Understanding General Systems Theory

This theory was developed by biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1936. He felt the need for a
theory to guide research in several disciplines because he saw striking parallels among them.
His hunch was that if multiple disciplines focused their research & theory development
efforts, they would be able to identify laws & principles which would apply to many systems.
This would allow scholars & scientists to make sense of system charactieristics such as
wholeness, differentiation, order, equifinality, progression & others. With a common
framework, scientists could better communicate their findings with each other & build upon
each other's work. He believed that over time, what was discovered would come to be
applicable to life in general.

More than 50 years later, the work in understanding systems has evolved to the point that we
incorporate many of the concepts into our everyday language. We speak of a health care
system, a family system, body systems, information systems, banking systems, political
systems, etc. One of the reasons we do this is because the amount of knowledge & information
available has increased tremendously during this time period. We cannot know all there is to
know. We seek some way of ordering what we encounter to avoid being overloaded with
information. We focus in on small areas of knowledge rather than trying to comprehend the
whole.

Whether we like it or not, nurses are enmeshed in many systems. It is to our benefit to gain
some basic understanding of how systems work. We can more effectively care for patients,
families and communities when we do understand. We can more effectively bring about
desired changes in our workplace if we are able to step back & consider how best to
accomplish this within our workplace system. What is a system?
Rapaport defines a system as an "entity which can maintain some organization in the face of
change from within or without."

Ryan defines a system as "a set of objects or elements in interaction to achieve a specific
goal."

What examples of systems can you think of? What is the function of a system?

The function of any system is to convert or process energy, information, or materials into a
product or outcome for use within the system, or outside of the system (the environment) or
both. Indeed, if a system is to survive, it must save some of the outcome or product to
maintain the system.
Levels of Complexity

Wren believes there are 9 levels of complexity for systems. These are described in the
following table.

Level of Complexity Example Characteristics

Level 1 Structural Framework The organizational chart

Dynamic, moving, predictable, must

Level 2 Clockwork
be controlled externally

Dynamic, predictable, capable of self-

Level 3 Cybernetic device such as thermostat
regulation within certain limits.

Open, dynamic, programmed for self-

Level 4 The cell maintenance under changing external
conditions

Open, dynamic, genetically

determined, capable of self-regulation
Level 5 The plant system
through wide range of changing
external & internal conditions.

Open, dynamic, genetically

determined system that adjusts to its
Level 6 The animal system environment by making internal
adjustments & by forming simple
social groups.

Open, dynamic, self-regulating,

adaptive through wide circumstances
Level 7 Humans
because of ability to think abstractly
& communicate symbolically

More complex than an individual,

more open to environmental
influence, more adaptive to
Level 8 The social system
circumstance because of collective
experience & wider reservoir of
skills.

Most freely adaptable to circumstance

because it rises above & extends
Level 9 The transcendental
beyond the boundaries of both
individuals & social systems.

All systems have common elements. These are:

input
output
throughput or process
feedback
control
environment
goal
Defining the key terms & concepts
Term Definition Examples

Information, money, energy, time,

The energy & raw material
Input individual effort, & raw material of
transformed by the system
some kind

The processes used by the system to Thinking, planning, decision-making,

convert raw materials or energy from constructing, sorting, sharing
Throughput the environment into products that are information, meeting in groups,
usable by either the system itself or discussing, melting, shaping,
the environment. hammering, etc.

The product or service which results

Software programs, documents,
from the system's throughput or
Output decisions, laws, rules, money,
processing of technical, social,
assistance, cars, clothing, bills, etc.
financial & human input.

How many cars were produced? How

many had to be recalled to correct
errors? How many mistakes were
Information about some aspect of data
made? Why were mistakes made?
or energy processing that can be used
HealthCareReportCard.com is an
Feedback to evaluate & monitor the system &
example of how hospitals are doing
to guide it to more effective
with certain diagnoses. Accreditation
performance.
reports are an example as are patient
satisfaction surveys, sales reports, and
test results.

The finance department, the

A system which is a part of a larger
information system, the managerial
system. They can work parallel to
Subsystem system, the renal system, the political
each other or in a series with each
system, the workflow system (such as
other.
the conveyor belt), etc.

neither system elements nor the

Static system system itself changes much over time A rock
in relation to the environment

A healthy young adult grows more

the system constantly changes the independent, interdependent, & self-
Dynamic system environment & is changed by the sufficient & self-directed in response
environment to stimuli from peers, family, school,
work, & recreational activities.

