System

A system is a group of things which interact together to produce a behaviour over time¹. The elements of a system can be other systems. And often are. Because of their abstract nature, it's often difficult to define the boundaries of a system, and overlaps between multiple systems are common.

This complexity and interconnectedness makes systems resilient to change - which can be an advantage or a disadvantage. Depending on your perspective.

Backlinks

• Change can be hard within a system
  • Complex systems¹ often self-heal and self-correct over time, especially when the attempt at change occurs in the wrong place. Finding the right place to introduce change is the difficult part.
• Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows
  • what is a system
• Note-taking system
  • A note-taking system is the combination of a set of processes and tools which allow the note-taker to accrue concepts and their connections over time. The system needs to allow for the core ways of manipulating ideas and provide analogies for them.
• Create note-taking analogies for manipulating ideas
  • A note-taking system is the combination of a set of processes and tools which allow the note-taker to accrue concepts and their connections over time. The system needs to allow for the core ways of manipulating ideas and provide analogies for them.
• Complex Systems are built from simple pieces
  • Any complex system is built of simple pieces. Sentences are built from words, words from letters, etc. Systems work like this because complexity is not atomic.
• Systems thinking encourages a holistic view
  • Systems thinking focuses on viewing a given system as a whole. Through the recording of the interactions between stocks Through the recording of the interactions between stocks, flows and feedback loops an understanding of a system can be built up over time. Giving a simplified, holistic view which can be used to develop a good mental model for that system.

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1. Thinking in systems ↩↩