The company as a complex system

Question 1

There is a system-oriented view on management, so - what exactly is a system?

Answer 1

The company is understood as a complex system and is placed within a management frame of reference. The basis here is a conceptual understanding of the system as a ‘whole consisting of elements’.

Question 2

What are elements in management?

Answer 2

Components of a system

Question 3

Name 4 examples of a tangible element

Answer 3

products, real estate, machinery and infrastructure, etc.

Question 4

Name 3 examples of a intangible element

Answer 4

processes, organizational units, communication principles, etc.

Question 5

What is the decisive factor for the system property of a ‘whole consisting of elements’?

Answer 5

It is distinguishable from the environment

Question 6

When is a system described as complex?

Answer 6

When the manifold system elements interact in a variety of ways that are only partially predictable and have a specific, dynamic relationship to one another. A system must be diverse, unpredictable, dynamic and variable in order to be considered complex. It requires networking relationships or interactions of the (numerous) system elements with each other.

Question 7

Is the behavior of complex systems predictable?

Answer 7

Yes, but only to a very limited extent

Question 8

On what is the viability of a complex system dependent on?

Answer 8

Structural influence by ordering forces (necessity of leadership by structures).
*Note: Just because complex systems have limits on predictability and influence from executives, does NOT mean that what happens in complex systems is arbitrary, chaotic and unpredictable