Purposes are deduced from behavior, not from rhetoric or stated goals.Many systems have both human and non-human elements Function is used for a nonhuman system, and purpose for a human one.Information holds systems together and plays a great role in how they operate. Many of the interconnections in systems operate through the flow of information.The relationships that hold the elements together.Laws of physics that govern the motions of balls & playersBALL FIELDPurpose: Win games, have fun, make millions of dollars, or all of the above.ĮXAMPLES OF SYSTEMS School Factory Solar System Tree Animal Forest.Regulating chemical signals STOMACH ENZYMESThe function of the digestive system is to break down food into itsbasic nutrients and to transfer those nutrients into thebloodstream (another system) while discarding unusable wastes.Ī FOOTBALL TEAM COACH PLAYERS Interconnections.THE BLIND MEN & THE ELEPHANTThe behavior of a system cannot be known just byknowing the elements of which the system is made.ĭIGESTIVE SYSTEM TEETH INTERCONNECTIONS MOUTH Once we see the relationship between structure and behavior, we can begin to understand how systems work. That is a central insight of systems theory. The hands that manipulate it suppress or release some behavior that is latent within the structure of the spring. WHAT MAKES A SLINKY BOUNCEUP AND DOWN? The answer clearly lies within the Slinky itself. WHAT IS A SYSTEM?“A system is an interconnected set of elementsthat is coherently organized in a way thatachieves something (function or purpose).” THINKING IN SYSTEMSCHAPTER 1: THE BASICSDONELLA MEADOWS Thinking in systems (Donella Meadows) chapters 1 to 3

Donella meadows systems thinking pdf