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“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don't bother to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking” (1).

Buckminster Fuller, Systems Theorist

This chapter provides an overview of system‐related concepts, ideas, and applications in organizations, with an emphasis on occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS). While historical nuances of both organizational management systems (MS) and OHSMS are provided, the focus here is on practices and frameworks that provide value to industrial hygienists and other occupational health and safety (OH&S) professionals.

OH&S management is multifaceted and over time has gotten more complex due to a host of factors, some of which include: advances in technology; globalization; evolving/new workplace risk factors; shorter production cycles; and, pressure for transparency. Increasingly, OH&S professionals are challenged to understand and keep pace not only with national regulations but with international and nongovernmental organization (NGO) standards. Many professionals have found that MS approaches provide a means to organize, understand, and integrate this increasing complex mix of technical, management, and organizational culture issues.

Inputs, process(es), outputs, and feedback mechanisms are the basic components of a system. Most, if not all, facets of life can be viewed from a system perspective. Ecology, biology, psychology, engineering, and computer science are examples of disciplines that have defined system aspects. In organizational science, systems thinking is a relatively new distinction and area of practice. Organizations themselves can be viewed a system; there are materials, resources, etc. that are inputs to an organization's processes that align with its mission and objectives. There are outputs such as products and services. Management of an organization involves a multitude of systems that are linked, and, in theory, coordinate to support the fulfillment of the organization's objectives. The importance to industrial hygienists and safety professionals is that OH&S should be considered part of the organization's system and not as a stand‐alone program, department, or silo.