13 quotes
A systems approach begins when first you see the world through the eyes of another.
The Systems Approach (1968)
The problem of systems improvement is the problem of the 'ethics of the whole system'.
The Systems Approach (1968)
When one is considering systems it's always wise to raise questions about the most obvious and simple assumptions.
The Systems Approach (1968)
We are always obliged to think about the larger system. If we fail to do this, then our thinking becomes fallacious.
The Systems Approach (1968)
How can we design improvement in large systems without understanding the whole system, and if we the answer is that we cannot, how is it possible to understand the whole system?
The Systems Approach (1968)
There are no experts in the systems approach
The Systems Approach (1968)
The ultimate meaning of the systems approach, therefore, lies in the creation of a theory of deception and in a fuller understanding of the ways in which the human being can be deceived about his world and in an interaction between these different viewpoints.
The Systems Approach (1968)
However a systems problem is solved—by a planner, scientist, politician, antiplanner, or whomever—the solution is wrong, even dangerously wrong. There is bound to be deception in any approach to the system.
The Systems Approach (1968)
The systems approach is not a bad idea
The Systems Approach (1968)
The idea of a ‘system approach’ is both quite popular and quite unpopular. It’s popular because it sounds good to say that the whole system is being considered, but it’s quite unpopular because it sounds either like a lot of nonsense or else downright dangerous – so much evil can be created under the guise of serving the whole.
The Systems Approach (1968)
It is sheer nonsense to expect that any human being has yet been able to attain such insight into the problems of society that he can really identify the central problems and determine how they should be solved. The systems in which we live are far too complicated as yet for our intellectual powers and technology to understand.
The Systems Approach (1968)
In general, we can say that the larger the system becomes, the more the parts interact, the more difficult it is to understand environmental constraints, the more obscure becomes the problem of what resources should be made available, and deepest of all, the more difficult becomes the problem of the legitimate values of the system.
The Systems Approach (1968)
The management of a system has to deal with the generation of the plans for the system, i.e., consideration of all of the things we have discussed, the overall goals, the environment, the utilization of resources and the components. The management sets the component goals, allocates the resources, and controls the system performance.
The Systems Approach (1968)