Systems theory

Systems theory is an interdisciplinary field of science and the study of the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. More specifically, it is a framework by which one can analyze and/or describe any group of objects that work in concert to produce some result. This could be a single organism, any organization or society, or any electro-mechanical or informational artifact. Systems theory first originated in biology in the 1920s out of the need to explain the interrelatedness of organisms in ecosystems.^[1] As a technical and general academic area of study it predominantly refers to the science of systems that resulted from Bertalanffy's General System Theory (GST), among others, in initiating what became a project of systems research and practice.

Contents

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• 1 Overview
• 2 History
• 3 Developments in system theories
  • 3.1 General systems research and systems inquiry
  • 3.2 Cybernetics
  • 3.3 Complex adaptive systems
• 4 Applications of system theories
  • 4.1 Living systems theory
  • 4.2 Organizational theory
  • 4.3 Software and computing
  • 4.4 Sociology and Sociocybernetics
  • 4.5 System dynamics
  • 4.6 Systems engineering
  • 4.7 Systems psychology
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 Further reading
• 8 External links