STABILITY (Poly-)
Charles François (2004). STABILITY (Poly-), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3159.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3159 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
- “A stability involving many alternatives and sometimes only temporary equilibria” (K. KRIPPENDORFF, 1986, p.58).
KRIPPENDORFF explains: “(it) is characteristic of systems involving many weakly interacting components. When systems are joined to form larger wholes, communication among them tends to have the effect of disturbing each other's individual equilibria. The equilibrium of the whole is not merely selective of, and may not even coincide with the equilibria of its parts” (Ibid).
It is now understood that, as simultaneous events in different parts of the system cannot propagate instantaneously to the whole, local desequilibria can never become completely settled.
The effects of poly-stability are seldom understood by managers of economic or political systems, which explains that they in many cases merely try to “catch up”.