This theory arose with the works of the German biologist Ludwing Von Bertalonffy, published between 1950 and 1968.
General systems theory states that the properties of systems cannot separate their elements, since the understanding of a system occurs only when they are studied globally, involving all the interdependencies of its parts.
The TGS is based on three basic premises:
- Systems exist within systems. The systems are open. The functions of a system depend on its structure.
Systems theory quickly penetrated management theory for two fundamental reasons:
- Due to the need to synthesize and integrate more the theories that preceded it, taking it with success when the behavioral sciences were applied to the study of the organization, cybernetics and computer technology, brought immense possibilities of development and operation of the ideas that converged towards a systems theory applied to administration.
Systems concept: A set of various elements that are interrelated and affect each other to form a unit.
The key point is constituted by the relationships between the various elements of it; a set of objects can exist, but if these are not related they do not constitute a system.
Systems features
- Purpose or objective.- The units or elements, as well as the relationships, define a distribution that tries to achieve an objective. Globalism.- Every system has an organic nature; any stimulus in any unit of the system will affect all other units due to the relationship between them. Entropy.- Tendency of systems to wear or disintegration, that is, as the entropy increases the systems decompose into simpler states. Homeostasis.- Dynamic balance between the parts of the system, that is, the tendency of systems to adapt with the balance of internal and external changes in the environment. Equifinality.- It refers to the fact that a living system from different initial conditions and through different paths reaches the same final state. No matter what process you receive, the result is the same.
Classification of systems.
- Natural systems: They are those existing in the environment. Artificial systems: They are created by man. Social systems: Made up of people whose objective has a common purpose. Man-machine systems: They use equipment or other types of objectives, which sometimes want to achieve self-sufficiency. Open systems: They exchange matter and energy with the environment continuously. Closed systems: They do not present interchange with the environment that surrounds them, they are hermetic to any environmental influence. Temporary systems: They last a certain period of time and later disappear. Permanent systems: They last much longer than the operations carried out by humans, that is, the time factor is more constant. Stable systems: Their properties and operations do not vary or they do so only in repetitive cycles. Non-stable systems: It is not always constant and changes or adjusts to time and resources. Adaptive systems: Reacts with their environment improves their functioning, achievement and survival. Non-adaptive systems: they have problems with their integration, in such a way that they can be eliminated or fail. Deterministic systems: They interact in a predictable way. Probabilistic systems: They present uncertainty. Subsystems: Smaller systems incorporated into the original system. Supersystems: extremely large and complex systems, which can refer to a part of the original system.
Systematic elements.
The system is constituted by a series of parameters, which are:
- Input or input. It is the starting force of the system, supplied by the information necessary for its operation. Output or product (output). It is the purpose for which the elements and relationships of the system will be gathered. Processing or transformer (throughput). It is the mechanism of conversion of inputs into outputs. Feedback (feedback). It is the function of the system that seeks to compare the output with a previously established criterion: Environment. It is the environment that externally surrounds the system.
The organization as an open system.
A company is a system created by man, which maintains a dynamic interaction with its environment, be it customers, suppliers, competitors, union entities, or many other external agents.
It influences the environment and receives influences from it. It is also a system made up of various interrelated parties, which work in harmony with the purpose of achieving a series of objectives, both for the organization and its participants.
The organization must be seen as a whole made up of many subsystems that are in dynamic interaction with each other. The behavior of such subsystems should be analyzed, instead of simply studying organizational phenomena based on individual behaviors.
Organization models.
Katz and Kahn model
Katz and Rosenz Welg model
- Variables; They are all actions that can modify the system and that exist anywhere in the system. Parameters; They are quantities that determine the real state of the system (constants). Components; They are the identifiable parts of that system. Attributes; They influence the operation of the system in its speed, precision and reliability, that is, they identify the components of said system. Structure; Set of relationships between the components of the system and the degree to which the elements work to achieve their purpose.
