Ali's comment below provides a nice opportunity to make people aware of
another summit that is tentatively scheduled to begin in Aug.
(I normally would not make a post of this nature in the context of a summit.
However, because of the significant overlap and a commitment to sharing the
results of that summit with participants of this summit, I trust most people
will find it relevant and not too intrusive.)
Ali: "I don't think we'll be able to define "Systems" or
"System of Systems" satisfactorily for all
communities in this summit. In one of the earlier chats,
ChrisWelty suggested that we simply enumerate
the systems we're addressing. I think that's too coarse. What I
would suggest is that for each
participant to articulate their background assumptions for the
salient features of their systems.
That is, for each of the systems that participants bring to the
table, we should try to systematically
capture their salient characteristics and features. Indeed, I
would suggest that this is the interface
that links systems between each of the communities."
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For the past 6 years the International Conference on Enterprises as Systems:
Theory and Theory in Action has been concerned with the treatment of (networked)
enterprises *as* systems in constantly changing social, economic, legal and
technical environments. It has been held (with varying degrees of success) with
the intent to create an environment for the collaborative exchange of knowledge
among and between the Systemics Community, the Systems Architecture and Engineering
Community, and communities that are concerned with any aspect/part or whole of
(inter-, intra-) enterprise systems and enterprises *as* systems. Ontology
has been a standing topic.
This year, to further the collaboration effort, a(n) (Networked)Enterprises *as*
Systems Summit will be held in conjunction with the conference. Common threads
for both the summit and conference include:
(1) (networked)enterprises *as* systems in the (general) systems-theoretic sense
(systemics and the systems family of disciplines)
(2) identifying and characterizing problems and potential solutions to which
systemics may contribute to any aspect/part of (inter-, intra-) enterprise systems and
enterprises *as* systems
(3) the formal and/or empirical representation of such systems for description,
explanation, simulation and prediction (formal / empirical theory)
(4) the use/application of theory in analysis / design, architecture / engineering,
strategy, tactics, and operation of (inter-, intra-) enterprise systems and enterprises
*as* systems
An enterprise may be considered a business, government organization, educational organization,
standards body, community of practice, a country, a federation, a group of enterprises bound
by law in some fashion, any group of cooperating / collaborating enterprises such as those in
GRID systems and emergency management/response systems, etc. etc.
This exchange of knowledge and collaboration among participants/communities will contribute to
the formation of an open (inter- and intra-)enterprise *as* systems discipline, utilizing,
merging, and applying principles, concepts and theories from a number of disciplines/communities
that include, *but is not limited to*:
Systemics and Systems Analysis/Eng. (Inter- Intra-) Enterprise-related Disciplines
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Systems Theory Computer and Information Science and Technology
Systems Theory Finance, Economics and Accounting (Value)
Systems-of-Systems Law, Rules and Constraints
Adaptive Systems Semiotics, Ontology and Language (Meaning)
Evolutionary Systems Action and Behavior (Process, Activities, Tasks, Events, Projects)
Systems Dynamics Communication(s)
Systems Thinking Quality, Measures and Metrics
Cybernetics Integration and Interoperability
Artificial Intelligence Knowledge, Information and Data
Systems Engineering (Cyber-)Security
Systems Analysis Heuristics, Algorithms and Computation
Control Systems Cognition, Reasoning, Intelligence, Learning (e.g. Decisions and Decision Making, Agents)
Decision Theory Risk, Trust, Obligations, Responsibilities, Consequences
Learning Systems Technology
Complex Systems Business
Organization Theory Model-Based, Enterprise, Software, Manufactured Systems, Service Oriented, etc. Arch./Eng.
Autopoiesis Cooperation/Collaboration/Competition
Allopoiesis
Autonomy
Social Systems
Context Theory
Concepts and theories from other disciplines that may also be used include, for example, Neural Networks,
Genetic Algorithms, Ecology, (Behavioral) Psychology
The distinction between the summit and conference is that a summit organization committee, with input from
interested individuals/organizations, will determine the summit tracks, the summit schedule, duration, etc.
The conference (and workshop) will focus primarily on a special topic and individuals will submit contributions
for consideration. It is tentatively planned for the conference to kick-off the summit the first week in Aug.
The summit will be virtual.
Summit planning is in the early stages. If anyone has any comments/questions, or if any person or organization is interested
in planning the *summit* please contact me **privately**: information [at] enterprisesystemtheory [dot] net or
mkhettinger [at] mathet [dot] com
Matthew K Hettinger