SYSTEMS BEHAVIOR (Modifying)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3452 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences |
The behavior of a complex system should be modified only according to a global perspective. Introducing any limited local changes will merely lead to their uncontrolled propagation to the whole system, sometimes with disastrous results. This is the key explanation of global disasters, as for example the Aral Sea one. The following systemic norms, intended to modify complex systems behavior, are adapted from P. BÚTTNER, as resumed by J. BRIGGS and F.D. PEAT (1991, p. 177, French translation used):
- In any system there is a very limited number of trigger points that can be used to produce significant and lasting modifications of the systems behavior
- In more complex systems, effects are more distant from causes in time as well as in space
- Even very few feedbacks within the system reduce much its predictability
- Neither the trigger points, nor the ways to operate on them are obvious
- Worsening of the system's behavior after an intervention frequently precedes any improvement.
A good understanding of all these points is a sine qua non condition for any hopefully efficient attempt at management of complex systems.