There are webs within webs, activity systems within activity systems, entity systems within entity systems, levels within levels, dimensions within dimensions and forces of organisation within forces of organisation.

The web of the biomatrix consists of entity systems and activity systems, each of which reveals a web of activity and entity systems if zoomed into. For example, the education system is one of society’s activity systems. By looking closer at it, one perceives a web of interacting (sub)activity systems (learning, teaching, administration) and a containing hierarchy of (sub)entity systems (education department, schools, universities). If one zooms into an entity system, like a university, one identifies a web of (sub)activity systems (e.g. teaching, research and administration) and (sub)entity systems (e.g. persons, research units, faculties).

Each system (e.g. a house building activity system) can be viewed from different dimension (i.e. psychological, cultural, economic, political, technological, ecological, physiological, biological and physical), each of which describes the activity from a different perspective. Each dimension again reflects the others. The economic dimension of building a house can be explored from each of the other dimensions, as for example psychological, cultural and political issues associated with raising money for the house.

The seven forces of organisation are reflected within each. For example, analysis of ethos reveals that it is contained within a larger field of ethos pertaining to the environment, serves a purpose (aim) within the system, contains information flow (process), has a structure (e.g. a hierarchy of values) which arises from some governance. It also requires mei to record and communicate ethos.

There are other examples of repeated patterns of organisation.

relevance

The relatively few forces, principles and patterns of system organisation described by Biomatrix theory provide the “simplicity” that underlies the “complexity” of observed phenomena.

relevance for the change manager

Systems analysis, design and intervention require zooming in and out of different levels and perspectives of the system.

what is the relevance of this concept for you?