Entropy, as you note, has to do with the way in which systems go from organized to unorganized states in the absence of energy inputs to maintain ordered states.
Differential equations are mathematical constructs which define the rates of changes of variables.
With this quick background to what constitutes a mathematical system, mathematicians classify systems according to the type of equations used to define the system. One group of systems is what are called linear systems. That's enough about the mathematical side. As a metaphor, it becomes a bit slippery. If we look at social systems, many have argued that a small change in the social system can lead to large changes in the future trajectory of that social system.