Holistic approach to the sustainability of complex systems: an integrative literature review

Objective: The paper seeks to clarify how complex systems are defined in different disciplines and examines how their sustainability is understood and addressed.

Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted using a systematic approach to identify and select relevant records. Five databases were searched, including Proquest - International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed, an d IEEE Xplore. Data were extracted to explore: (a) the definition of a complex system, (b) principles, features, or characteristics underlining a complex system, (c) approaches adopted to visualise complex systems, (d) the meaning of sustainab ility, and (e) achieving the sustainability of a complex system. Thematic synthesis was employed to identify latent themes from the extracted data.

Results: Eighty-two records were included in the review. 89% of the records employed theoretical, qualitative, or other methodologies, such as policy analysis. Further analysis revealed overarching themes, including the concept of “holism” in defining a complex sy stem. Based on this definition, the properties and behaviours of the system emerge from the interactions among its components. Regarding sustainability, several themes emerged, including the notion that sustainability must be embedded within the sy stem as an emergent property.

Conclusions: The findings of this review support the explicit recognition of uncertainty when defining a complex system. It is crucial to remain within this frame when describing the interactions within the system, the outcomes of those interactions, and the overall system properties resulting from any intervention. Within this framing, sustainability need not be a predefined goal but rather an emergent property arising from the quality of interactions among the system’s components.