System Theory: Notes, slides, supplemented with book
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Course
System Theory (MANBCU321)
Institution
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU)
Book
Organizations
Need some comparison material with a different summary? Or do you need a fresh look at the profession in general? The summary is mostly in English, with some Dutch clarification here and there to explain it a bit better.
System theory lectures
Lecture 1
Regulating systems: “making sure that a system shows desired behaviour despite
disturbances”
- What is a system -> is something that shows a process => it IS NOT
the process
o Concrete unity (a thing/ organism) consisting of elements, and
relations between those elements, that shows behaviour
concrete unity: consists of elements (Human Resources and
Technology like buildings, tools and ICT) and relations (between
these elements)
HR are tasked with something to do with technology ->
relations/ structure
HR know what to do with technology
- What is desired behaviour -> sequence of values should be between
norm values
sequence of values is looked at within system theory, not so much the
activities that preceded/ produced those values
behaviour consists of:
o Activities: doing something
o Effect of the activities: can be measured in variables and values
quantity (number of sawn planks) and quality (1 in 100
defects)
- What are disturbances within system theory and make sure it works ->
causes of undesired behaviour = disturbance
Undesired behaviour is not equal to a disturbance
Disturbance:
Illness
Supply chain problems
Other external problems
o What is undesired behaviour then:
- What is regulation? -> devising regulating actions and
performing them’
Recipe for regulation:
1. Define the type of system -> concrete or abstract system |
2. Define desired behaviour
3. Determine disturbances -> what can be causes of undesirable behaviour
4. Determine Regulating procedures -> devise
5. Act out regulations
Oftewel: De Regulatie 5:
1. Wat is het system?
2. Hoe zou het zich moeten gedragen?
3. Wat zijn de mogelijke storingsbronnen?
, 4. Wat zijn de mogelijke oplossingen
5. Voer de oplossingen uit
‘script’ = mental idea of how something looks like -> ideal picture of what it is
like to have a bath
Concrete and abstract systems:
Concrete system: when there is concrete unity > it shows behaviour => sawn
planks per week or enjoying a bath for example
Abstract system: set of variables we use (to describe an effect of the behaviour )
->
Enjoying a bath:
Temperature is the abstract system | the concrete system is the rest added upon
the abstract system
In system theory we look at the variables -> and the observed (desired)
behaviour depends on what variables you decide to look at
Complexity
= defined in terms of variety (number of elements of a set)
- Disturbances
- Regulatory actions
More disturbances create more complexity within a system
One needs variety (in regulatory actions) to deal with variety (in disturbances)
-> this is simple version of Ashby’s law of requisite variety
So variety from Regulator Actions is positive complexity and from disturbances is
negative complexity
2 types of system theory
- General system theory (cybernetics)
o Applies system theory to understand all kinds of systems
- Organisational system theory
Applies ideas of general system theory on organizations -> regulate
organizations
Understand organizations as a system:
1. Organisations are social systems that conduct “experiments”
2. Design organisations -> the infrastructures (Human Resources
(people), Technology and structure)
1.1 Model of organizations
4 basic activities of an organization:
1 to carry out primary processes: produce products/ services
2 operational regulation -> regulate disturbances coming from the
operations, in order that the primary processes can (keep on) be done
3 setting goals: set goals for the primary processes (number and quality of
produced goods and services, even what is produced)
4 providing conditions (designing infrastructure):
Conditions: Human resources are available and are motivated
, technology: machines, I(C)T, buildings etc.
structure: define tasks and relate them -> or else nothing will be done
Infrastructure: help to do things: Human Resources (people), Technology and
structure/ division of tasks
1.2 Experiment
there is an problem with no standard solution and there may be a solution
(hypothesis) and you try to implement it +
monitor it
if it works it works, if it does not work you
need to start over again -> experimenting
In organization they also experiment: Setting
goals is experimenting because you want to
“survive” and you do not know exactly how you
“survive” so you try by implementing and
monitoring
Welke infrastructuur helpt bij het zetten van doelen? -> Dat weet je niet dus je
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