In a world full of moving parts, complexity, and constant change, how do we design business processes that work? The answer lies in thinking like a systems theorist. General Systems Theory (GST) provides a framework for understanding how parts of an organisation interact, how processes generate outcomes, and how feedback loops drive improvement.
In this article, we’ll explore what General Systems Theory is, and how its principles can help you manage workflows, processes, and change more effectively.
What is General Systems Theory?
General Systems Theory (GST) is an interdisciplinary framework developed to understand how complex systems function, evolve, and interact. At its core, GST emphasises that a system is more than just a collection of parts—it’s a dynamic whole where the interactions between components produce new properties, patterns, or behaviours.
Initially introduced by Austrian biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1940s, GST was created to provide a universal language and structure for analysing systems, whether in biology, technology, organisations, or ecosystems. Rather than focusing on isolated parts, GST examines how elements interact, influence one another, and operate within a broader context. Rather than studying isolated components, GST looks at whole systems and how their parts interact to produce results.
At its core, GST says that every system has:
- Inputs (resources, data, energy)
- Processes (transformation of inputs)
- Outputs (products, decisions, results)
- Feedback Loops (information used to adjust future performance)
It can apply to everything from ecosystems and machines to businesses and workflows.
What Is a “System”?
A system is any set of elements that interact toward a common purpose. It can be:
- A team working together on a project
- A workflow with automated and manual steps
- A supply chain with multiple dependencies
- Even a checklist with conditional logic and feedback loops
GST encourages us to view these not as separate components, but as interdependent units forming a whole.
Historical Overview: Key Theorists and Legacy
The roots of General Systems Theory (GST) lie in the early 20th century, when a group of forward-thinking scientists began questioning the limitations of reductionism—the idea that complex things can be fully understood by breaking them into their most minor parts. Instead, they proposed a more holistic view: systems must be studied as a whole, including the interactions and relationships between their parts.
Ludwig von Bertalanffy – The Founder of GST
Ludwig von Bertalanffy, an Austrian biologist, is widely credited as the founder of General Systems Theory. In the 1940s and 1950s, he introduced the idea that systems in biology, psychology, technology, and even organisations could be understood using a shared set of principles.
Bertalanffy’s groundbreaking book, General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications (1968), outlined a universal language for systems thinking, challenging siloed approaches to knowledge. His ideas emphasised:
- Open systems that interact with their environments
- Dynamic processes and steady states
- Feedback loops and interdependence
- Equifinality—multiple paths to a common outcome
These principles were soon adopted across a wide range of disciplines—including management, engineering, education, and computing.
W. Ross Ashby – Cybernetics and Self-Regulation
British psychiatrist and systems theorist W. Ross Ashby expanded GST into the field of cybernetics—the study of control, feedback, and communication within systems. His Law of Requisite Variety stated that a system must be as adaptable as the challenges it faces, a concept that underpins modern workflow resilience and AI adaptability.
Ashby’s work laid the groundwork for understanding self-regulating systems, where intelligent feedback loops enable a process to maintain balance or improve itself—a concept increasingly relevant in automation and process management.
Stafford Beer – Management Cybernetics
Stafford Beer, a British theorist and management consultant, applied systems thinking directly to business through his concept of Management Cybernetics. He believed organisations should be treated as living systems. He introduced the Viable System Model (VSM), which maps out the structures needed for an organisation to survive and adapt in a changing environment.
Beer’s work emphasised real-time feedback, distributed decision-making, and system viability—ideas still highly relevant for businesses seeking agility and intelligent automation.
Other Key Contributors
- Jay Forrester – Creator of System Dynamics, which uses simulations and feedback loops to study long-term behaviour in business, economics, and ecology.
- Peter Checkland – Known for Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a framework that helps address messy, ill-structured problems in organisational processes.
- Gregory Bateson – An anthropologist and systems thinker who explored the ecology of mind, contributing to systems theory in communication, learning, and culture.
How General Systems Theory Applies to Business
Businesses are systems. Each department, process, or function acts as a subsystem. GST helps us understand how everything connects and influences performance.
Here’s how it relates:
- A customer service workflow is a system.
- A sales pipeline is a system.
- A project management process is a system.
When one element changes, it affects the entire system. General Systems Theory encourages us to think holistically, rather than focusing on isolated tasks.
Applying GST to Workflow & Process Management
Processes as Subsystems
Every business process (e.g., onboarding, billing, customer support) is a subsystem within the larger organisational structure. It has:
- Inputs (information, people, materials)
- Transformation steps (tasks, approvals, decisions)
- Outputs (completed service, product delivery, report)
Understanding these parts lets you design better workflows and measure success.
Workflows as Dynamic Systems
Workflows aren’t static. People, tech, data, and timing influence them. GST teaches us to watch for how these moving parts interact—and where friction or failure might occur.
Feedback Loops Enable Improvement
No process is perfect. Just like biological systems evolve, business workflows need feedback to improve. Use:
- KPIs
- Customer feedback
- Workflow analytics
…to guide ongoing process optimisation.
Breaking Down Silos
GST promotes system thinking over siloed thinking. Instead of each department doing its own thing, GST encourages cross-functional visibility and alignment. Tools like Checkify support this by providing centralised, transparent workflows
Benefits of Using a Systems Approach in Business
A systems approach allows organisations to step back and see the bigger picture, understanding how teams, tools, and processes interact as part of a greater whole. Instead of optimising in silos, businesses can design smarter, more resilient operations that evolve and improve over time. By applying systems thinking, you unlock strategic advantages that impact not just individual workflows but your entire organisational performance.
- Holistic understanding: See the big picture of how processes connect
Systems thinking encourages you to zoom out and see how all the pieces fit together. Rather than focusing solely on individual tasks or departments, a systems approach emphasises interdependencies, handoffs, and shared objectives. This broad view helps reveal hidden inefficiencies, conflicting priorities, and opportunities that might otherwise be missed. - Improved collaboration: Foster cross-department alignment
When teams understand that they’re part of a larger system, it fosters better cross-functional alignment. Departments stop working in isolation and start coordinating based on shared inputs and outcomes. This reduces duplication, minimises friction, and strengthens communication across the organisation. - Adaptability: Quickly respond to change with feedback-driven improvements
Feedback loops are a core part of systems thinking. By building these into your processes, your business becomes more responsive to change, whether it’s customer feedback, market shifts, or internal disruptions. Instead of rigid workflows, you gain agile systems that can self-adjust and continuously improve. - Efficiency: Remove bottlenecks and reduce redundancy
A systems approach helps eliminate bottlenecks, redundancies, and unnecessary complexity. By understanding how processes affect one another, you can streamline operations, reduce delays, and optimise resource allocation across the board. The result? A leaner, faster, more effective organisation.
Business Benefits: Smarter Workflows, Scale, and Resilience
Understanding General Systems Theory (GST) isn’t just a philosophical exercise—it’s a practical tool for designing better businesses. When applied to operations, workflows, and decision-making, GST can unlock powerful benefits that help organisations work smarter, scale faster, and remain resilient in the face of change.
Here’s how systems thinking grounded in General Systems Theory principles translates into real-world business advantages:
Smarter Workflows
GST encourages a holistic approach to workflow design. Instead of building linear, isolated processes, systems thinking pushes you to consider how tasks, teams, tools, and decisions are interconnected. This mindset helps eliminate silos and design workflows that are more intelligent and adaptive.
For example, using Checkify, you can build smart checklists that not only guide users through tasks, but also:
- React to inputs with conditional logic
- Adapt dynamically based on user decisions
- Connect with other systems via automation and integrations
- Include feedback loops for continuous improvement
Smarter workflows mean less micromanagement, fewer errors, and more time spent on high-value tasks—exactly what General Systems Theory promotes.
Scalability Through Modularity
GST emphasises that systems are made up of subsystems, which can function independently but contribute to the greater whole. In business, this translates to modular processes—self-contained workflows or teams that can operate independently but integrate seamlessly with others.
This principle supports scalable growth. Instead of redesigning everything from scratch when you add a new department or product, you can build on existing workflows and plug new systems into your structure, just like snapping in a new module.
Platforms like Checkify make this easy by allowing you to duplicate and adapt checklists, automate task dependencies, and create consistent process templates across departments.
