Systems Thinking MIDTERM

5.0(1)
studied byStudied by 117 people
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Card Sorting

1/103

encourage image

There's no tags or description

Looks like no tags are added yet.

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

104 Terms

1
New cards

What is a system?

A collection of interacting parts/components/actors, in which the interactions result in system-level properties and behaviors not attributable to the sum of individual parts

2
New cards

What isn’t a system?

conglomeration - ex. sand scattered in a road

3
New cards

What is an open system?

interact with the environment, and can be changed by the environment

4
New cards

What is a closed system?

does not interact with the environment and does not have any reactionary behavior

5
New cards

Are closed vs open systems binary? If not, what are they?

No, they exist in a spectrum

6
New cards

What is the spectrum of closed vs open systems?

Fully open, partially open, and closed

7
New cards

What is a hard system?

a system constructed of high-integrity components and is predictable

8
New cards

What is a soft system?

a system constructed by a high variety of changes and unpredictable behaviors

9
New cards

Define worldviews

the perceptions influenced by social factors

10
New cards

What are the five things that make systems complex?

  1. The number of parts

  2. The number of connections

  3. Dynamic relationships between parts

  4. Non-linear interactions

  5. Varying responses

11
New cards

Define perceived complexity?

how stakeholders see a system

12
New cards

What does the term complicated mean?

folded, able to be taken apart, predictable

13
New cards

What does the term complex mean?

woven together, unable to be taken apart, unpredictable

14
New cards

Define emergence

properties of the system that are caused by the interactions and relationships between elements rather than by the elements themselves

15
New cards

What is weak emergence?

Behavior of the system that can be explained or predict

16
New cards

What is strong emergence?

Behavior of the system that is more difficult to explain or predict

17
New cards

What is a holacracy?

form of organization that distributes authority and decision-making through a network of self-organized teams that are bound together with a shared purpose and common set of goals and rules.

18
New cards

What are the three classifications of system problems?

tame, messy, and wicked

19
New cards

What are tame system problems?

can be defined and solved. They have a correct solution

20
New cards

What are messy system problems?

The most common type. Poorly defined and do not have a single correct solution

21
New cards

What are wicked system problems?

always involve a loser and a winner. Problems that cannot be solved.

22
New cards

Define system purpose

What a system does

23
New cards

Define system function

How a system delivers its purpose

24
New cards

True or false, all systems have inputs and outputs?

True

25
New cards

What are inputs?

processed through he system and leave the system in a changed state

26
New cards

What are resources?

consumed by the function of the system

27
New cards

What are controls?

set expectations, standards or requirements a system should fulfill

28
New cards

What are outputs?

produced by the system in line with its function and its purpose

29
New cards

What is efficency?

the resources consumed to produce the outputs

30
New cards

What is effectiveness?

the extent to which the output fulfills the specification defined by the controls

31
New cards

What is efficacy?

the potential performance of the system, lab setting

32
New cards

What are stocks?

measures of quantity at a given time

33
New cards

What are flows?

measures of quantity over time

34
New cards

What is entropy?

a metaphor for ageing, skill fade, or obsolescence

35
New cards

What is Homeostasis?

description of a system that maintains its ‘steady state’ or a system that is in a ‘dynamic equilibrium’

36
New cards

Who was James Grier Miller, and what theory did he create?

American psychologist, psychiatrist. He created the Living Systems Theory

37
New cards

What was the purpose of the Living Systems Theory? And what was its core?

A general theory about the existence of all living systems. All nature is a continuum and the endless complexity of life can be organized into patterns that repeat themselves at each level of system

38
New cards

How many nested hierarchical levels did Miller organize living systems into? And what are they? (Think COOGOCSS)

  1. Cells

  2. Organ

  3. Organism

  4. Group

  5. Organization

  6. Community

  7. Society

  8. Supranational

39
New cards

According to Miller, into what four dimensions could the eight levels of systems be organized to?

matter/energy, information, space, and time

40
New cards

What is a concrete system?

system that exists in reality and is composed of tangible objects

41
New cards

What is a conceptual system?

a system that exists in reality and is composed of intangible objects

42
New cards

What is an abstract system?

a system composed of tangible and/or intangible objects, but does not exist in reality, only as an idea.

