"Systemness is the state, quality, or condition of a complex system, that is, of a set of interconnected elements that behave as, or appear to be, a whole, exhibiting behavior distinct from the behavior of the parts."
Businesses and other organizations adopt buzz words from time to time. I drove by some silos in Kentucky this weekend and remembered when a company I worked for was all about "business silos." The idea was to dissolve the silos and integrate various parts of the organization into a strategic whole. A local hospital that I have some dealings with has adopted the word "systemness." The term is popping up in a variety of memos and publications throughout the organization. When I'm not familiar with a word, many times I look it up. I had to read this definition several times before I understood its general meaning and had an idea of why a hospital might consider the word to be useful.
If you found the definition above to be rather convoluted and confusing, let me offer an abridged definition. I will eliminate most of the phrases separated by commas and it should make more sense. "Systemness is a complex system that because of its interconnected elements exhibits behavior distinct from the behavior of the parts. In other words, the sum of its parts exists separate from the parts themselves".
I have an idea how the hospital may be integrating "systemness" into its operation. But I also thought of some examples of "systemness" right where we live.
Marriage is "systemness". Marriage is the union of two separate individuals. Individually each partner is a living, breathing organism totally separate from his or her spouse. In normal circumstances, neither spouse is dependent on the other for life itself. If one spouse dies, the other one goes on living. But when a couple gets married, the marriage creates something else. The union now exists separately from each partner. I've never particularly liked the unity candle in a wedding ceremony. Usually the parents of the bride and groom light a candle on either side of the unity candle. During the ceremony the bride and groom light the unity candle and extinguish their individual candle. It's a beautiful image but it bothers me with the suggestion that each person ceases to exist and only the marriage exists. You now have this uniperson that replaces two people. On the other hand, the marriage is, in fact, created. There is now a new entity that exists. You now have the bride, the groom and their marriage. My solution for the ceremony is for the bride and groom to light the unity candle and not extinguish his or her own candle. Problem solved.
I talked with a widow recently who lost her husband last October. They had been married for over fifty years. As you would expect, her grief knew no bounds. It was difficult for her to talk about her deceased husband at all. So back to my comment that one of the spouses can die and the other one goes on living. Physically, this is true. Emotionally, it is not true. She had not only lost her spouse, but she had lost her marriage, as well. So two "people" were gone. Even if she eventually marries someone else, that marriage is gone. Losing her husband and her marriage is not something that she will ever completely get over.
Termites exhibit "systemness" A termite colony is a living, breathing and thriving community. One termite colony may have tens of thousands of termites living in and around it. Termites depend on each other for their own existence and the existence of the colony. Everything an individual termite does is for the benefit of the queen and to ensure the survival of the colony. There is one queen. She does nothing but lay eggs day and night. The soldiers protect the queen while the workers search for food. Since soldiers can't eat, the workers not only feed themselves, but feed the soldiers as well. The soldiers would all die without that sustenance. And then the queen and the entire colony would die as well. So although there are thousands of termites in a colony and each one is very much alive, the colony itself exists as a super-organism separate from those termites. The colony is a living thing.
So now is there some correlation between a marriage and subterranean termites? Well for starters, I've established that they both exhibit "systemness." Furthermore, in a marriage, if you stop feeding each other, your house will fall down. But with the termites, if they keep feeding each other, your house will fall down.
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