A suprasystem or supersystem is the system that integrates the systems from the point of view of belonging. In other words, it is a major system that contains minor systems.
Therefore it must be understood that both a subsystem and a suprasystem are systems in themselves. We are simply focusing on the study of a system taken as the main one, which has a suprasystem and probably has subsystems.
Strictly speaking, every system has one or more suprasystems. Some suprasystems many times will not interest us in our study of a specific system and we must determine which one is of our interest.
The suprasystem of interest will be given by the environment of the system.
Examples of suprasystems (supersystems)
For example, if we study a computer as a system, then the computer will be our main system. This can be part of a computer network, in this case this network will be a suprasystem of that system (its environment). But a computer is also part of the planet Earth, we could say that the Earth is a supersystem of the computer, and we would not be wrong, but this definition is useless in this context.
We could also say that this computer-system is part of a company-supersystem. This answer is not incorrect, but it may be imprecise.
The ideal is to define suprasystems that have some significant influence on the activity of the main system, with respect to the purpose of the system and our purpose of studying it.
Generally, to properly define the limits of a system and its possible suprasystem, we must consider what the goal or purpose of the system is.
In this case we are studying a computer as a system whose purpose is to communicate with other computers to share resources. Therefore, its most immediate (environment) and appropriate suprasystem would be the «computer network», and not the company, much less the planet Earth.
Another example of suprasystem
Let’s look at another example. Our main system will be the respiratory system of a human. We can define its purpose (provide oxygen) and its limits (list the organs that are part of it). Now we must find the suprasystem. In this case the suprasystem is obvious: the human as a living being.
In this case, it is useless to define the suprasystem as an «employee» or a «worker» even if the employee has a respiratory system, because it has nothing to do with the objective of the system to be studied.
In order to understand the importance of adequately defining the purpose of the system to be studied, and thus defining its limits and the suprasystem, I will give the subject one final twist.
What if we are studying the human respiratory system but for the purpose of knowing how it works to produce the voice? In this case, we could call its immediate suprasystem: system of emission of the human voice. Now our suprasystem changed, simply because we changed the purpose of study of our main system.
Hierarchy: subsystem, system and suprasystem
In systems theory, levels of organization (or hierarchies) refer to the order at different levels of organization from the simplest to the most complex systems; for example, the identification of a subsystem, within a system, within a suprasystem.
A practical example in computing: the «RAM memory» subsystem, contained in the «motherboard» system, contained in the «computer» supersystem.
For this distinction it is essential to establish the precise limits or borders of the systems of each level. Without borders, subsystems, systems and suprasystems can hardly be established.
related terminology
• System
• Limits of a system
• Subsystem
• System environment
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