Exploring Systems Approaches to Innovation Management From Second‐Order Science in the West and China: System of Systems and TiXi

Qian Chen, Jin Chen and Mats Magnusson

Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 2025, vol. 42, issue 4, 1098-1114

Abstract: Despite substantial contextual differences between the West and China, systems approaches have been recognized as essential for addressing complex and dynamic management challenges, particularly within the field of innovation. However, most previous studies are rooted in traditional cybernetics within the framework of first‐order science, which is characterized by linear processes and stable elements. To tackle complex and dynamic challenges in innovation management, a shift of systems approaches towards second‐order science is required in both the Western and Chinese contexts. This shift would pave the way for new research areas and potentially new disciplines, where complexity and dynamics are embraced rather than avoided. In the Western context, a related topic is system of systems (SoS), whereas in China, the corresponding Chinese term is TiXi. Given that second‐order science has the potential to foster novelty and innovation, this study aims to explore the systems approach to innovation management through the lens of second‐order science in both the West and China, with a particular focus on SoS and TiXi, and address three important questions: (1) What are the key common and different attributes of SoS in the West and TiXi in China? (2) What are the paradigms of innovation management in the West and China that reflect the attributes of the SoS and TiXi? (3) What are the theoretical implications of SoS and TiXi for future research on innovation management?

Date: 2025
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