Chapter 3: The Paradigmatic Shift of Systems Theory
A Cybernetic Epistemology
It’s important to consider our use of the term’s systems theory/cybernetics and
systemic/cybernetic.
Both systems theory and cybernetics are based on the same fundamental assumptions:
- asks, “what?” - patterns
- reciprocal causality - here-and-now focus
- holistic - relational
- dialectical - contextual
- subjective/perceptual - relativistic
- freedom of choice/proactive
A distinction was made between first-order/simple cybernetics, and
second-order/cybernetics of cybernetics
Simple Cybernetics (first-order principles):
we place ourselves outside the system as observers of what is going on inside the
system
we use the metaphor of the black box to describe a system whose operation we
attempt to understand by observing what goes into and what comes out of it
we don’t see ourselves as either part of the system or concerned with why it does what
it does, rather our focus is on describing what’s happening
attempt to define the degree of openness/closedness of these boundaries (that is, how
freely information is able to be transmitted into or out of the system)
look at the balance between stability and change
focus is on the present, on the here-and-now rather than on the past
also concerned with the tendency of the system to move either toward or away from
order
all of our questions are asked from a framework that understands reality as operating
according to the principles of recursiveness and feedback/self-correction, the two
basic elements of a cybernetic system
1
, Simple Cybernetics:
Recursiveness: see people & events in the context of mutual interaction and mutual influence. We understand ourselves
to be members of a constantly conjoined universe
Feedback: refers to the process whereby information about past behaviours is fed back into the system in a circular
manner. Feedback is behaviour and is thus all-pervasive
- Positive feedback acknowledges that a change has occurred and has been accepted by the system
- Negative feedback indicates that the status quo is being maintained
A system’s ability to remain stable in the context of change and to change in the context of stability is defined by the
concepts known as morphostasis and morphogenesis
- Morphostasis is the tendency of a system toward stability, a state of dynamic equilibrium
- Morphogenesis refers to the system-enhancing behaviour that allows for growth, creativity, innovation, and
change, all of which are characteristic of functional systems
The rules within a system refer to their distinctive relationship patterns, which are comprised of the systems values and
the roles appropriate to various behaviours within the system. A system’s rules set it apart from other systems and form
the basis of its boundaries.
The boundary of a system refers to its separation from other systems, which fall into the same familial hierarchy, thus
controlling where previously transformed information is then released to new systems. Boundaries are inferred from
repeated patterns of behaviour
Recursion:
See people and events in the context of mutual interaction and mutual
influence
Rather than examining individuals and elements in isolation, we look to their
relationship and how each interacts with and influences the other
We see the behaviour of A as a logical complement to the behaviour of B, just as B’s
behaviour is a logical complement to the behaviour of A
2
, Meaning is derived from the relation between individuals and elements as each
defines the other
Causality becomes a reciprocal concept to be found only in the interface between
individuals and between systems as they mutually influence each other
Responsibility or power exists only as a bilateral process, with each individual
and element participating in the creation of a particular behavioural reality
“any complex person or agency that influences a complex interactive system
thereby becomes a part of that system, and no part can ever control the
whole”
Each of us shares in the destiny of the other, and we understand ourselves to be
members of a constantly conjoined universe
See every system influencing and being influenced by every other system, and every
individual influencing and being influenced by every other individual in the system
See patterns of connection at every level of the system
Advantage of systems theory/cybernetics: its ability to increase awareness of
this range of levels
Frustration of systems theory/cybernetics: this same awareness. Recognition
of the whole requires an acknowledgement of the degree to which we are but a small
part of that whole. Further, the ecological systems in which man participates are
likely to be so complex that he may never have sufficient comprehension of their
content and structure to permit him to predict the outcome of many of his own acts.
Traditionally, we’ve thought in linear cause/effect terms
That is, we’ve isolated events and looked at them out of context.
From a systemic/cybernetic perspective, we recognize that an isolated cause/effect
event is but a partial arc of a larger pattern of circularity
Therefore, aware that a unilineal focus on part of a system will disrupt and
fractionate the balanced diversity of an ecosystem
Feedback:
This is the aspect of recursion involving self-correction
Refers to the process whereby information about past behaviours is fed back
into the system in a circular manner
Feedback is behaviour and is thus all-pervasive
At the level of first-order cybernetics – positive and negative feedback
Both refer to the impact of the behaviour on the system and the
response of the system to that behaviour
Positive feedback acknowledges that a change has occurred and has been accepted
by the system
Negative feedback: indicates that the status quo is being maintained
Both feedback processes may refer to something that’s good and/or bad
Being good/bad can be evaluated only relative to context
For example, an analogy from the medical profession.
In this process of attempting to diagnose certain diseases, the doctor may
request that some tests be performed. If the results of these tests come back
labeled negative, that means no change in body function has occurred. The
status quo is being maintained. This is a good outcome
If the same tests were to come back indicating the presence of certain disease
processes, they would be labeled positive. In this case, the outcome is a bad
one.
Understanding the feedback process requires looking at both the behaviour and the
response of the system to the behaviour
3
