At the most basic level, the term can be defined as a group of component parts functioning together as a whole. So, for example, if we were to analyze the functioning of a newspaper office, we can break it down into an editorial team, a business department, and a web development team.
Each of these are components of the office, and they interact in order for the newspaper to function. They might have weekly joint meetings, an office intranet, and several employees in each sector who function as messengers between departments.