On the one hand, the entity systems in the inner environment (as illustrated by the black circular arrows) contribute mei (matter, energy and information) to their containing entity system in the outer environment (as illustrated by the black upward pointing arrows). On the other hand, the containing entity systems (illustrated by the orange circular arrows) distribute mei (matter, energy and information) to their contained entity systems in the inner environment (illustrated by the orange downward pointing arrows).

In the course of time, the mutual contributions change and thereby the interacting entity systems change.  For example, the individual members of a society contribute new knowledge to society which in turn changes its education system and distributes the new knowledge to its members. In the course of time, education evolved from the interpersonal education of the hunting and gathering and agrarian stages of development to the standardised mass education of the industrial age and the increasingly customised and online based education systems of the information age.

Thus, systems in the sociosphere co-evolve (e.g. society and its members; an organisation, its industry and staff members). Likewise, systems in the naturosphere co-evolve (e.g. a species and its habitat), as do systems of the psycho-socio and naturospheres (e.g. the knowledge of a person and his or her neural structures; an economy and planetary changes).

Actually, the biomatrix is “reknotted” or recreated from moment to moment, as entity systems interact with each other across levels and keep emerging from the interaction of their activity systems.  Some of the recreation follows the same pattern, while other interaction involves a deviation in pattern, co-producing evolution throughout the biomatrix.

relevance

Continuous change throughout all levels of the biomatrix is inevitable. According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, everything flows and one cannot step twice into the same river because its water has moved on.

relevance for the change manager

Systemic change management involves facilitating a mutually beneficial co-evolution between the organisation and its stakeholders in the outer and inner environment.

what is the relevance of this concept for you?