ABSTRACT

A living organism can survive only by exchanging materials with its environment: by being an open system. Drawing on the work of Kurt Lewin and of Miller and Rice, this chapter posits organisations as open systems, in which boundaries must be solid enough to separate ‘inside from outside’ but permeable enough for regulated environmental exchanges. In this model, the management function is located at the boundary of the system, rather than in a more traditional organisational ‘pyramid’. Through a number of simple diagrams, the various complex systems at work in organisations are illustrated. The ordering of different activities is determined by the primary task – complicated in the human services where there may be conflicting views on this from inside and outside. Case studies demonstrate the difficulties arising from inadequate task definition, and how organisational design (where system boundaries are drawn) can support or inhibit achieving the task.