We talked about systemic purpose a bit, but let’s take a closer look at it. A key to understanding any system is knowing its purpose, either as a separate entity or in relation to a larger system of which it is a part. In human-made (or mechanical) systems, the intended purpose is usually explicit and reasonably clear, at least at the outset. The purpose of a washing machine, for example, is to wash clothes. The washing system is designed so that all the components work together to accomplish that purpose as effectively as possible.1 In mechanical systems, the purpose is usually “hard-wired” into the design and therefore does not evolve over time. Your car, for example, was designed to take you places and will continue to operate with that purpose (provided you do your part in taking regular care of it). You’ll never encounter a situation where you wake up one morning and your car has changed its purpose to be a lawnmower (though it may turn into a big, heavy, unmoving paperweight!).

 

    Living (or natural) systems, on the other hand, are continually evolving and have the capacity to change their purpose, temporarily or permanently. For example, one of the most basic assumptions people make about animals is that they are driven only by survival instincts and the need to pass on their genes. As we deepen our understanding of nature, however, scientists are discovering that many animals seem to have much more complex set of purposes—some of them quite social—that govern their behavior. (Of course, we humans take it for granted that we have higher purposes beyond survival.)

 

    Natural and social systems can be far more difficult to understand than nonliving systems, because we can never know for sure what their purpose or design is. As a result of this inability to truly know their purpose and design, we tend to take actions in these systems without really understanding the impact of our actions on the system. Whenever we do this, we risk causing a breakdown of the system. For example, people smoked tobacco for years before it was discovered that one of smoking’s long-term consequences is lung cancer. Even though we had a fairly good understanding of the purpose of our lungs, we did not have a sufficient understanding of how the lungs worked and what impact smoking would have on them—and us—over a long period of time. Since we aren’t the designers of the human body, we have to learn about how it works as a system largely by trial and error. Similarly, farmers have had to learn about ecological systems in much the same way, and managers struggle with organizational behavior for the same reasons. Like the human body, nature and human social systems don’t come with an owner’s manual.

 

    Despite our ignorance about natural and social systems, we still can’t seem to resist attributing some purpose to them. We even tend to impose a purpose on natural systems and then behave toward them in a way that is consistent with that purpose. For example, in some countries, people view dogs as pets for families to enjoy. In such regions, people might treat dogs almost as members of the family. In other parts of the world, dogs are seen as a source of food, and people treat them accordingly. In both situations, the practices toward dogs are consistent with each different, perceived purpose. Neither viewpoint is intrinsically right or wrong, although each may seem wrong when viewed through the “lens” of the other.

 

    Clearly, there are lots of systems to choose from if you want to study systemic behavior. But as we will see, social systems make up the most complex class of systems—which you probably already know from direct experience in trying to manage some of them!