the rules of a system that is, maintaining a systems perspective, to determine the elements that compose it and the relationship between them, as well as their inputs and outputs of information with respect to the world outside the system.

This type of approach is based on the distinction between the general and the particular, and thus proposes two fundamental readings:

Structural Consisting of the identification of the interior of the system, detailing its components, its structure and the functions between them. It is a kind of x-ray of the systems.
Comprehensive Consisting of the evaluation of the functioning of the system and the relevance of its elements, evaluating aspects such as performance, entropy and effectiveness.

Systems theory in administration

Just as in other areas of knowledge, administration benefited from the incorporation of General Systems Theory, especially during recent times.

To begin with, the American Mary Parker Follet used this theory to refute numerous classical management perspectives. Since then, the understanding of companies and organizations as describable systems has not ceased.

In the postindustrial world, systems theory has become an extremely important conceptual tool, as The processes of transforming matter or obtaining profitability can be described according to its principles.