SATM 6.2.2.2 The Goal Subsystem

The goal subsystem obviously is closely interrelated to other internal subsystems. Choice of goal will have an effect on the technical, human, and managerial subsystems and also upon the best structure to employ. Similarly, each of the other subsystems will affect the nature of the goals pursued and the way they are pursued.

SATM 6.2.2.1 Introduction to Contingency Theory

By about 1970 the contingency approach to the study of organizations and their management had become the established paradigm in organization theory. 

SATM 6.2.1 Barnard's Systems Thinking

Barnard produced in 1938 an early systems account of the nature of organizations, called The Functions of the Executive. Barnard used a mechanical model to advise executives on how they should sustain organizations in equilibrium by the careful manipulation of inducements to stakeholders.

SATM 6.2 Organizations-as-Systems

"Organizations-as-systems" thinking had its theoretical roots and developed within the disciplines of sociology and management and organization theory. That it has two strands: one dominated by the mechanical analogy and the other by the organismic analogy.

SATM 6.1 Introduction the Functionalist Systems Approach

When functionalist perspective is adopted, systems appear as objective aspects of a reality independent of us as observers. Using the methods of the natural sciences, they are examined in order to discover the laws that govern the relationships between their parts or sub-systems.

SATM 5.5 The Status of Applied Systems Thinking

It seems to be the case that the shelf life of management "fads" is diminishing. "Total Quality Management" (TQM) had a long run but was eventually overtaken by "Business Process Reengineering" (BPR), wich had its today before being replaced by the "Learning Organization", which had its moment, and so on. It is also widely accepted that change programs based on TQM, BPR, "Rightsizing", "knowledge Management", or whatever, fail, in the great majority of cases, to bring the benefits expected.

Systems thinking as a practical approach to problem-solving. Why we should grand high status to applied systems thinking. There are five arguments we might reasonably make at this stage.

SATM 5.4 Systems Thinking as a Transdiscipline

Systems thinking is then a general term used to denote the theories, methodologies, models, tools and techniques, which are based on systems ideas and concepts and are employed by those who argue for a systems approach.