4.3.2 Systems of Innovation II: The Emergence of Purpose

Engineers design mindful of the purpose of a system. So, engineering conceptual definitions of the concept of “system” frequently include the idea of purpose. However, we also use “system” to describe things not human‐designed. We might refer to purpose in living systems, as in the immune system, but biologists use “function” to avoid this. What about inanimate natural systems? Do Saturn's rings have a purpose, or function? And what about pathologies, when systems don't work as they “should”? Do all these “systems” terms and concepts serve us well across these different domains, or are some force‐fit? Using the language of Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Pattern‐Based Systems Engineering (PBSE), this paper describes a framework in which “system” and “purpose” emerge at different levels, apply uniformly, naturally, or not at all, and inform. The framework is the Systems of Innovation (SOI) Pattern. Practical benefits include insights into the nature of innovation across these domains, improving ability to perform innovative systems engineering.