Systems Theory

Question 1

What does our professor argue may have caused the challenger to explode?

Answer 1

Systems theory

Question 2

What do we mean when we talk about interconnections in systems theory?

Answer 2

There is an interconnectedness between parts of the organizations and between organization environment

Question 3

What is the overview/principle of systems theory?

Answer 3

All organized entities demonstrate similar sets of properties and patterns. We can take these laws and apply them to an organization and predict certain tings about behavior and outcomes of that organization

Question 4

What science does systems theory come from?

Answer 4

Biology

Question 5

What is the metaphor for systems theory?

Answer 5

Organism

Question 6

What is the definition of an organization/organism?

Answer 6

Complex set of INDERDEPENDENT PARTS that interact to ADAPT to a constantly changing ENVIRONMENT in order to achieve its goals. (why you went to college)

Question 7

What is the transformation model?

Answer 7

Input PROCESS Output (works like and system in our body) think about how the environment influnces it

Question 8

What does the transformation model teach us?

Answer 8

It’s not enough just to look at an organization, but you have to look at the environment in which it lives, if you don’t keep plants healthy, we die.

Question 9

What term is the extra energy created when the parts of a system work together? What does it lead to?

Answer 9

Synergy leads to nonsummativity

Question 10

What is nonsummativity?

Answer 10

Also called “holism” Whole is equal to more than the sum of its parts.

Question 11

What is the term- the same final conditions can be reached by the system form different initial conditions in many different ways?

Answer 11

Equifinality

Question 12

What is the key final condition for most every organization?

Answer 12

Survival (negentropy)

Question 13

What are boundaries?

Answer 13

Walls between the focal organization and its environment (look this up in book)

Question 14

Those entities that are relevant to the survival of the organization (how do we monitor this?

Answer 14

Environment

Question 15

How do we monitor the environment?

Answer 15

Twitter
Cnbc
The wall street journal
boundary spanners (public relations people)

Question 16

What are the two roles for communication in a system?

Answer 16

Exchange relevant information between subsystems

Monitor the environment

Question 17

What is a system?

Answer 17

Any organization that turns inputs into outputs via processing

Question 18

What is a subsystem?

Answer 18

Internal parts of the system that do the processing

Question 19

What is a suprasystem?

Answer 19

Larger system to which the focal system belongs

Question 20

What is entropy?

Answer 20

The NATURAL STATE of an organization to tend toward disorganization (tendency to fall apart)

Question 21

What is negentrophy?

Answer 21

Negative entropy- the system’s ability to resist entropy, develop the organization, and grow

Question 22

What is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?

Answer 22

Entropy must increase to maximum. This is similar to misunderstanding, in that if you leave something alone in its natural state it will continue to decrease. you have to find ways to adapt.

Question 23

What is Openess? Are all organizations open? always open?

Answer 23

The degree to which a system is responsive to its environment. No living system is ever totally closed to its environment. Openness varies by situation, sometimes you need to shut off inputs and outputs.

Question 24

What is requisite Variety?

Answer 24

The internal workings of a system must be as complicated and diverse as the environment in which it exists. (we are much more complicated than the bottom of the ocean)

Question 25

What were the two parts to Weick’s model of organizing?

Answer 25

Routine= Rules bureaucracy
Complex= Communication
We needed to go through complex communication cycles because of texas shooting, nothing like that had ever happened before. Complex inputs must be met with complex processes.