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# Towards a System of Systems Concepts

## Details

**Authors** Ackoff

**Year** 1971

**Publisher** Management Science

**Discipline** Philosophy

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.17.11.661) 
10.1287/mnsc.17.11.661

## In authors' words

### Abstract

The concepts and terms commonly used to talk about systems have not themselves been organized into a system. An attempt to do so is made here. System and the most important types of system are defined so that differences and similarities are made explicit. Particular attention is given to that type of system of most interest to management scientists: organizations. The relationship between a system and its parts is considered and a proposition is put forward that all systems are either variety-increasing or variety-decreasing relative to the behavior of its parts.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

To organize the systems terminology into a system.

### What they found (results)

The “systems approach” to solving complex problems, is to look at the whole, not each of the individual parts. The properties of the systems, Ackoff stated, comes from the relationships between a System and its parts. He notes that the way the parts of a System interact and behave with each other leads to the emerging properties of that System.

## Commentary

### In short

One can and should apply systems thinking to systems thinking.

### In more detail

Ackoff (1971) explored organizing Systems concepts and ideas into its own System. He notes that part and whole are some of the key tools used to understand and evaluate systems across fields. The

“systems approach” to solving complex problems, is to look at the whole, not each of the individual parts. The properties of the systems, Ackoff stated, comes from the relationships between a System and its parts. He notes that the way the parts of a System interact and behave with each other leads to the emerging properties of that System. He also said that “all systems are either variety- increasing or variety-decreasing relative to the behavior of its parts.” The way parts of a system relate to one another, according to Ackoff, is through observation and communication. In his concluding remarks Ackoff said “Systems thinking, if anything, should be carried out systematically.”

**Patterns it shows** S

**How to cite this** Ackoff (1971). Towards a System of Systems Concepts. Management Science.