From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Synergy or synergism, most often is the phenomenon of two or more discrete influences or agents acting in common to create an effect which is greater than the sum of the effects each is able to create independently. Originally a theological term describing the cooperation of human effort with divine will, it has become a common businessbuzzword in recent years.
It has also been described as:
- The difference between the combined effect and the sum of individual effects resulting from the interaction of a group of humans, agents or forces.
- The excess stemming from cooperation.
- "Synergy means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts taken separately" as given in Buckminster Fuller's book "Synergetics".
Examples
Combined effects of pests
In a biological host organism population, the introduction of parasite A may cause 10% fatalities of the individuals, and parasite B may also cause 10% loss. When both parasites are present, the losses are observed to be significantly greater than the expected 20%, and it is said that the parasites in combination have a synergistic effect. An example is beekeeping in North America where three foreign parasites of the honeybee, acarine mite, tracheal mite and the small hive beetle, all were introduced within a short period of time.
Interacting Humans
Person A alone is too short to reach an apple on a tree and person B is too short as well. Once person B sits on the shoulders of person A, they are more than tall enough to reach the apple. In this example, the synergy would be one apple