43
New cards

Who was Anthony Stafford Beer? What was his theory?

British consultant and academic. His theory is on cybernetics

44
New cards

What is Cybernetics according to Beer?

the study of control and communication systems in animals and machines

45
New cards

What is management cybernetics?

the application of cybernetics to management and organizations

46
New cards

How does Beer define a viable system?

a system that can self-produce

47
New cards

In wanting to understand what makes a system viable, what model did Beer create?

Viable Systems Model (VSM)

48
New cards

According to Beer any viable system comprises of how many systems, and what do each do?

  1. Operational part of a system

  2. Enables coordination between system 1’s

  3. Controls the rules, resources, roles, and responsibilities of system 1’s

  4. Monitors the environment

  5. Sets direction and policy for the whole system

49
New cards

Into what 3 things does Beer characterize performance?

actuality, capability, and potentiality

50
New cards

What is actuality?

What the system is able to do now with existing resources and under existing constraints

51
New cards

What is capability?

What the system is able to do now with existing resources and under existing constraints, if it really worked at it

52
New cards

What is Potentiality?

What system should be achieving if it developed its resources and removed its constraints

53
New cards

What 3 further performance measures does Beer introduce?

Productivity, Latency, and Performance

54
New cards

What is productivity?

The ratio of actuality to capability

55
New cards

What is latency?

the ratio of capability to potentiality

56
New cards

What is performance?

the ratio of actuality to potentiality

57
New cards

Who was Derek Hitchins, and what theory did he create?

British systems engineer and professor of engineering management. He created Systems architecture

58
New cards

What is systems architecture?

The pattern made by all the subsystems and their interconnections to support the function, purpose, and performance of the system

59
New cards

Who was William Edwards Deming, and what theory did he create?

American engineer, statistician, academic, consultant, and influential force behind the Japanese industrial revolution. Father of modern quality management, his theory, System of Profounds Knowledge.

60
New cards

What four elements does Deming suggest to focus on to understand and predict the behavior of any system?

The System, Theories, Human Behavior, and Variation

61
New cards

What are the two causes for variation?

natural causes and assignable causes

62
New cards

Who was Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt, and what theory did he create?

Israeli business, management guru, originator of the optimized production technique. He created the Theory of Constraints.

63
New cards

What three measures can be used to control the variation?

Throughput, Inventory, and Operating expenses

64
New cards

What is throughput?

rate at which the system processes work

65
New cards

What is inventory?

the accumulation of work through the system

66
New cards

What is operating expenses?

the resources the system consumes to turn inventory into throughput

67
New cards

How can the three system’s performance measures be balanced to maximize system performance?

maximizing throughput by meeting expectations while minimizing inventory and operating expenses

68
New cards

What are the main five key characteristics of hard systems?

  1. predictable behaviors

  2. high-integrity parts

  3. high-integrity connections

  4. feedback that can be used to compensate for deviation

  5. rate of deterioration/entropy is predictable

69
New cards

What is a flowchart?

a diagram that uses standard symbols to illustrate various activities of a process in sequential order

70
New cards

What is a data-flow diagram (DFD’s)?

form of flowchart that provide the means of representing flow of data through a system

71
New cards

What four symbols do DFD’s use, what do they symbolize?

  1. Entity: a process that transforms inputs into outputs

  2. Flow: connects entities to one another

  3. Store: illustrates storage or whatever is flowing between entities

  4. External entity (terminal): stands outside the boundaries of a system but interacts with the system

72
New cards

What are the 3 key differences between flowcharts and DFDs?

  1. DFDs use fewer symbols

  2. flows between entities are annotated to describe the nature of the flows

  3. there is no time element represented

73
New cards

What 3 modeling techniques does the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) comprise of? And what do they do?

