LUDWIG

VON
BERTALANFF
Credentials and
Background
Born in September 19, 1901 in Artzgerdof near Vienna.
Came from distinguish family which included many scholars and court
officials.
He's an only child educated at home by private tutors until he was 10.
1918: S tarted his studies at the university in philosophy and art
history, first at the University of Innsbruck and then at the university
of Vienna. 1926: Finish his PhD thesis which translated: "Fechner and
the problem of higher order integrations", on the psychologists and
philosopher Gustav Theodor Fechner
1934: Received his habilitation in "theoretical biology". Bertalanffy
was appointed Privatdozent at the University of Vienna.
Credentials and
Background
1938: He joined the Nazi Party which facilitated his promotion
to professor at the university of Vienna in 1940.
Between 1954-1955: He was a senior fellow at the Center for
Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.
1961: He returned to Canada as the professor of theoretical biology
at the University of Alberta.
1969: He left Alberta to join the staff of the newly Formed Center
for
Theoretical Biology at University of Buffalo, N.Y where he died in 1972.
Today, he is considered to be a founder and one of the
principal authors of the interdisciplinary school start known as General
System Theory.
 What is General
Systems
Thoery?
It is a transdisciplinary study of the abstract
organization of phenomena, independent of their
substance, type or spatial or temporal scale of
existence.
It is a theory that sees an organization as a set
of interrelated and interdependent parts.
Bertalanffy (1969): "The concept that systems cannot
be reduced to a series of parts functioning in isolation,
but that, in order to understand the whole, one must
He believed that a general systems
model could be use to unite science.
It focuses on understanding the
organization as an open system that
transforms input into output. Also on
the organization as a whole, its
interaction with the environment,
and its need to achieve equilibrium.
It also positioned itself as
transdisciplinary rather than
interdisciplinary.
Interd isc ip lina ry mea ns to
intera c t between disciplines,
whereas
t ra nsd isc ip lina ry refers to g o ing
beyond or across disciplines.
This theory was generally
interpreted to be equilibrium-
o riented a nd fund a menta lly
sta tic , particularly as
interpreted in mid
2 0 th century functionally
sociology.
The basic idea behind Systems Theory is, “The whole is greater than
the sum of its parts.” It is a general science of wholeness.
Describes "how to break whole things into parts and then to learn
how the parts work together in systems".
This theory also attempts to provide the alternative to conventional
models of organization. It also defined new foundations and
developments as a general theory of system with applications to
numerous areas of study emphasizing: holism over reductionism;
organism over mechanism.
This theory also introduce key concepts such as open and closed systems
stressing the role and importance of context and environment equifinality,
or the way systems can reach the same goal through different paths,
and Isomorphisms or structural, behavioral, and developmental features
that are shared across systems.
 Premises of
the Systems
Theory
Organizations, like living organisms are made up
of numerous component subsytems that must
work together in harmony for the larger system
to succeed.
Systems theory states that organizational
success relies on synergy, interrelations and
interdependence between different subsytems.
Departments, work groups, business units,
facilities and individual employess can all be
considered component systems of
 CHARACTERISTICS
OF SYSTEMS
THEORY
COMMUNICATION
Communication mechanisms must be put in place for
organizational systems to exchange relevant
information with its environment.
Provides for the flow of information among the
subsystems.
SYSTEMS, SUBSYSTEMS AND
SUPERSYSTEMS
Systems: set of interrelated parts that turn inputs into outputs
through processing.
Subsytems: step that does the processing of objectives within
an organization
BOUNDARIE
S
Separates system from its
environment. Four types of
boundaries:
Physical Boundary - prevents access (security
systems) Linguistic Boundary - specialized
language (jargon)
Psychological Systemic Boundary - rules that
Boundary
GOAL-DIRECTEDNESS
regulate interaction (titles)
Systems are goal oriented and engage in feedback in order to
meet the goals of the organization.
HOLISTIC VIEW
Systems theory focuses on the arrangement of and relations beween
the
parts that connect them into a whole.
Mutual interaction of the parts the whole bigger than the
makes themselves. parts
INPUT BASIC ELEMENTS
Maintenance Inputs -
energic imports that sustain the
OF A SYSTEM
system.
Production Inputs - energic imports
THROUGHPUT
which are processed to yield a
productive outcome. Work done on those resources used
to
produce a product.
OUTPU
T
Exit or change exiting the PROCESS
system.
System returns the product to
the Provides a series of mechanical
environmen
t. chemica or on
l
order operation
to change or preserve something
it. s in
 BASIC ELEMENTS
OF A SYSTEM
FEEDBACK
Information about a reaction to a
product
Used as basis for
improvement Can be:
Positive Feedback - move
from status quo
Negative Feedback - return
to status quo
 TYPES OF A
SYSTEM
OPEN SYSTEM
Continuously interacts with the environment.
There is exchange of materials, energies
and information with the environent.

CLOSED SYSTEM
Theoretical systems that do not interact with
the environment.
Not influenced by surroundings.
 Principles of General System
Theory and its Application in
PRINCIPLE Nursing
OF WHOLENESS
It is the core of General system theory , this principle provides the
guidance or methodology to us in order that we can study all kinds
of objects effectively.

PRINCIPLE OF OPTIMIZATION
To achieve an optimal state in certain condition and to perform its
best function by organization and coordination.
Local effect must obey whole effect:
Insisting multipolar optimization
To combine the Absoluteness and relatively of optimization
PRINCIPLE OF MODELING
Modeling is to design a model similar to a real system first , then to describe
and understand the characterization and level of real system by studying the
model .
Concrete Model: to reproduce a prototype by using a similar model in some
degree and forms eg. CPR model
Abstract Model: the reflect the similar relation of a prototype of a system by
non objective forms of language, symbol and diagram, such as Nursing
diagnosis.
Structural Model: describe the structural relation among elements in real system in
the form similar to the structure of a prototype , such as the model of hierarchy of
needs theory
Functional model: describe the movement process similar to a prototype in
certain members and to find out manners of systems in movement operations eg.
 REFERENCE
S
Mhango, C. 2015. SlideShare-Systems Theory. https://
www.slideshare.net/Charliengo/systems-theory-55924204
Behera, A.K. 2016. SlideShare-System Theory By Von
Bertalanffy.
https://
www.slideshare.net/AshisKumarBehera1/system-theory-by-von-bertalanffy
Capuyan, M.L. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZRrZUYjTwQ
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