I wonder if we are using the same word (_system_) in this thread for
different concepts...
SYSTEM:
(1) a business process or procedure in an organisation, designed by people
for other people; once designed, very rarely reviewed let alone updated or
improved
(2) "A perceived whole whose elements hang together because they
continually affect each other over time... examples of systems include
biological organisms, including human bodies, the atmosphere, diseases,
ecological niches, chemical reactions, political entities, communities,
industries, families, teams - and all organisations." (from the Fifth
Discipline Fieldbook)
I see these as quite distinct (although a system-1 could be part of a
system-2). What do others think?
Cherry
--Cherry Vanderbeke, Wang New Zealand Limited Email: ckv@wang.co.nz "The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do"
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>