Management Buzzwords Explained: System and Synergy

This is the eleventh in a series of essays that addresses management topics. The first ten explored "hot button" issues; the next ten satirize management "buzzwords." I base these essays on countless provocative lectures and irreverent discussions as a nutty professor of Business Administration.

The word "synergy" has found an odd home in the management lexicon. When most people use it, they do so ill-informed and at their own peril. If I explain this well, new and/or young managers may avoid looking like rookies who are trying a little too hard.

The word synergy has its origin in systems theory, i.e., in basic science, not management science. But since systems are all around us, this and associated terms like synergy have become widely diffused, diluted and almost destroyed in the process.

There are many definitions of the word system, but I'll pick one that suits present purposes. A system is a group of interdependent parts (or subsystems) all working together towards the accomplishment of a common goal (or set of goals.) Many things common to our experience fit: sewer system, management information system, digestive system, air conditioning system, public school system, dewey decimal system, penal system ... I think you get the point. Let's break the definition down and also look at a few of the other features of a system before we get to the synergy thing. I'll apply systems theory to organizational dynamics, since that is the context of this essay.

First, systems have parts, which sometimes are themselves subsystems. Conversely, often a system is a part of a larger system. A penal system is part of the judicial system, and so on. It's all a matter of one's beginning point of view.

Second, the parts are interdependent. The output of one part is an input to another. A change in any particular subsystem has the potential to change them all, to include the entire system. A change to a school system can affect the entire community it serves.