Prm Evaluation of the systems approach

8/18/2019 Prm Evaluation of the systems approach

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A system has been generally defined by scholars as a collection of parts unified to accomplish an

overall goal. This therefore means that if one part is removed, the nature of the system is changed

as well. A typical example is a functioning car which is a system; however, the car ceases to be a

working car if one of its parts, for example the carburetor is removed. Therefore in an industrial

set up, a system can be looked at as having inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes and if any of

these is removed, it therefore ceases to be a system. Systems approach was then defined by

Checkland !"#!$ as the trans%disciplinary study of the abstract organi&ation of phenomena,

independent of their substance, type, or spatial or temporal scale of existence. 't investigates both

the principles common to all complex entities, and the usually mathematical$ models which can

be used to describe them. 't is therefore the duty of the essay to show whether the systems

approach is still applicable in today(s organisations or not as it unfolds.

The systems approach is important in the general management analysis, the reason being that it

consists of the open and closed systems. )udwing !"*+$ postulates that there are two basic types

of systems which are open and closed systems where the closed system is not influenced by and

don(t interact with its environment whereas the open system interact with its environment.

obbins and Coutler -+!$ assert that the systems approach recogni&es that organisations are

not self%contained. They rely on their environment for essential inputs and as outlets to absorb

their outputs. /o organisation can survive for long if it ignores government regulations, supplier

relations, or the varied external constituencies upon which it depends. Taking this into

consideration, it shows that the systems approach to management is still applicable in today(s

organisations since most, if not all organisations interact with their environments though it may

differ with the degree0level of interaction. 1ost organisations also take into consideration the

situational factors they are exposed to for them to determine their levels of production as noted

by 2eer et al !"#3$ in his 4avard 1odel of 41. This therefore shows that for 5elta 2everages

to boost its productivity, there is need for it to consider the environment where it is operating in

as to who are their targeted customers for it to determine the number of products they should produce for its customers. This information therefore gives credibility to the systems approach to

management in today(s organisations since they have an open system which enables them to

interact with their environments.


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6n the same note, Chand -++3$ articulates that an organisation is a dynamic system as it is

responsive to its environment that is it is vulnerable to change in its environment. This therefore

implies that most organisations are open systems since they consider changes in their

environments and devise some strategies and methods for them to survive in the market and

attain a competitive advantage on the market. A typical example is the Tenda 2us Company

which considered changes in its environment on the bus models, making it change from the

A.7.1 models to the 869T6/: models for it to remain marketable and meet the capacity of

competing on the market. This therefore brings home the fact that the systems approach to

management is still applicable in today(s organisations since most organisations are considering

changes in their environments.

1oreover, according to Chand -++3$ a system does not exist in a vacuum. This implies that a

system receives information, material and energy from other systems as inputs. These inputs

undergo a transformation process within a system and leave the system as output to other

systems. 2ringing this scenario in an organisational situation, every manufacturing industry

reuires inputs which would include resources such as raw materials, money, technologies and

people. These inputs go through a process where they(re planned, organi&ed, motivated and

controlled, ultimately to meet the organi&ation(s goals. 6utputs would be products or services to

a market. Taking for instance )obels 2akery, there is need for inputs which are the necessary

ingredients needed for baking, the process of baking as well as the outputs which is the final

product which has to go for the market. This therefore shows that without either of these sub%

systems, there is no production since they complement each other for the achievement of one

complete thing. Another fact worth noting is that the organisational structure is also made up of

sub%systems which include the managers, the actors among others for it to be a once complete

organisation. Therefore these sub%systems work hand in hand for the fulfilment of the

organisational goals and ob


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Additionally, 5unlop;!""$ articulates that actors make up the industrial relations system and

are a hierarchy of management and their representatives in supervision and a hierarchy of

workers that is non%managerial and their spokesmen, also the speciali&ed government agencies

and speciali&ed private agencies created by the first two actors, concerned with workers,

enterprise and their relationship. The systems approach has it that there must be a good

relationship between the actors; this approach gives the employees freedom to form workers

committees and to


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?urthermore, the systems approach has it that for an organi&ation to survive there must be a link

between all sub%systems for example the link between top management and 4uman esources

1anagement, this link is vertical link. 4uman esources 1anagement in an organi&ation is

concerned with the management of people who are inputs as assets that are fundamental to the

achievement of the organi&ation(s obimbabwe(s

rewarding system and training system was ad


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approach which is used to manage a group of teenagers can be different to that of the adults.

Contingency thinking avoids the classical @one best way arguments and recogni&es the need to

understand situational differences and respond appropriately to them. 2y this information one is

made to say that the systems approach might not be the only way to think of business

management in today(s business environment

1oreover, the systems approach to management has its own limitations to be applicable for

business management in today(s business environment. This simply because systems approach as

a system if one sub%system is experiencing problems the whole system will be affected. Taking

for instance, if one part of a machine is removed from the machine, the machine will cease to

function as one complete machine. 'n an organi&ational situation, if an employee is sick this will

affect the organi&ation because he0she will go for sick leave and this will disrupt productivity in

the organi&ation. 'f another department in an organisation is not functioning well, it will also

affect the organisation as a system hence affecting the concept of the systems approach to

management of being a system which consists of sub%systems operating together. 'f the

organi&ation hires an unexperienced and unualified employee; this will affect the process and

outcome systems of the organi&ation hence, showing that the systems approach to management

might be limited in its applicability to business management in today(s business environment.

'n summation, the essay has highlighted that the systems approach to management is applicable

in today(s business environment. Boints to support include that it focuses on the aspect of the

open and closed system which are applicable in the >imbabwean context and the fact that the

system also consist of sub%systems which make up a one complete system. 4owever, the systems

approach to management has its own limitations which include that it does not adeuately

specify the interdependence and nature of interaction between an organisation and its

environment among other aspects highlighted in the essay above.


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?/CS.

2eer et al !"#3$.

Chand, S. -++3$. 1anagement.

Checkland, B. !"#!$. Systems Thinking, Systems Bractice, Chichester, 9DE Fohn =iley G Sons.

5unlop.F !""$ Industrial Relations Systems. r.d. /ew8ork. 4avard 2usiness School Bress

)udwing, 7.2. !"*+$.

obbins, S.B. and Coutler, 1. -+!$. 1anagement !!th dition, /ew8ork.

Sission and Story F,-+++$ H4uman esource 1anagement and 'ndustrial elations( In Journal of

Management Studies.7olume -3,issue I,pp I+%I-!.

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Prm Evaluation of the systems approach

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