DECOMPOSABLE (Nearly) SYSTEMS
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 837 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
According to H. SIMON: “At least some kinds of hierarchic systems can be approximated successfully as nearly decomposable systems. The main theoretical findings from the approach can be summed up in two propositions:
- “a) in a nearly decomposable system, the short run behavior of each of the component subsystems is approximately independent of the short-run behavior of the other components.
b) in the long run, the behavior of any one of the components depends in only an aggregate way on the behavior of the other components“ (1965, p.69).
This implies that complex systems are, by their nature, heterogeneous, i.e. made of different types of parts, that can act with some degree of autonomy.
However, it means altogether that every subsystem, on its own, is strongly coherent, as well as the complex system taken as a whole.
No complex system could survive any of the two following conditions:
a) complete homogeneization of its parts or subsystems
b) total independence of the same.
Moreover, the behavior of the parts may fluctuate in a more or less random way, but within the limits of local and global determinisms.
This is still more so in the case of imperfecty integrated systems (composite systems) as for example a population.