Analogous to the number of sides which make up a dice, a system is co-produced by seven forces of organisation. These are

• substance (mei for matter, energy and information)
• environment
• ethos
• aims
• process
• structure
• governance

The seven forces interact and co-produce the unfolding and functioning of the biomatrix and each of its activity and entity systems.

As one of the seven forces changes, the others will also change, co-producing change in the system as a whole. This can be illustrated by the analogy of Rubik’s Cube: as one changes the colour of one side of the cube, the appearance of the other sides of the cube, as well as the cube as a whole, will change.

Each of the seven forces contributes to the organisation of the system in unique ways. These are discussed in the according sections.

relevance

The seven forces of system organisation are in constant motion, co-producing ongoing change in a system, however minute.

relevance for the change manager

Organisational development requires the development of each of the seven forces, as well as their harmonious interaction and mutual reinforcement.

With relevant distinctions, the seven forces of organisation are applied to both

• activity system design (i.e. project design, functional and business process redesign and supply chain management)
• entity system design (i.e. organisational restructuring and transformation).

what is the relevance of this concept for you?