The Systems Approach

Chapter 4, #1, pg. 101

The book tells us that the systems approach "emphasizes the important difference between a disconnected set of parts versus a collection of parts that work together to create a functional whole." Also, that in a system, "the whole is more than the sum of its parts."

Last semester in my BUS 160 class we talked a lot about the function of groups in an organization. One of the main benefits of group work that was pointed out to me is exactly what the system approach tells us, that if people come together with open minds and creative ideas, that the sum of everyone's hard work in the group can be greater than if everyone were working as an individual and there accomplishments were added up. The word my professor used for this extra benefit was "synergy."

Although I don't do much group work in the place I currently work, I saw the presence of synergy in my group work at school. Although San Jose State is a very diverse campus and I could see how this could cause conflict in groups, I think the diversity of the group I was in was the main contributor to the synergy because there was an array of different ideas and suggestions that might not have been present otherwise.