From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Systems thinking involves the use of various techniques to study systems of many kinds. It includes studying things in a holistic way, rather than purely reductionist techniques. It aims to gain insights into the whole by understanding the linkages, interactions and processes between the elements that comprise the whole "system".
Systems thinkers consider that:
- a "system" is a dynamic and complex whole, interacting as a structured functional unit in equilibrium
- information flows between the different elements that compose the system
- a system is a community situated within an environment
- information flows from and to the surrounding environment via semi-permeable membranes or boundaries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_system provides further detail.