  1. Data modeling: details the data requirements of a system

  2. Data flow modeling: details how data moves through the system

  3. Entity event modeling: details the events and their sequence that impact on an entity and affect the behavior of a system over time

74
New cards

What is the Value Stream Mapping (VSM)?

a technique that emerged from the lean thinking or management movement.

75
New cards

What does Lean management focus on?

minimizing waste within organizations while simultaneously maximizing quality, productivity, and customer service performance?

76
New cards

What does VSM help with?

optimize the system design to minimize waste

77
New cards

What is the Discrete Event Simulation (DES)?

simulation-based approach used for modeling systems

78
New cards

What is Agent-based modeling (ABM)?

A simulation modeling method that focuses on modeling and simulating autonomous parts.

79
New cards

An agent-based model typically has what 3 components:

  1. Agents with their properties/attributes and behaviors

  2. Relationships or interactions between the agents that create an underlying topology of interconnectedness

  3. Interactions of the agents with the surrounding environment

80
New cards

What are the five main characteristics of soft systems?

  1. unpredictable behavior

  2. autonomous parts with high levels of variation shaped by different worldviews

  3. loosely defined dynamic relationships that can change significantly in the short and long term

  4. Parts connected through a defined dynamic web of relationships, power structure, shared interests and values

  5. Feedback is used to compensate for deviation

81
New cards

Who created the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and what was it about?

Peter Checkland. SSM provides an organized way of thinking through these kinds of soft system problems.

82
New cards

What are the seven steps to comprised in the SSM?

  1. The problem situation unstructured

  2. The problem situation expressed

  3. Root definitions of relevant systems

  4. conceptual models and measures of performance

  5. Comparison of steps 4 with 2

  6. Feasible changes or interventions

  7. Action to improve the problem situation

83
New cards

What is a rich picture?

technique developed as an action learning mechanism to help learn about complex and ill-defined systems

84
New cards

What are causal loop diagrams?

an illustration of causal relationships between the entities within a system.

85
New cards

Into what two characterizations can relationships between entities be identified?

Positive or negative links

86
New cards

What is a positive causal link?

two entities change in the same direction

87
New cards

What is a negative causal link?

two entities change in opposite directions

88
New cards

What are the three steps for constructing cognitive maps?

  1. gathering data

  2. Linking the statements

  3. Tidying up the map

89
New cards

Who was Gregory Bateson, and what did he do?

Anthropologist and philosopher. Had a strong influence on the environmental movement and organizational theory

90
New cards

Who was Norbert Weiner, and what did he do?

child prodigy. He defined cybernetics, contributed to the foundation of modern probability theory, and his work can be divided into: mathematics, cybernetics, and social and political commenting.

91
New cards

Who was Warren McCulloch, and what did he do?

Described as “Moses,” was a significant figure in the field of cybernetics through the Macy Conferences

92
New cards

What are the Macy Conferences?

Set of meetings of scholars from various disciplines. The aim was to promote meaningful communication across scientific disciplines and restore unity to science

93
New cards

What is Cybernetics?

a transdisciplinary approach to exploring regulatory systems - their structures, constraints, and possibilities

94
New cards

Who was Margaret Mead, and what did she do?

Anthropologist. Involved in the birth of the systems movement, and rose to fame from her clarity of her writing - simplified complex topics.

95
New cards

Who was Karl Ludwig Von Veralanffy, and what did he do?

Creator of the General Systems Theory. Considered the father of open systems.

96
New cards

Who was Jay Forrester, and what did he do?

American Engineer, Management thinker, and founder of Systems Dynamics (SD).

97
New cards

Who was Donella (Dana) Meadows, and what did she do?

Environmental scientist and activist. Author of The Limits to Growth. Allowed for the accessibility of her work on systems to the general public

98
New cards

Who was Peter Senge, and why was he important?

Management academic and consultant. Famous for the concept of The Learning Organization

99
New cards

Who was Russell Ackoff, and what did he do?

Pioneer of applying systems approaches to management. Helped propel Systems Thinking

100
New cards

Who was Kurt Lewin, and what did he do?

Visionary and deeply original thinker. Founder of Social Psychology