“A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something”1. A system has:
- elements
- interconnections
- a function or purpose
A system is more than the sum of its parts. It may exhibit adaptive, dynamic, goal-seeking, self-preserving, and sometimes evolutionary behavior1.
1. Meadows, D. H. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. (Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, Vt, 2008).