THE SYSTEMS CONCEPT-1

A system has the following components: 

1.      A number of parts of sub-systems which when put together in a specific manner form a whole system

2.      Boundaries within which it exists

3.      A specific goal or goals. This goal is expressed in terms of an output which is achieved by receiving input and processing it to form the output

4.      Close inter-relationship and inter-dependency amongst the various sub-systems

 

The inter-relationship of the sub-systems can be define in terms of: 

• The flows which exist among them, such as flow of information, money, materials, etc. The most important of these is the information flow which we shall discuss in the next section.
• The structure within which they related to each other. This structure may be physical, geographic or organizational and shall be dealt with in the section entitled ‘organizing’.
• The procedures by which the sub-systems relate to one another. By procedures we mean those planned activities which affect the performance of the entire system. In the context of an organization, this refers to planning and we shall discuss these under the heading ‘planning’
• The feedback and the control process and mechanisms which exist to ensure that the system is moving towards its desired objectives. In this unit, we have dealt with this in the section on controlling.