Systems intelligence
Encyclopedia
Systems intelligence is human action that connects sensitivity about a systemic environment with systems thinking
, thus spurring a person's problem solving
capabilities and invoking performance and productivity in everyday situations. Systems intelligence, abbreviated SI, is intelligent behavior in complex system
s, that are often human in nature. Key concepts a person uses when acting systems intelligently are perception
of systemic occurrencies, feedback
from the system's structure and interaction
with the system's agents and subsystems.
, Finland
, fall 2002. The author-editors of the first publications on SI were professors Raimo P. Hämäläinen
and Esa Saarinen
. In spring 2006, numerous publications and three books have been written from this field, which by the influence of Hämäläinen and Saarinen, applies an open source
spirit, or Socratic accessible-to-all-philosophy, to further the field of SI research. The original authors allow students and scholars contribute to the field in various seminars and interdisciplinary research groups to bring intuition and experience from various aspects of life.
Although systems intelligence has received wide academic research interest in its part, the original authors do not intend to confine systems intelligence research into academic circles only, but allow a rather non-canonical attitude towards development of the field. A central idea in development of the SI concept is attracting ideas and insights from different aspects of professional and private human lives.
in all humans. It is a capacity that anyone can reveal, if one
Thus, two main themes in systems intelligence are producing great positive outcomes, and avoiding negatives. The negative outcomes usually emerge accidentally from the dynamics of the systems; in other words, if action were more systems intelligent, the negative outcomes wouldn't have occurred at all. These outcomes ordinarily occur because human actors are inflected to approve their existence in the first place, thus being blind for betterment. Being systems intelligent is as easy as driving an automobile in a curve, but being blind for the dynamics of the system (that is, not knowing that you must turn the wheel to control the system) may lead the driver into the roadside. The paradox with humans acting in natural systems, such as relationships and organizations, is that they are more prone to drive out from the road than be clever enough to turn the wheel for safety.
One must also recognize the inverse opportunity: an impetus given, however petite, may entail giant positive outcomes, stemming from the invisible dynamics of the environment and people engaged into it. This phenomenon, entitled super-productivity, again requires awareness of the systemic environment.
Systems intelligence is not a tool
one can acquire for some specific task, but rather a behavioral axiom that one uses without knowledge about it. The symptom that systems intelligence is not usually present in different situations (see Examples) is to be blamed of the systemic environment itself. Systems intelligence is also a form of intelligence
in a human, that is measurable and comparable; if one knows how to engage in super-productivity, they are more systems intelligent than those who are trapped in producing only negative outcomes and ordinary performance.
, but while systems thinking is a mental model
that one can use as a tool, systems intelligence is an intrinsic type of intelligence in a human being.
Hämäläinen and Saarinen highlight the difference between systems thinking and systems intelligence via a hierarchical five-level model of systems intelligence. The levels for the amount of systems intelligence in a person are
The more levels a person is able to handle, the more systems intelligent he or she is. A person equipped only with the mental model of systems thinking is left at level 1, while systems intelligence is needed in every level after that.
in the field of systems thinking. Other works strongly referred to in the SI research are authors ranging from Howard Gardner
to Herbert Simon
to Marcial Losada
. The following research areas have influenced and been referred to in the SI research:
One notable influence comes from action research
, which basically means research done inside the research objective, on a continuous basis, learning from one's action.
and pedagogics. Since systems intelligence is application intensive in nature, one of its main missions is to connect the best practices of various, seemingly nonrelated fields, into one scientifically solid theory. The following fields can benefit from SI research:
Systems thinking
Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. In nature, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish...
, thus spurring a person's problem solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
capabilities and invoking performance and productivity in everyday situations. Systems intelligence, abbreviated SI, is intelligent behavior in complex system
Complex system
A complex system is a system composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibit one or more properties not obvious from the properties of the individual parts....
s, that are often human in nature. Key concepts a person uses when acting systems intelligently are perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
of systemic occurrencies, feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
from the system's structure and interaction
Interaction
Interaction is a kind of action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect upon one another. The idea of a two-way effect is essential in the concept of interaction, as opposed to a one-way causal effect...
with the system's agents and subsystems.
Origins of Systems Intelligence
The concept was formulated in the Laboratory of Systems Analysis at the Helsinki University of TechnologyHelsinki University of Technology
Aalto University School of Science and Technology , was the temporary name for Helsinki University of Technology during the process of forming the Aalto University...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, fall 2002. The author-editors of the first publications on SI were professors Raimo P. Hämäläinen
Raimo Hämäläinen
Raimo P. Hämäläinen is a professor of Applied Mathematics and Operations Research at the Helsinki University of Technology , Finland...
and Esa Saarinen
Esa Saarinen
Esa Saarinen is a Finnish philosopher who is currently professor of applied philosophy at Aalto University and co-director of the Systems Intelligence Research Group....
. In spring 2006, numerous publications and three books have been written from this field, which by the influence of Hämäläinen and Saarinen, applies an open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
spirit, or Socratic accessible-to-all-philosophy, to further the field of SI research. The original authors allow students and scholars contribute to the field in various seminars and interdisciplinary research groups to bring intuition and experience from various aspects of life.
Although systems intelligence has received wide academic research interest in its part, the original authors do not intend to confine systems intelligence research into academic circles only, but allow a rather non-canonical attitude towards development of the field. A central idea in development of the SI concept is attracting ideas and insights from different aspects of professional and private human lives.
