OBJECTIVE
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2327 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
- “… a preferred outcome … which can be obtained over a longer period of time” (Adapted from R.L. ACKOFF — 1972).
As stated by ACKOFF, objectives are proper to purposeful systems.
He also understands that an objective encompasses a succession of intermediate goals: “Pursuit of an objective requires an ability to change goals once a goal has been obtained. This is why such pursuit is possible only for a purposeful system” (Ibid).
For K. KRIPPENDORFF an objective is “the goal, purpose or criterion a decision maker uses to evaluated alternative courses of actions. The choice of objectives constrains possible behaviors” (1986, p.54).
In relation to his metasystem concept, J.van GIGCH writes: “The objectives of high-level systems will be labeled ”high level“ objectives; those of low-level systems ”low-level“ objectives. High-level objectives are not necessarily better than lower-level systems objectives…
- “In a hierarchy of systems, it would be unusual to find that systems objectives or objectives in a hierarchy of objectives are independent of each other. Unless the independence of systems objectives can be assumed, their values cannot be incorporated in an additive function” (1978, p.376).