Human Activity Systems

This section identifies the types of Human activity systems that interact to create the performance of the society.

The Human Activity System (HAS) is based upon a Social System where the members of the social network are predominately human beings (people). The Human Activity System is one of the top level system classifications identified by Peter Checkland. PDF: System Description: Human Activity System (HAS), Version 0.1, 19-April-2020

Every designed system needs a human activity system to create, develop, maintain or use a designed system.. When a Social System integrates designed physical systems (e.g. technology), the system changes to a sociotechnical system. The following diagram shows this extension of a social system to a sociotechnical system:

Social System with Technology, Sociotechnical System, using Fritjof Capra Social System Model from Definitions.

Peter Checkland has explored human activity systems extensively in his book Systems Thinking, Systems Practice.

System Element: Identification

Each type of human activity system has a unique purpose and set of system properties. All of these types of systems are types of Social Systems and in most cases, sociotechnical systems.

Social System Types identifying Human Activity Systems

NOTE: A person can be part of one or more human activity systems at the same time.

A person can be a member of one or more Human Activity Systems

A person takes on different roles as a member of a human activity system.

Human Activity System: Purpose Statements

This section summarizes the purpose statements for each Human Activity System. See the following PDF for full details

PDF: System Description: Human Activity System (HAS), Version 0.1, 19-April-2020

Household

Overall: Create an environment where individuals in a household can achieve their highest potential: The health and well-being of all members of the household are able to maintain a dynamic balance as a response to changes / disturbances in the environment.

As a people maker (Virginia Satir):

  • form a unit to raise a family (creates a person)
    • One or more family unit as a social system
  • Development of people in the household

As a citizen / member of Society:

  • Take an active role in society: Vote, State needs, and take a stand if values and beliefs not met.

  • Citizenship (participate / take a role in government)

  • Support other citizens or community members

  • maintain current understanding of the operation of the state (informed participation)

  • Maintain own possessions and participate in actions to maintain the ecosystems and biodiversity

As an economic unit:

  • Provide for revenue stream for the family (various sources)
    • provides people in the work force,
  • Product and Service Consumption
    • the family, buys and sells assets
    • uses the infrastructure services (health, energy, transportation, etc).

ECONP_006. Fair Share of Tax

ECONP_007. Debt

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhereGoal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agricultureGoal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesGoal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allGoal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsGoal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for allGoal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for allGoal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableGoal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsGoal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

State (Government)

State: a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.

The purpose of the State (Government) depends upon the type of government that has been formed. Typical democratic governments have the following purpose:

  • Represent the needs of the people living in a nation or nation state
  • Manage the shared resources for this people living in the area.
  • Handle emergencies
  • Provide shared services for the people
  • Government (governance representing the people (democracy, etc).
  • Civil Service / Civil Servants (tax collectors, licensing, statistics, benefits, etc).
    • Taxes collected locally and allocated upwards.
  • Establish markets: establish market rules and enforcement

    ECONP_004. Deregulation of the Economic System

    ECONP_006. Fair Share of Tax

  • Determine split between market and commons for infrastructure services
  • Establish mechanisms for deployment of development activities (e.g. where to place a manufacturing plant and develop associated skills)
    • This is also important from moving from an extractive trade to a developmental trade arrangement.
    • This also relates to where the design and innovation are done and how shared.
  • Establish rule of law, courts and legal system based upon the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhereGoal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesGoal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allGoal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsGoal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for allGoal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for allGoal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovationGoal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countriesGoal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableGoal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable developmentGoal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity lossGoal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levelsGoal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Financial Institution (e.g. Bank)

The Financial Instutions have the following purposes:

  • Provide a way to securely save and use money
  • A facility to borrow and invest money
  • A way to value services
  • A way to cover risks.(Insurance)
  • Saving and Loan Banks (Central bank, credit union, cooperative, etc)
    • providing savings, Loans, checking, credit cards.
  • Investment Banks (speculative, theme, etc).
    • Providing venture capital
    • Portfolios of investments with expected returns
    • New financial products (indexes, derivitatives, etc).
  • Stock and commodity markets
    • trading of securities (though in a financial market).
    • Forward contracts
    • Currency trading.
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhereGoal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesGoal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for allGoal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for allGoal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovationGoal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countriesGoal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsGoal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Enterprise

The enterprise or undertaking starts with a purpose that gives the enterprise meaning. The purpose is the reason for being for existing as an organization. The purpose of the specific organization is generally documented in the Strategic Plan or equivalent document. This plan typically includes:

Principles: Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS)

The principles for any system-of-interest apply to the Enterprise. Specific principles are shown below:

  • An Enterprise exists to contribute a needed result to customers, society, and the individual.
  • The Enterprise is realized through one or more interacting organizations.
  • The whole enterprise (all organizations) are aligned to contribute their part to the purpose of the enterprise.
  • Various types of organizations contribute to the purpose: suppliers, partners, channel partners, customers, etc.
  • Zero waste in a circular flow of technological and biological nutrients (Circular Economy concepts).

ECONP_005. Restore Good Practice to the enterprise.

ECONP_006. Fair Share of Tax

PDF: System Description: Enterprise as a System of Systems (SoS), Version 0.20, 25-November-2024

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhereGoal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agricultureGoal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesGoal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allGoal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsGoal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for allGoal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsGoal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable developmentGoal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levelsGoal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Community of Practice (CoP)

The purpose of the Community of Practice is to:

  • To bring together people with similar interests and concerns.
  • To establish a knowledge base that supports Human Activities.

The following types of organizations are included in the classification of community of practice:

  • Religious Organization.
  • Educational institutions.
  • Professional Organization.
  • Sports Organization.
  • Political Organization.
  • Civil Society Organization.
  • Non-Governmental Organization.
  • Unions
  • Lobbyists Organizations.
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allGoal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsGoal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countriesGoal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableGoal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsGoal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levelsGoal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development