systemic

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Definition

Systemic refers to the systemic process view of business organizations as systems. From this perspective, organizations are objectified, meaning they are to be defined, designed and manipulated. As Stacey (2007, pp 265) says, organizations are 'a thing to be moved around.' The 'process' is the 'interaction of parts' in the organization. Strategy approached from this perspective puts the manager in the position of a business organization designer and puts the burden of producing competitive advantage on his or her shoulders.

The systemic process view is in contrast to the responsive processes perspective, in which the organization is 'patterns of relating in which one can only participate' and the process of the organization is 'responsive acts of mutual recognition by persons.'

See process for a discussion of systems thinking and responsive processes views of processes and for the difference between systemic process and responsive processes.