ABSTRACT
System is defined in [MeWe03] as a regularly interacting group of items (or set of elements) forming a unified whole.1
In the narrower sense, a system describes complex phenomena in the real world, such as the solar system or the periodic table of the chemical elements. But also abstract phenomena can be described as systems, such as
Numerical systems or systems of equations in mathematics Theories and models Electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic systems Social systems The organization of a company or the national economy
In the following, a company is understood as a sociotechnical system. The elements themselves — that is, the human beings (the focus of the social part system), production machines, materials, and so on (the focus of the technical part system) — and their relationships both within the system and with the surrounding systems (environment) are complex in nature. Parts of a company, for example production, can also be viewed as systems.
