Tank Crews and Platoons as Living Systems.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to assess the applicability and utility of living systems theory (LST), as developed by James G. Miller (1978), for analyzing the operations of small military combat units. General systems theories have been developed in recent years to provide interdisciplinary approaches for the discovery of identities (isomorphisms) among various levels of systems and for developing general theories of systems behavior (e.g., Bertalanffy, 1968). In such theories a system is generally defined as a functionally related Set of elements which together form a whole. Systems in today's world are innumerable, ranging from the abstract (e.g.; systems of justice, management systems) to the concrete (e.g.; computer systems, weapons systems). LST provides a frame- work for the study of the behavior of living systems, which are defined as concrete open systems having identifiable inputs, throughputs, and outputs in the forms of matter-energy and information. Living systems which have been studied under the rubric of LST include a modern city (Vandevelde and Miller, 1975), health delivery systems (Pierce, 1972), and industrial organizations (Duncan, 1972). Small combat units certainly fit the definition of a living system; it thus appears worthwhile to examine LST as an integrated framework for analyzing the complex man-machine interactions ongoing within them.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA379587
Entities
People
- Billy L. Burnside
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences