Systems theory Open is a system that has external interactions. These interactions can take the form of information, energy or matter transferred inside or outside of said system, which depends on the discipline in which the concept is defined. An open system contrasts with the concept of an isolated system, which does not exchange matter or information with its environment. A system open It is also known as a constant volume system or a floating system.
Energy import.
Open systems import some form of energy from the external environment. Social organizations must capture new supplies of energy from other institutions, people, or the material environment.
Transformation.
Open systems transform the energy they have available. The organization either creates a new product or processes materials or trains people or provides a service. Activities that involve some type of reorganization of the input.
Output
Open systems export some product to their environment. The continuity of product output from the system depends on the receptivity of that environment
The product exported to the environment provides the source of energy for the repetition of the cycle of activities. Cycles are easier to observe in systems that have physical limits such as the human body. There is a closing point in the chain of events for the cycle to repeat itself, which does not mean the necessary similarity of the events. The cycles can be combined to give rise to a huge structure.
Negative entropy
The input-transformation-output cycle is a negative entropy cycle, which is essential for the survival of the open system. Social organisms, unlike biological ones, can counteract the entropic process almost indefinitely, although there are many of them that disappear.
Informative inputs, negative feedback and the coding process
The inputs are not only energetic but also have an informative nature and provide the structure with signals about the environment and its own functioning in relation to the environment. The simplest type of informational input is negative feedback. The coding process has to do with how selective the system is in its reception of inputs, a process that simplifies everything that comes from the outside into basic categories that make sense for a given system. The nature of the functions that the system executes is what determines its coding mechanisms and these perpetuate this type of operation.
State of constancy and homeostasis
Surviving open systems are characterized by a state of constancy that does not mean quiescence or true equilibrium but rather that the rate of energy exchange and the relationships between the parts remains the same. At complex levels, systems act against entropy through growth and expansion; the state of constancy tries to be preserved through growth itself. Homeostatic adjustment processes do not always aim to return to the previous state but, in certain circumstances, they can establish a new baseline on which subsequent fluctuations take place.
Differentiation
Open systems move in the direction of differentiation and elaboration. Fuzzy global guidelines are replaced by specialized functions.
Integration and coordination
As differentiation progresses it is neutralized by processes that bring the system together for a unified function. Unification in social systems that can be achieved, according to Georgopoulos (1975) in 2 ways:
- coordination, which involves the addition of various resources to ensure the functional articulation of tasks and roles
- Integration means achieving unification through shared norms and values.
Equifinality
Characteristic principle of every open system. A system can reach the same final state from different initial conditions and by different paths.
As open systems move toward regulatory mechanisms to control their own operations, the amount of equifinality may be reduced.