INTEGRATION as a dynamic process
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1727 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
As a process, integration is in J. KHAN's words:“ The coordination of all elements in a shared and mutually beneficial order” (1992, p.991). Such a process is progressive, but may result, at a critical moment, in sudden clinching.
As observed by J.L. LEMOIGNE, integration is not a state of a system, but on the contrary an aspect of its dynamics.
The system's activity must be permanently coordinated, and not merely once under the guise of a stiff diagram.
LEMOIGNE writes: “The static diagram of a net, many times termed in theory of organization as a flow chart (note: in French: organigramme), only shows the prohibited (or supposedly obligatory) interconnexions and does not reveal by itself the potential properties that could result from (some other) possible connexions” (1977, p.194).
Any description of a system under the guise of an unique instantaneous and supposedly permanent state is an unwarranted reduction of the system's concept itself: any structure offers a double synchronic and diachronic character, which corresponds with the various aspects of a functional process.