February 17 is the thirty-third meeting for Systems Thinking Ontario.
Inherent in systems thinking is the interdependence of diverse components and their interaction to produce something new – seemingly, something of higher order – a “System”. And despite the diversity of influences attributable to the parts – we nevertheless conceive of the system as a singular whole that moves – in at least some respects – as one. In governing this emergent “movement” of the system toward some effect or outcome - are there discernible patterns of interdependence and interaction of components that transcend the material composition of the system or the scale at which it operates?
The following readings are drawn from diverse realms and speak in their own ways to this theme of systems governing systems.
Warren McCulloch's paper A Heterarchy of Values Determined by the Topology of Nervous Nets published in the 1945 Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics.
Media pieces about Holacracy at Zappos:
For supplemental readings - and, in part to note the passing of Marvin Minsky last month - some related excerpts from his book The Society of Mind:
S_of_M_Excerpt_1
S_of_M_Excerpt_2
Participants should not feel limited to the suggested readings, but should recognize that other attendees may have not read, or are reading differently, that content.
Bloggers are encouraged to write about their learning and experiences at the meeting. Links will be added to this page.