Glossary

From the perspective of systems-centred work, interplay in the world is the core of all dynamics and effects. Every act is followed by a consequence that in turn also has an effect on what follows, and so on. Everything is connected to everything else, and affects everything else. Systems include not only people but also all living creatures: the natural world, as well as organisations and projects that are developed and led by people. Viewed in the overall context, organisations can also be seen as microsystems in which the mutual impact of individual factors in the system can be more quickly and directly observed than in the global view. Whether a company is flourishing or not can be attributed (from a systemic viewpoint) to the systemic factors that flowed into it from the founder(s), or to the additional ‘information’ (systemic influences) that is introduced by system-relevant individuals. Thus, systems comprise multifarious pieces of information. Negative information leads to dysfunctions that can damage the company. But all other systems, such as the family, partnership or your own body, can also be damaged by a mass of negative, undiscovered information. This is why systems-centred work focuses on finding the negative information and removing it from the system’s structure.