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The purpose of a system is what it does - Wikipedia

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The purpose of a system is what it does (POSIWID) is a systems thinking heuristic coined by Stafford Beer,[1] who observed that there is "no point in claiming that the purpose of a system is to do what it constantly fails to do."[2] The term is widely used by systems theorists, and is generally invoked to counter the notion that the purpose of a system can be read from the intentions of those who design, operate, or promote it. When a system's side effects or unintended consequences reveal that its behavior is poorly understood, then the POSIWID perspective can balance political understandings of system behavior with a more straightforwardly descriptive view. Stafford Beer coined the term POSIWID and used it many times in public addresses. In his address to the University of Valladolid, Spain, in October 2001, he said:[1] According to the cybernetician, the purpose of a system is what it does. This is a basic dictum. It stands for bald fact, which makes a better starting point in seeki

The purpose of a system is what it does - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Systems thinking heuristic The purpose of a system is what it does ( POSIWID ) is a heuristic in systems thinking coined by the British management consultant Stafford Beer , [ 1 ] who stated that there is "no point in claiming that the purpose of a system is to do what it constantly fails to do". [ 2 ] It is used in systems theory , and is generally invoked to counter the notion that the purpose of a system can be read from the intentions of those who design , operate or pr

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