Synergy is the only word in our language that means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the separately observed behaviors of any of the system's separate parts or any subassembly of the system's parts. There is nothing in the chemistry of a toenail that predicts the existence of a human being.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Synergy describes how whole systems behave in ways their individual parts cannot predict.
- In plain terms
- The whole is different from the sum of its parts.
- What can you take from it?
- Look at how parts interact, not just the parts alone.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Where do you see surprise in systems?
- How do parts interact?
Another view
Sometimes parts do behave predictably when combined.
More from Buckminster Fuller
Now there is one outstandingly important fact regarding Spaceship Earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it.
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Synergy means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts taken seperately.
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