A rock is an example of the most

fixed, automatic relationships among closed system. We may encounter
Closed systems system components & no give or take families that are isolated from the
with the environment community & resistant to any outside
influence.

interacts with the environment trading

Hospitals, families, people, body
energy & raw materials for goods &
systems, banks, manufacturing plants,
Open systems services produced by the system.
governmental bodies, associations,
They are self-regulating, & capable of
businesses, etc.
growth, development & adaptation.

the line or point where a system or

subsystem can be differentiated from
The nursing unit, the occupational
its environment or from other
therapy department, the elementary
Boundary subsystems. Can be rigid or
school, a person, an agency or
permeable or some point in between.
business, a fence or wall, roles, ect
Systems or subsystems will engage in
boundary tending.
 the overall purpose for existence or
To educate students, to support
the desired outcomes. The reason for
people during illness & restore them
Goal being. Currently, many organizations
to health, to make money, to create
put their goals into a mission
social order, etc.
statement.

Rules are made, policies & protocols

are written, approved &
communicated to staff; laws are
The tendency for a system to develop
Entropy enacted & violators are held
order & energy over time.
accountable; a marathon runner in
training gradually is able to run
farther.

The disorganization after a hurricane,

a rigid, frightened family produces a
The tendency of a system to lose child who is unable to think
Negentropy
energy & dissolve into chaos independently or leave home, a new
business has no forms or protocols for
handling consumer complaints.

Pilots use instrument panels &

devices to constantly evaluate &
make course corrections; teachers
grade papers & give students grades
the activities & processes used to on exams; parents measure their
Control or cybernation evaluate input, throughput & output children's height & weight & may
in order to make corrections adjust the child's diet; health care
agencies use TQM or Quality
Assurance programs; employee health
nurses review records to see who
needs immunization updates.

A nursing assistant assigned to empty

catheter bags on a unit could begin in
the middle of the hall, on the right
side, on the left side, at the front or
back of the hall & still end up with all
objectives can be achieved with
Equifinality the bags emptied. A traveller could
varying inputs & in different ways.
take the interstate or back country
roads & still arrive at their
destination. The traveller could go by
train, plane, bus or car & still arrive at
desired location.

Application Example
Most everyone has a grasp of how a thermostat in their home works. We set the desired
temperature for heat. The thermostat monitors the temperature in the room. When the
temperature falls below the desired level, the thermostat sends a signal to our heater, and tells
it to turn on. Heat is generated by our furnace or heater. When the temperature reaches the
desired level, the thermostat sends a signal to the heater to turn off. Now let's go through this
example & connect it to the basic concepts.
Input - The gas or electricity which comes from our power company
Output - Heat
Throughput - thermostat monitors the temperature, thermostat sends a signal to our heater to
turn on, thermostat sends a signal to the heater to turn off, the gas is burned, the fan turns on
& blows warm air into the room.
Feedback - when the temperature falls below the desired level, the thermostat sends a signal to
our heater; When the temperature reaches the desired level, the thermostat sends a signal to
the heater to turn off.
 Another example, this time using a family system:

We could look at a family's finances to illustrate these 4 concepts.

Input - the money a family receives from wages, gifts, inheritance, tax refunds, etc.
Throughput - depositing the money in checking & savings accounts, writing checks, spending
cash, transferring money electronically, recording deposits in the bankbook, balancing the
checkbook, developing a budget. These are all processes or what family members do related to
money.
Output - the goods & services purchased with the family's money such as the utilities, the
mortgage, insurance, automobiles, food, etc.
Feedback - the bank statements showing checking & savings account balances, the bills which
arrive for goods & services, the comparison between the budgeted amounts & the actual
amounts spent.

An example of a system with the classic elements:

Now, let's see what you've learned. Diagram the input, throughput, and output of the nursing care of
a patient (in general. You don't need to focus on a particular diagnosis).

Input Processes or Throughput Output

 Basic Principles of a Systems Approach
1. A system is greater than the sum of its parts. Requires investigation of the whole situation
rather than one (1) or two (2) aspects of a problem. Mistakes can't be blamed on one person,
rather a systems analyst would investigate how the mistake occurred within a subsystem &
look for opportunities to make corrections in the processes used.

2. The portion of the world studied (system) must exhibit some predictability.

3. Though each sub-system is a self-contained unit, it is part of a wider and higher order.

4. The central objective of a system can be identified by the fact that other objectives will be
sacrificed in order to attain the central objective.

5. Every system, living or mechanical, is an information system. Must analyze how suitable
the symbols used are for information transmission.

6. An open system and its environment are highly interrelated.

7. A highly complex system may have to be broken into subsystems so each can be analyzed
and understood before being reassembled into a whole.

8, A system consists of a set of objectives and their relationships.

9. A system is a dynamic network of interconnecting elements. A change in only one of the

elements must produce change in all the others.

10. When subsystems are arranged in a series, the output of one is the input for another;
therefore, process alterations in one requires alterations in other subsystems.

11. All systems tend toward equilibrium, which is a balance of various forces within and
outside of a system.

12. The boundary of a system can be redrawn at will by a system analyst.

13. To be viable, a system must be strongly goal-directed, governed by feedback, and have the
ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

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Webpage created by Joyce Begley 2/99

Reference: Gillies, Dee Ann (1982). Nursing management a systems approach. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 56-
74.