Sustainable Self-Governance in Businesses and Society offers a sound introduction to Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) and clarifies its relevance to support organisational sustainability and self-governance. While the VSM has been known since the early 1980s, it hasn’t been always easy to understand and to apply. It explains the self-transformation methodology to analyse the way organisations manage (or not) their complexity and govern themselves.
The work is supported by multiple examples of application in organisations of all scales – from small to multi-national corporations and from organised social networks to communities and national organisations. It clarifies the relevance of Beer’s theory to support systemic learning and change in organisations, and to coach them to self-organise and self-govern.
Readers interested in further understanding insights from complex systems and cybernetics theories for designing and transforming organisations will benefit from this book, as it works to offer very detailed insights on how to put the VSM theory into practice. It clarifies how it improves adaptive capabilities, agile and self-regulated structures, more capable of fully implementing corporate sustainability strategies and self-governing themselves. The chapters provide key reading for managers, consultants, practitioners, and post-graduate students working in organisational transformation, governance, and sustainability.
Author(s): Angela Espinosa
Series: Systems Thinking
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 311
City: London
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Figures
Tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Contributors
Introduction
1. Towards Self-Governed Businesses and Societies
Systems, Complexity, and Cybernetics Sciences
Organisational Cybernetics
Complex Systems Sciences
Complexification in the 21st Century
Understanding Complexity (and Variety)
What is Complexity and Variety?
Organisational Elements (O, M, E)
Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety
Viability vs Complexity Management
Managing Variety and Learning
Organisational Learning and Development
Managing Complexity in Organisations
Why We Need to Evolve Towards Sustainable Self-Governed Organisations
Summary
Notes
References
2. Organisational Viability (and Sustainability)
The Need for more Resilient Organisations and Societies
What is a Viable and Sustainable (v&s) Organisation?
The Physiological Inspiration
The Viable System Model
System 1 (S1)
System 2 (S2)
System 3 (S3)
S3: Generating Synergies
Aligning Meta-Systemic and Operational Management
Complementarity of S3 and S2 Roles
The Control Dilemma
System 3* (S3*)
System 4 (S4)
System 5 (S5)
The Recursive Viable System Theorem
Managing Complexity: Organisational Principles
Responsible Autonomy
Self-Regulation
Agile Management
Measuring Performance: The Triple Index
Managing Algedonics
Adaptation
Self-Governance
Sustainable Self-Governance
Leaving Behind Earlier Critics of the VSM
Notes
References
3. A Methodology to Support Self-Transformation Towards Viability and Sustainability
On VSM Methodologies
Developing the Self-Transformation Methodology (STM)
The Ontology of the Observer
The STM: A Systemic Methodology to Facilitate Organisation Learning
On VSM Epistemology
The Self-Transformation Methodology in a Nutshell
Designing and Starting a v&s Project
Agreements on Organisational Identity
Rich Pictures - The Organisational Landscape
Statement of Organisational Identity
Recursive Analysis
VSM Preliminary Diagnosis
Mapping the Viable System of the System in Focus
Doing a VSM Preliminary Diagnosis
Complete VSM Diagnosis
Mapping v&s Roles and Mechanisms
Identifying and Mapping Diagnostic Issues
Assessing System 1's Interactions
The Inside and Now (Systems 1, 2, and 3)
The Outside and Then (Systems 3, 4, and 5)
Aligning Strategy, Structure, and Information Systems
Aligning Strategy and Structure
Strategic Information Management
Self-Transformation Projects and Plan
Monitoring and Assessing Performance
Team Syntegrity
Summary
Notes
References
4. Towards More Resilient and Healthier Organisations and Societies
Organisational Health, Resilience, and Self-Governance
Early Alarms from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Towards More Resilient Individuals
Representing an Individual as a Viable (and Sustainable) System
Towards More Viable and Sustainable Individuals
Early Alarms to Businesses v&s
Towards More Resilient Businesses
Case Study - M*Clean (with A.C. Martinez)
Towards More Resilient Health Providers
Preliminary VSM Analysis of the NHS in England
VSM Diagnosis of a Surgery Unit in a Local English Health Trust (with Jon Walker and Kartikae Grover)
Understanding the Organisational Identity
Recursive Analysis - The System in Focus
Preliminary VSM Diagnosis of the LEHT
Full Diagnosis for SPU1 and SPU2
System 1
System 2
System 3
System 4
System 5
Monitoring and Assessment
Self-Transformation Projects
System 1
System 2
System 3
System 4
System 5
Conclusions
Notes
References
5. 'Fits Like a Glove': The VSM for Supporting More Systemic Educational Organisations
From Non-Systemic to Systemic Education and Educational Institutions
What Is a Non-Systemic Approach to Education?