Greater Resilience and Adaptability
One of General Systems Theory’s most valuable contributions is the concept of feedback loops—systems that self-monitor and self-correct. In business, this translates to processes that can identify when something goes wrong and either:
- Alert a team to take corrective action, or
- Automatically adjust based on predefined rules or AI inputs
This kind of self-awareness is key to resilience. It means your workflows can respond to:
- Changes in customer demand
- Staff availability or turnover
- Errors, bottlenecks, or system failures
- Shifting compliance requirements
By embedding feedback and decision points into your workflows, you can build systems that don’t just execute—they learn, adapt, and improve. With Checkify, this may involve automating alerts for overdue tasks, rerouting approvals, or generating review loops to facilitate continuous process refinement.
End-to-End Process Visibility
General Systems Theory promotes a shift from thinking in fragments to thinking in systems. This perspective enables teams to gain complete visibility across the entire process lifecycle—from input to output and everything in between.
Using a systems-based approach, businesses can:
- Identify root causes of inefficiencies, not just surface symptoms
- Understand how decisions in one department affect others
- Spot opportunities for integration and automation
- Ensure all stakeholders are aligned within a shared system
Platforms like Checkify support this by providing a centralised view of tasks, statuses, ownership, and progress, helping businesses stay proactive instead of reactive.
A Foundation for Continuous Improvement
Systems thinking naturally supports Kaizen, lean methodologies, and agile development—all of which rely on iterative improvement, adaptability, and employee involvement.
By embracing General Systems Theory in your business operations, you create the foundation for:
- Better process design and redesign
- Smarter change management
- Learning organisations that evolve with their environments
It moves your business from static procedures to living systems—capable of scaling intelligently and weathering uncertainty.
Beyond Checklists
The principles of General Systems Theory enable businesses to move beyond task checklists and linear workflows. They empower organisations to design processes that are:
- Smarter – with built-in logic, automation, and adaptability
- Scalable – using modular systems that grow with the business
- Resilient – responsive to feedback and change, not stuck in rigid flows
By applying systems thinking—and using tools like Checkify to put it into practice—you can create a work environment where everything is connected, purposeful, and capable of thriving in complexity.
Why Is GST Relevant to Business and Workflow Management?
In a business context, GST provides a powerful lens for designing and improving processes. When applied to operations, it helps identify:
- Feedback loops that keep workflows responsive and adaptive
- Emergent behaviour, such as unintended bottlenecks or innovations
- System boundaries that define where one process ends and another begins
- Interconnected subsystems like departments, tools, and data sources
Platforms like Checkify inherently align with GST principles by enabling businesses to create structured, logical, and adaptive workflows. Rather than treating checklists and processes as static, Checkify encourages dynamic thinking, where processes can evolve, respond to inputs, and improve over time.
In short, General Systems Theory helps businesses take a step back to see the bigger picture—how everything connects—while still managing the details that drive performance.
The Lasting Legacy of General Systems Theory
Although GST began in academic circles, its influence now spans virtually every modern discipline—from biology and psychology to organisational design, software architecture, and business operations. Today, its principles live on in:
- Agile workflows and iterative development
- Business process modelling and analysis
- AI and machine learning systems
- Automation platforms like Checkify, where feedback loops and adaptable checklists echo the dynamic nature of systems thinking
General Systems Theory laid the foundation for systems thinking, a mindset now embraced by leaders looking to build more resilient, adaptable, and interconnected organisations.
By understanding the contributions of these early theorists, modern businesses can apply time-tested wisdom to today’s challenges, designing workflows and processes not as rigid chains but as living systems capable of learning and evolving.
Equifinality and Business Processes
One of the most fascinating concepts in General Systems Theory is the Equifinality Principle—the idea that there are multiple paths to the same outcome. In business, this means there isn’t always just one “right” way to complete a process. Different teams, tools, or workflows can achieve the same goal depending on the context.
By embracing equifinality, businesses can stay flexible, adapt to change, and empower teams to find the most efficient route to success, whether through automation, delegation, or innovation. It’s a powerful reminder that system design should focus on achieving results, not adhering to rigid rules.
Think in Systems
General Systems Theory reminds us that everything in business is connected. From the smallest task to the most complex workflow, thinking in terms of systems leads to better decisions, smoother operations, and more resilient organisations.
By applying GST principles to your processes, you not only enhance how work gets done but also build a more innovative and adaptable business, one that is ready for whatever comes next.