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, and 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 sustainability, 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 system. 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 system 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.