Towards More Systemic Educational Institutions
Self-Transformation of ELF - The Whole Story (with Jon Walker and Vladimir Pop)
Clarifying the School's Identity
Recursive Analysis
VSM Diagnosis
Preliminary Diagnosis
Full Diagnosis at the Schools
Full Diagnosis at the Kindergartens
The Self-Regulatory Homeostat (S1/S2/S3)
The Adaptation Mechanism (S3/S4/S5)
Aligning Strategy, Structure, and Information Systems
Self-Transformation Projects and Plan
Monitoring and Assessing Performance
Reviewing ELF's Self-Transformation
Designing TINTA, a Systemic Education Online Provider (with G. Ramirez)
TINTA's Approach to Systemic Education
Agreeing on TINTA's Identity
Recursive Analysis - TINTA's Primary Services
Designing TINTA's Organisation with VSM Criteria
TINTA Coming to Life: First Self-Assessment
Systemic Education in Higher Education Institutions
Systemic Management in Universities around the World
Magdalena University (v&s) Case Study
Self-Transformation of Educational Institutions - Post-COVID-19
Notes
References
6. v&s in Organisational Networks
Complex Organisational Systems as Social Networks
The Rise of Social Networks (21st Century)
What Is a v&s Network?
Background Research on VSM and Social Networks
Example: A v&s Industrial Network
Designing a State-Owned Enterprise on a Complex Environment (with Alfadhal Al Hinai and Jon Walker)
Complexity Challenges to Design a National Broadband Network
VSM Design of the OBC
Agreements on Organisational Identity
Recursive Analysis
VSM Design
Social Network Analysis
Five Years Later
Redesigning a Latin-American 2nd Generation Broadband Network (with Martha Giraldo and Jon Walker)
N2BN Identity
Recursive Analysis
VSM Diagnosis
Aligning Strategy and Structure
Martha Ines Giraldo (ex-Director N2BN)
Camilo Jaimes (ex-Communications Director N2BN)
Designing Strategies for Supply Chain Integration at the UK Offshore Wind Industry(with Julija Danilova)
Analysing SCI with the STM
VSM findings
Suggested Reorganisation Strategies
Learning from the Research
Dilemmas of Self-Governance in Organisational Networks
Notes
References
7. Sustainable Self-Governance
Contemporary Approaches to Governance
Traditional Approaches to Governance
Collaborative Approaches to Governance
Sustainable Self-Governance (v&s)
Towards Sustainable Self-Governance
A Framework to Assess Sustainable Self-Governance
Co-Evolution with Its Niche
Autonomy and Cohesion
Recursive Governance
Example: Sustainable Self Governance in a Socio-Ecological System
Assessing Self-Governance in an Indigenous Community in the Amazon (with C Duque)
Background on Their Governance Structures
VSM Analysis of Their Governance Structures
Boundary Critique
Rich Picture - Agreeing on Identity
Recursive Analysis
VSM Diagnosis
Self-Transformation Projects
Learning from the v&s Project (by C. Duque)
Sustainable Self-Governance in an Afro-Caribbean Community (with C. Duran)
Past and Present of the Orika Community Council (OCC)
Assessing Sustainable Self-Governance at Orika
Orika's Identity
Recursive Analysis
VSM Diagnosis
Self-Transformation Projects
Learning from the Case Study (by C. Duran)
CD's testimony
Conclusions
Notes
References
8. Facilitating Systemic Change with the VSM
Systemic Change: What It Is and How It Can Be Done
The Cybersyn Project
Strategic Information Management at the Colombian President's Office (1990-1992)
Re-Engineering the National Auditing Office (NAO) in Colombia
Redesigning the NAO
The Model of the State
Implementing the 'Systemic Auditing Process'
Learning from the Project
Monitoring the Impact of National Programs to Reduce Poverty in Colombia
Redesigning the National School System (NSS) in Colombia
Developing the National Environmental System (NES) in Colombia
The Relevance of 'Beer's Legacy to Facilitate Systemic Change
The Need for Massive Systemic Changes to Improve Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Notes
References
9. An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Lessons on Using the VSM for Sustainable Self-Governance
Developing VSM-Related Methodologies and Tools
VSM and Multimethodology
VSM and Team Syntegrity
Addressing Traditional Criticisms to the VSM
VSM Research Landscape
Conclusions
Notes
References
Index
