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  *  
    1Origins of the term
  *  
    2Uses
  *  
    3See also
  *  
    4References

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The purpose of a system is what it does

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Systems thinking heuristic

The purpose of a system is what it does (POSIWID) is a systems
thinking heuristic coined by Stafford Beer,^[1] who observed that
there is "no point in claiming that the purpose of a system is to do
what it constantly fails to do."^[2] The term is widely used by
systems theorists, and is generally invoked to counter the notion
that the purpose of a system can be read from the intentions of those
who design, operate, or promote it. When a system's side effects or
unintended consequences reveal that its behavior is poorly
understood, then the POSIWID perspective can balance political
understandings of system behavior with a more straightforwardly
descriptive view.

Origins of the term[edit]

Stafford Beer coined the term POSIWID and used it many times in
public addresses. In his address to the University of Valladolid,
Spain, in October 2001, he said:^[1]

    According to the cybernetician, the purpose of a system is what
    it does. This is a basic dictum. It stands for bald fact, which
    makes a better starting point in seeking understanding than the
    familiar attributions of good intention, prejudices about
    expectations, moral judgment, or sheer ignorance of
    circumstances.

Uses[edit]

From a cybernetic perspective, complex systems are not controllable
by simple notions of management, and interventions in a system can
best be understood by looking at how they affect observed system
behavior. The term is used in many other fields as well, including
biology^[3] and management.^[4] Whereas a cybernetician may apply the
principle to the results inexorably produced by the mechanical
dynamics of an activity system, a management scientist may apply it
to the results produced by the self-interest of actors who play roles
in a business or other institution.

See also[edit]

  * Duck test
  * The proof of the pudding is in the eating (Wiktionary)
  * What is Cybernetics? Conference by Stafford Beer (video
    recording)

References[edit]

 1. ^ ^a ^b Beer, Stafford (2002-01-01). "What is cybernetics?".
    Kybernetes. 31 (2): 209-219. doi:10.1108/03684920210417283. ISSN 
    0368-492X.
 2. ^ Komlos, David; Benjamin, David (2021-09-13). "The Purpose Of A
    System Is What It Does, Not What It Claims To Do". Forbes.
    Archived from the original on 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
 3. ^ Hofmeyr, Jan-Hendrik S. (2007). "The biochemical factory that
    autonomously fabricates itself: A systems biological view of the
    living cell". In Boogerd, Fred C.; et al. (eds.). Systems
    biology : philosophical foundations (1st ed.). Amsterdam:
    Elsevier. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-444-52085-2. OCLC 162587033.
 4. ^ Ward, Aidan; Smith, John (2003). Trust and mistrust : radical
    risk strategies in business relationships. Chichester, West
    Sussex: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-85318-4. OCLC 51966365.

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