College aantekeningen van het vak System theory aan de Radboud Universiteit. Alle lectures worden hierin besproken. Ik heb door het doornemen van deze aantekeningen zelf een 7 gehaald voor dit vak.
System theory - aantekeningen
Overview of the course
2 lectures on General systems Theory
1 lecture on social systems
3 lectures on designing the infrastructure
Lecture 1
Intro main theme: “Regulating Systems”
1. Intuitive understanding of main theme
Regulating systems = (+/-) making sure that a system shows desired behavior despite
disturbances
Topics
A. System = a concrete unity consisting of elements (and relations between those elements) and
showing particular behavior. This behavior can be in the form of activities and results of those
activities (effect). In system theory interested in the effect. This effect is captured in variables
and values at particular moments in time
B. Desired/undesired behavior behavior = sequence of values/variable. Desired behavior
has a norm value (between .. and ..).
C. Disturbances = cause for undesired behavior.
D. Regulation = making sure the system shows desired behavior, despite disturbances. Devise
regulatory actions and perform them
Example System: Plank sawing department
Behavior activities: wood blocks come in and go to the saw
Effect nicely sawn planks
Variables related to quantity: number planks sawn per week
Related to quality: percentage planks sawn correctly
System theory looks at sequence of values. That is how you describe behavior
Elements (1) HR, (2) technology
Relations elements structure = the way tasks are defined and related to one another
A task describes who should do what. So tasks ties HR to technology in such a way that
they produce behavior.
2. Recipe for regulation
Recipe for regulation consists of four steps:
(1) define system – (concrete and abstract system)
(2) determine desired behavior
(3) determine disturbances
(4) define and perform regulatory actions
Example:
Concrete and abstract system person in bath. Behavior is you are having a bath, effect is that
you are enjoying it. Variable is temperature. So understand the situation
Concrete system = the concrete unity of elements and relations showing behavior
Abstract system = variables you use to describe the effect
Desired behavior abstract system, because norm of values/variables
3. Idea of complexity
topics:
,* complexity = measured in terms of variety (# elements of a set); regulating systems is dealing
with complexity
* variety refers to disturbances; regulatory actions
* idea: one needs variety to deal with variety
The higher the variety, the more disturbances and the harder it is to regulate the system
You need a certain degree of complexity (variety) for regulatory actions. You want to have
enough (complexity of) regulatory actions to deal with the (complexity of) disturbances
Two types of System theory
1. General ST
o regulating all kinds of systems. Regulating in general
2. Organisational ST:
o GST applied to organisations:
o understanding organisations as a particular type of system (a social
system conducting experiments)
o designing (the infrastructure of) organizations
o Topics:
o * model of organizations
Every organization has 4 basic activities (BA):
1) Primary processes leading up to products/services
2) Operational regulation (makes sure primary process can
continue, so it is dealing with disturbances)
3) Setting goals (relates to outcome primary activities)
4) Providing conditions
3 types of conditions needed in every organization:
o HR
o Technology
o Structure (how tasks are defined and related to
one another)
These conditions are called Infrastructure
Providing conditions means designing infrastructure in
such a way that is effectively and sufficiently can support
these 4 activities
o * brief explanation of an organization as a Social System Conducting
Experiments
Experiments experiment = you have a particular difficult
problem and you try to think of a solution but not sure it will
work (hypothesis). Then you implement this solution and
monitor the effect of it. It can be the case that the solution doesn’t
work, so process starts again (cycle). This cycle is called
experimentation
Organizations experiment in a similar way (for instance with
goals (BA: setting goals) or designing infrastructure)
Social system everything that happens in organizations is done
in interaction. All BA are carried out in interaction
o * brief explanation of designing organizations
Use ideas GST
, Lecture 2
General Systems Theory (GST) – part 1
In this course we apply GST to organizations. We apply that to understand the Social System
Conducting Experiments and look at the design of the infrastructure of organizations
Model of 4 BA’s
Trial and error when setting goals and infrastructure
Social system because 4 BA’s carried out in interaction
GST: describing behavior
GST
In terms of variables and values
o Concrete system has characteristics, and this can be described by variables,
which has values at particular moments in time (selection of values = state). The
variables are the abstract system.
o Behavior is defined by sequence of states
Select variables
Record values (different moments in time)
Sequence of states
o Notation in terms of a graph or table
Desired behavior within the norms
o Norm values: upper limit and lower limit
o Undesired behavior because of disturbances
o Performing regulatory actions means that you try to make sure that the behavior
of the system is desired, despite disturbances (regulating systems)
o Ashby relevant to look at norm values, but not just any variable is relevant.
Only look at ‘essential variables’ (= they express the function or the overarching
goal of a system).
Influence on behavior: parameters
o Behavior Essential Variable + values
o Desired behavior EV = NN
Undesired behavior EV =/ NN
o Undesired caused by disturbances (negative influence). With regulatory actions
try to get it desired (so positive influence). Values describe behavior. The
positive (RA) and negative (disturbances) influences are called parameters.
Regulatory table (example 52:00)
o = Construct to model both behavior and the influence on behavior
o Disturbances vs Regulatory actions EV
GST: ideas about regulation
Definition of regulation
o Making sure that systems show desired behavior despite disturbances
Three types of regulation
o 3 basic activities are forms of regulation
o 1) regulation by control (setting goals)
2) regulation by design
3) operational regulation in primary processes
Operational regulation
o 4 Assumptions
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