Key ideas
Systems intelligence is an innate traitTrait
Trait may refer to:* Trait, a characteristic or property of some object* Trait , which involve genes and characteristics of organisms* Trait theory, an approach to the psychological study of personality...
in all humans. It is a capacity that anyone can reveal, if one
- accepts that the world consists of a complex web of interacting relationships, to which everyone contributes
- engages the holistic feedback mechanism of the environment, and in this way, accepts the presence of systems by systems thinking
- sees the environment as feedback intensive, and manages to act intelligently, or rationallyRationalityIn philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
, in it - interacts with the environment in a way that makes minor corrections in the systems, generating huge effects due to the nonlinear dynamicsDynamical systemA dynamical system is a concept in mathematics where a fixed rule describes the time dependence of a point in a geometrical space. Examples include the mathematical models that describe the swinging of a clock pendulum, the flow of water in a pipe, and the number of fish each springtime in a...
of the system
Thus, two main themes in systems intelligence are producing great positive outcomes, and avoiding negatives. The negative outcomes usually emerge accidentally from the dynamics of the systems; in other words, if action were more systems intelligent, the negative outcomes wouldn't have occurred at all. These outcomes ordinarily occur because human actors are inflected to approve their existence in the first place, thus being blind for betterment. Being systems intelligent is as easy as driving an automobile in a curve, but being blind for the dynamics of the system (that is, not knowing that you must turn the wheel to control the system) may lead the driver into the roadside. The paradox with humans acting in natural systems, such as relationships and organizations, is that they are more prone to drive out from the road than be clever enough to turn the wheel for safety.
One must also recognize the inverse opportunity: an impetus given, however petite, may entail giant positive outcomes, stemming from the invisible dynamics of the environment and people engaged into it. This phenomenon, entitled super-productivity, again requires awareness of the systemic environment.
Systems intelligence is not a tool
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
one can acquire for some specific task, but rather a behavioral axiom that one uses without knowledge about it. The symptom that systems intelligence is not usually present in different situations (see Examples) is to be blamed of the systemic environment itself. Systems intelligence is also a form of intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
in a human, that is measurable and comparable; if one knows how to engage in super-productivity, they are more systems intelligent than those who are trapped in producing only negative outcomes and ordinary performance.
Systems intelligence vs. systems thinking
One often encountered criticism of systems intelligence is its vocabular similarity to systems thinking. Systems intelligence has its foundations on systems thinking, especially in the research conducted by Peter SengePeter Senge
Peter Michael Senge is an American scientist and director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is known as author of the book The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization from 1990...
, but while systems thinking is a mental model
Mental model
A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. It is a representation of the surrounding world, the relationships between its various parts and a person's intuitive perception about his or her own acts and their consequences...
that one can use as a tool, systems intelligence is an intrinsic type of intelligence in a human being.
Hämäläinen and Saarinen highlight the difference between systems thinking and systems intelligence via a hierarchical five-level model of systems intelligence. The levels for the amount of systems intelligence in a person are
- Seeing oneself in a system, or being aware of the systemic environment with systems thinking.
- Thinking about systems intelligence, or being aware that possibilities for productivity stem from the interaction with oneself and the system.
- Managing systems intelligence, or exercising productive ways of behaviour in the system.
- Sustaining systems intelligence, or exercising productivity in the long run.
- Leadership with systems intelligence, or initiating and leading organizations that are systems intelligent.
The more levels a person is able to handle, the more systems intelligent he or she is. A person equipped only with the mental model of systems thinking is left at level 1, while systems intelligence is needed in every level after that.
Influential work
Systems intelligence follows from the revolutionary research conducted by Peter SengePeter Senge
Peter Michael Senge is an American scientist and director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is known as author of the book The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization from 1990...
in the field of systems thinking. Other works strongly referred to in the SI research are authors ranging from Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner
Howard Earl Gardner is an American developmental psychologist who is a professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero and author of over twenty books translated into thirty languages. Since 1995, he has...
to Herbert Simon
Herbert Simon
Herbert Alexander Simon was an American political scientist, economist, sociologist, and psychologist, and professor—most notably at Carnegie Mellon University—whose research ranged across the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, computer science, public administration, economics,...
to Marcial Losada
Marcial Losada
Marcial Losada is the founder and executive director of Meta Learning, a consulting organization that develops high performance teams. As director of the Center for Advanced Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he developed a novel approach to study working teams...
. The following research areas have influenced and been referred to in the SI research:
- systems theorySystems theorySystems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research...
and systems thinkingSystems thinkingSystems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. In nature, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish... - neuroanatomyNeuroanatomyNeuroanatomy is the study of the anatomy and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defined nervous systems, and thus we can begin to speak of...
of human mind - positive psychologyPositive psychologyPositive psychology is a recent branch of psychology whose purpose was summed up in 1998 by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: "We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise, which achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in...
and cognitive psychologyCognitive psychologyCognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways.... - operations researchOperations researchOperations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
and applied mathematicsApplied mathematicsApplied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge... - creative problem solvingCreative problem solvingCreative problem solving is the mental process of creating a solution to a problem. It is a special form of problem solving in which the solution is independently created rather than learned with assistance.Creative problem solving always involves creativity....
and heuristics - bounded rationalityBounded rationalityBounded rationality is the idea that in decision making, rationality of individuals is limited by the information they have, the cognitive limitations of their minds, and the finite amount of time they have to make a decision...
One notable influence comes from action research
Action research
Action research or participatory action research – is a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "community of practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems. Action research is done simply by action,...
, which basically means research done inside the research objective, on a continuous basis, learning from one's action.
Application areas
A lot of the tacit knowledge gathered up to SI research comes from real world applications, such as management consultingManagement consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
and pedagogics. Since systems intelligence is application intensive in nature, one of its main missions is to connect the best practices of various, seemingly nonrelated fields, into one scientifically solid theory. The following fields can benefit from SI research:
- planning organizational reward and incentive systems
- leadership of organizations and business teams
- cultural aspects of organizational behaviour and super-productivity
- rationalityRationalityIn philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
in social sciences - philosophy of life