System theory – Lectures
Lecture 1
Main theme; regulating systems
Making sure that its system shows desired behaviour despite disturbances
Topics; system = (a) desired/undesired behaviour, (b) disturbances and (c) regulation
!!! System; concrete unity, consisting of elements + relations
between those elements and it shows particular behaviour
behaviour can be seen in activities and its effects (variables
and values)
Variables can be both in quantity and quality
System theory describes behaviour of a system in terms of sequence of values of
variables that you choose to look at the effects.
-> sequence of values describes behaviour
! Elements could for example be HR (employees) and technology
Relations -> structure (tasks)
(B) Desired behaviour
Behaviour is described by the sequence of values in the course of time.
-> Desired as well. But you introduce a norm value.
The behaviour should fall within the norm value!
(C) Disturbances
Is the cause for the fact that there is undesired behaviour (machine breaks down etc)
(D) Regulation
You do something to counter the effect of the disturbances, want the desired behaviour.
-Devise regulatory actions and perform regulatory action (them)
2. Recipe for regulation
(1) define system (concrete and abstract system)
(2) determine desired behaviour
(3) determine disturbances
(4) define and perform regulatory actions
1. Concrete / abstract system -> bath example. In this case was that example of above of
elements, relations, behaviour etc. Activity is sitting in the bath, effect is enjoy. Elements
are you and the bathtub/tap, relations; script. Concrete unit.
Variables; temperature
Concrete; Concrete unit consisting of elements and relations, showing particular
behaviour (you, bathtub, script etc)
Abstract; set of variables that you use to describe the effect of the behaviour
(temperature in this case)
2. Determine desired behaviour
1
,Description of desired value / norm value, could for example be temperature bath 36
and 38 degrees. Should between 2 values and in course of time.
3. Determine disturbances
Could be that temperature drops due to water falling into the water etc.
Disturbances cause undesired behaviour
4. Define and perform regulatory actions
Regulatory actions -> define and perform
Could be e.g. take the water / bottle out of it and add warm water etc.
3. Idea of complexity
-Complexity = measured in terms of variety -> variety is the number of elements of a set
(so if there is e.g. d1,d2,d3 there are 3 elements, which means variety is 3.
-Variety refers to disturbances and regulatory actions (variety of set regulatory actions
is in this case also 3, ra1,ra2,ra3) If you don’t have enough regulatory actions it is
problematic, so you need enough variety! You want this variety high, because than you
can deal with the variety of disturbances
-> Variety of disturbances as low as possible, or at least have more variety for regulatory
actions
-Idea: one needs variety to deal with variety
Two types of system theory
1. General system theory -> regulating all kinds of systems
2. Organisational system theory -> GST applied to organisations;
Understanding organisations as a particular type of system (a social system
conducting experiments)
Designing (the infrastructure of) organizations
Organisation system theory
-Model of organizations -> every organization has 4 basic activities
1. Producing / carrying out primary processes leading to products
2. Operational regulation (whenever something goes wrong, operational regulation
makes sure that primary processes can continue)
3. Setting goals (output of primary processes)
4. Providing conditions / designing infrastructure
-> 3. 1. HR employees, 2. Technology, 3.
Structure
Infrastructure is these HR, technology, structure
and (tasks) And makes sure that the primary
processes can be carried out efficiently
We use system theory to design proper
infrastructure, to efficiently carry out processes.
-Brief explanations of an org as a social system conducting experiments
-> so organizations both conducts experiments and is a social system
2
, 1. Experiments -> difficult problem and there is a no standard solution, so you think of a
solution (hypothesis) and you implement solution and monitor
the effect -> solution works or doesn’t work.
Organizations experiment as well, with for example setting
goals. (survival, goals (hypo), implement, monitor and ..)
Infrastructure -> efficiently and effectively realize goals/ basic
activities (but you have to experiment with this)
So organizations are social systems that conduct experiments
Social system -> everything that happens in the organization is done in social
interaction
Lecture 2
General system theory
1. GST; describing behaviour
2. GST; ideas about regulation
3. Reflection of GST
Experiments -> goals and infrastructure. But you never know at the beginning which
goals, is a hypothesis and infrastructure the same, you choose at beginning but you
never know beforehand whether they will work.
Apply system theory to organization. We do that by understanding organization (ssce)
and design infrastructure.
SSCE -> goals and infrastructure -> interaction
Design -> which technology? + Structure? + HR?
General system theory;
Main theme; regulating behaviour of systems
Make sure that systems shows desired behaviour despite disturbances
(1. system. 2. Desired behaviour norm value. 3. Var =/ norm = undesired behaviour (due
to disturbances) 4. Regulatory actions (define and perform)
1. GST; Describing behaviour
1. In terms of variables and values
2. Desired behaviour
3. Influence on behaviour; parameters
4. Regulatory table
1. In terms of variables and values
The concrete unity example has characteristics. There are variables to explain the
characteristics and those variables have values. -> State of a system, 2 variables to
describe a characteristic.
Teacher is the concrete system, the variables are the abstract system
Collection of values of the variables that you use to describe a thing at a certain
moment is called the state of a system
3
Lecture 1
Main theme; regulating systems
Making sure that its system shows desired behaviour despite disturbances
Topics; system = (a) desired/undesired behaviour, (b) disturbances and (c) regulation
!!! System; concrete unity, consisting of elements + relations
between those elements and it shows particular behaviour
behaviour can be seen in activities and its effects (variables
and values)
Variables can be both in quantity and quality
System theory describes behaviour of a system in terms of sequence of values of
variables that you choose to look at the effects.
-> sequence of values describes behaviour
! Elements could for example be HR (employees) and technology
Relations -> structure (tasks)
(B) Desired behaviour
Behaviour is described by the sequence of values in the course of time.
-> Desired as well. But you introduce a norm value.
The behaviour should fall within the norm value!
(C) Disturbances
Is the cause for the fact that there is undesired behaviour (machine breaks down etc)
(D) Regulation
You do something to counter the effect of the disturbances, want the desired behaviour.
-Devise regulatory actions and perform regulatory action (them)
2. Recipe for regulation
(1) define system (concrete and abstract system)
(2) determine desired behaviour
(3) determine disturbances
(4) define and perform regulatory actions
1. Concrete / abstract system -> bath example. In this case was that example of above of
elements, relations, behaviour etc. Activity is sitting in the bath, effect is enjoy. Elements
are you and the bathtub/tap, relations; script. Concrete unit.
Variables; temperature
Concrete; Concrete unit consisting of elements and relations, showing particular
behaviour (you, bathtub, script etc)
Abstract; set of variables that you use to describe the effect of the behaviour
(temperature in this case)
2. Determine desired behaviour
1
,Description of desired value / norm value, could for example be temperature bath 36
and 38 degrees. Should between 2 values and in course of time.
3. Determine disturbances
Could be that temperature drops due to water falling into the water etc.
Disturbances cause undesired behaviour
4. Define and perform regulatory actions
Regulatory actions -> define and perform
Could be e.g. take the water / bottle out of it and add warm water etc.
3. Idea of complexity
-Complexity = measured in terms of variety -> variety is the number of elements of a set
(so if there is e.g. d1,d2,d3 there are 3 elements, which means variety is 3.
-Variety refers to disturbances and regulatory actions (variety of set regulatory actions
is in this case also 3, ra1,ra2,ra3) If you don’t have enough regulatory actions it is
problematic, so you need enough variety! You want this variety high, because than you
can deal with the variety of disturbances
-> Variety of disturbances as low as possible, or at least have more variety for regulatory
actions
-Idea: one needs variety to deal with variety
Two types of system theory
1. General system theory -> regulating all kinds of systems
2. Organisational system theory -> GST applied to organisations;
Understanding organisations as a particular type of system (a social system
conducting experiments)
Designing (the infrastructure of) organizations
Organisation system theory
-Model of organizations -> every organization has 4 basic activities
1. Producing / carrying out primary processes leading to products
2. Operational regulation (whenever something goes wrong, operational regulation
makes sure that primary processes can continue)
3. Setting goals (output of primary processes)
4. Providing conditions / designing infrastructure
-> 3. 1. HR employees, 2. Technology, 3.
Structure
Infrastructure is these HR, technology, structure
and (tasks) And makes sure that the primary
processes can be carried out efficiently
We use system theory to design proper
infrastructure, to efficiently carry out processes.
-Brief explanations of an org as a social system conducting experiments
-> so organizations both conducts experiments and is a social system
2
, 1. Experiments -> difficult problem and there is a no standard solution, so you think of a
solution (hypothesis) and you implement solution and monitor
the effect -> solution works or doesn’t work.
Organizations experiment as well, with for example setting
goals. (survival, goals (hypo), implement, monitor and ..)
Infrastructure -> efficiently and effectively realize goals/ basic
activities (but you have to experiment with this)
So organizations are social systems that conduct experiments
Social system -> everything that happens in the organization is done in social
interaction
Lecture 2
General system theory
1. GST; describing behaviour
2. GST; ideas about regulation
3. Reflection of GST
Experiments -> goals and infrastructure. But you never know at the beginning which
goals, is a hypothesis and infrastructure the same, you choose at beginning but you
never know beforehand whether they will work.
Apply system theory to organization. We do that by understanding organization (ssce)
and design infrastructure.
SSCE -> goals and infrastructure -> interaction
Design -> which technology? + Structure? + HR?
General system theory;
Main theme; regulating behaviour of systems
Make sure that systems shows desired behaviour despite disturbances
(1. system. 2. Desired behaviour norm value. 3. Var =/ norm = undesired behaviour (due
to disturbances) 4. Regulatory actions (define and perform)
1. GST; Describing behaviour
1. In terms of variables and values
2. Desired behaviour
3. Influence on behaviour; parameters
4. Regulatory table
1. In terms of variables and values
The concrete unity example has characteristics. There are variables to explain the
characteristics and those variables have values. -> State of a system, 2 variables to
describe a characteristic.
Teacher is the concrete system, the variables are the abstract system
Collection of values of the variables that you use to describe a thing at a certain
moment is called the state of a system
3
