Russell Ackoff
Systems Based Improvement Video - Part 1

What is a system? "A whole that cannot be divided into independent parts."

Russel Ackoff Quotes and f-Laws | Whole Systems Thinking Main Page

 

What is a system and what does this imply for a business? 

A system is a whole that consists of two or more parts. The parts have three properties: 

     1) Each part can affect the behavior or properties of the whole, 

     2) None of the essential parts can have an independent effect on the function of the whole, and

     3) A combination of parts, or subsystem has the same properties as the parts. 

The properties of the system are the product of the interaction of the parts, not the parts taken separately. Therefore, a system cannot be divided into independent parts. The performance of a system depends on how the parts interact, not on how the parts perform separately.

For Systems Based Improvement Video Part 2 and other lectures by Russell Ackoff see YouTube Russell Ackoff.