Dealing with Complexity (Flood, Carson, 1993)

Dealing with Complexity (Flood, Carson, 1993)

An Introduction to the Theory and Application of Systems Science

The Second Edition features expanded coverage of progress in systems science, focusing on the field's overall structure and its components - including systems terms and concepts, complexity, measurements, and principles. The text offers a framework for understanding the underlying theory of systems science to assist decision makers in resolving a wide range of real-world problems in their fields. Revised and expanded chapters cover the origins and evolution of systems science and incorporate different perspectives on complexity. Various approaches to problem solving in the natural and social sciences are described, including the systematic view model and model decomposition. The book also presents clear and coherent accounts of systems intervention, critical systems thinking, and quantification of systems science. Philosophical issues in systems science are comprehensively covered, with discussion on such topics as ontology, epistemology, and methodology. Other features of the Second Edition include: case studies focusing on the application of the viable system model, methodology application, and theory building; a list of thought-provoking questions for each chapter to assist educators; an introduction to critical systems thinking; a chapter on model decomposition; and various approaches to problem solving, including systems intervention.

p.2 What is systems science all about? A standard answer is that it is all about dealing with complexity. This identifies a need to clearly understand the concept of "complexity"

p.3 The Second World War, with its attendant problems of logistics and resource management, acted as a catalyst for the growth of the systems idea in practice... Operations research and management science (ORMS) emerged from these studies in the 1950s, and its close association with systems thinking is still evident today

p.4 Systems thinking is a framework of thought that helps us to deal with complex things in a holistic way.

p.6 One major study area of systems science is the application of its concepts through methodologies to tackle modern-day "problem solving," planning, and decision making. [JLJ - and perhaps, game playing] Systems ideas are particularly powerful at helping us to organize our thoughts to make sense of very complex issues. In addition, the use of systems ideas in "problem solving" feeds back directly to promote understanding of their utility and value as frameworks for thought. Hence, practice promotes thinking.

p.13-14 Adaptation is a type of goal-seeking behavior. Darwinian evolution of life forms is a theory of adaption. Similarly, certain management and organization theory has argued that a commercial firm needs to adapt to external changes - e.g., adaptation to changes in demand patterns, competitors' actions, technological change... Adaptation is necessary for survival where the environment is subject to change. Adaptation occurs to deal with environmental change... changes in an environment will occur and throw the system out of balance. Such changes are termed environmental disturbances. They may be thought of as having an acute or chronic impact on the functioning of the system. Acute impact requires short-term adaptive behavior and this means that a system must rapidly employ regulation and control procedures... a system needs a variety of short and long-term control mechanisms designed to cope with a range of environmental changes (see Ashby's law of requisite variety, discussed later).

p.109 systems are more usefully thought of as having relationships to be maintained rather than goals to be achieved.