Systems theory, in its broadest sense, is the interdisciplinary
study of organisation within the context of a definitive system.
More specifically, it is a framework by which one can analyse
and/or describe any group of objects that work in concert to
produce some result. This could be a single organism, any
organisation or society, or any electro-mechanical, or informational
artifact. While systems concepts had long been used in sociology
and the area is often associated with cybernetics, systems theory
as a technical and general academic area of study predominantly
refers to the science of systems that resulted from Bertalanffy’s
General System Theory (GST) among others in initiating what
became a project of systems research and practice. It was Margaret
Mead and Gregory Bateson that developed interdisciplinary
perspectives in systems theory (such as positive and negative
feedback in the social sciences)