SYSTEM DEFINED 1.

A set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty, or solve a problem. 2. An organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent elements (components, entities, factors, members, parts etc.). These elements continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) to maintain their activity and the existence of the system, in order to achieve the goal of the system. ELEMENTS OF SYSTEM: Input Output Throughput Or Process Feedback Control Environment Goal

Term

Definition

Examples

Input

The energy & raw material transformed by the system

Information, money, energy, time, individual effort, & raw material of some kind Thinking, planning, decision-making, constructing, sorting, sharing information, meeting in groups, discussing, melting, shaping, hammering, etc.

Throughput

The processes used by the system to convert raw materials or energy from the environment into products that are usable by either the system itself or the environment. The product or service which results from the system's throughput or processing of technical, social, financial & human input. Information about some aspect of data or energy processing that can be used to evaluate & monitor the system & to guide it to more effective performance.

Output

Software programs, documents, decisions, laws, rules, money, assistance, cars, clothing, bills, etc.

Feedback

How many cars were produced? How many had to be recalled to correct errors? How many mistakes were made? Why were mistakes made? HealthCareReportCard.com is an example of how hospitals are doing with certain diagnoses. Accreditation

reports are an example as are patient satisfaction surveys, sales reports, and test results. Pilots use instrument panels & devices to evaluate & make corrections like TQM or Quality Assurance programs

Control or cybernation

the activities & processes used to evaluate input, throughput & output in order to make corrections

1GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY

Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems in general that can be applied to all types of systems and their all nesting levels for the purpose of research. The systems theory can reasonably be considered for systems thinking and understanding the basics behind system science, a systems approach. Through multiple efforts of researchers, they are able to identify certain laws & principles which would apply to many systems. The system theory was developed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1936. He developed useful laws, tools and models that can be applied to any system, its properties and the elements related with it. His theory guided researchers in several disciplines for better communication for their findings. He believed that what he was discovered would come to be applicable to life in general. More than 50 years later, we have incorporated many concepts for understanding systems. In our everyday routine we are speaking about number of systems like health care system, a family system, body systems, information systems, banking systems, political systems, etc. One of the reasons we do this is because the amount of knowledge & information available has increased tremendously during this time period. We focus on small areas of systems for extending our knowledge and than try to comprehend the whole. System give us the deep knowledge about how systems actually work. We can more effectively care for patients, families and communities when we do understand. We can more effectively bring about desired changes in our workplace if we are able to understand workplace system.

SYSTEM THEORY AND ORGANIZATION

SYSTEMS CONCEPTS AND MANAGEMENT

Organizations have further subsystems like departments, divisions, teams, etc. Each of these subsystems has a way of doing thing though which they achieve the overall goals of the organization. To manage all these proper plans, policies and procedures are defined through concepts of management. The management approaches and system theories have to be closely related for clear understanding the each part of system of any organization. From the systems perspective, management should focus on efficiency and effectiveness in each part of the organization. For example, implementing a strategy in the production department of a company will likely affect other aspects of the company such as marketing, finance, and personnel. Each part is tightly linked to other. The managers must consider each aspect during their decisions. The system approach through management also linked to the external environment. Organizational effectiveness and its survival,

depends on its interaction with environment. The enterprise receives inputs, transforms them, and exports the output to the external environment. The inputs from the external environment include people, consumers demand, safe and reliable products at reasonable prices and high return on their investment. Second is the task of managers to transform the inputs into effective outputs. Of course, the transformation process can be done through enterprise parts like finance, production, personnel, and marketing through the use of managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. Third is output received through enterprise in the form of products, services, profits, satisfaction of customer etc.

SYSTEMS APPROACH
The systems approach considers two basic components: elements and processes. ELEMENTS are measurable things that can be linked together. They are also called objects, events, patterns, or structures. PROCESSES change elements from one form to another. They may also be called activities, relations, or functions. In a system the elements or processes are grouped in order to reduce the complexity of the system. Some systems are open with respect to elements or processes e.g. automobile engine is "open" with respect to gasoline that flows in and exhaust out from engine. Other systems are closed with respect to elements or processes like lubricating oil that does not leave the engine. Some systems are nested form system that is subsystems within the system like For example: Our organs contains atoms, molecules and cells. Our solar system contains universes, planets and galaxies.