ORGANIZATION of a SYSTEM
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2425 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
According to G. KLIR: “If the system is to exhibit a particular behavior, it must possess… certain properties which we call the organization of the system. Since, according to the definition given, the behavior of the system can change (from the viewpoint of local relations), we must assume that its organization can also change. It will be of advantage to define the constant and the variable part in the organization of the system” (1965, p.31).
This a quite classical structural and functional view of organization in systems. It should be compared with the ulterior autopoietic understanding of organizational closure, according to which organization is a cyclical (M. EIGEN would say hypercyclical) property of the system as a whole.
A closely related view is also offered by the autopoiesis concept. In M. ZELENY's words: “A network of interactions between the components, renewing the system as a distinct unity, constitutes the organization of the system. The actual spatial arrangement of components and their relations, integrating the system temporarily in a given physical milieu, constitutes its structure” (1984, p.13).
There are however some dubious cases, as for example petrified wood, which is not anymore wood, but has for eons conserved through chemical transformations the organization (or structure?) of the original system.
As to the constant and the variable parts in the organization, it is, at least for practical purposes, a matter of the time scale of observation.