Systems Theory as the Foundation for Understanding Systems

Kevin MacG. Adams, Patrick T. Hester, Joseph M. Bradley, Thomas J. Meyers and Charles B. Keating

Systems Engineering, 2014, vol. 17, issue 1, 112-123

Abstract: As currently used, systems theory is lacking a universally agreed upon definition. The purpose of this paper is to offer a resolution by articulating a formal definition of systems theory. This definition is presented as a unified group of specific propositions which are brought together by way of an axiom set to form a system construct: systems theory. This construct affords systems practitioners and theoreticians with a prescriptive set of axioms by which a system must operate; conversely, any set of entities identified as a system may be characterized by this set of axioms. Given its multidisciplinary theoretical foundation and discipline‐agnostic framework, systems theory, as it is presented here, is posited as a general approach to understanding system behavior. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 17:

Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:syseng:v:17:y:2014:i:1:p:112-123

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