Organisational Cybernetics and Practices

Cybernetics is a discipline founded in 1943 through the discussions of a group of scientists about the common themes of their different disciplines (McCulloch, 1974).  This led to a series of meetings in the US – the Macy Conferences on Cybernetics [1946-53] (Umpleby, 2005) and in the UK – the Ratio Club: 1949-58] (Holland & Husbands, 2011). Norbert Weiner’s publication of ‘Cybernetics’ in 1948, provided a definition:

The science of communication and control in man and machine

Leading Cyberneticians include:

Norbert Weiner	Mathematician	1894 – 1964
Warren McCulloch	Neurophysiologist	1898 – 1969
Arturo Rosenblueth	Physician	1900 – 1970
Ross Ashby	Psychiatrist	1903 -  1972
John von Neumann	Mathematician	1903 – 1957
Gregory Bateson	Anthropologist / Social scientist	1904 – 1980
Heinz von Foerster	Biophysicist	1911 – 2002
Claude Shannon	Mathematician	1916 – 2001
Stafford Beer	Management theorist	1926 – 2002
Gordon Pask	Psychologist	1928 – 1996
Humberto Maturana	Biologist	1928 -
Francisco Varela	Biologist	1946 – 2001
Raul Espejo	Management theorist	? -

Stafford explains cybernetics in these seminars: history1, history2

One controversial stream of Cybernetics is that developed by Stafford Beer. Stafford developed the Viable System Model (VSM) which he applied in Chile in the early 1970s. Since then the model has been applied by a large number of people in a wide range of contexts. In particular, Dr Allenna Leonard (Stafford’s partner) has provided her own insights [ www.allennaleonard.com]. Professor Raul Espejo has provided significant methodological contributions relating to how the model is used [ www.syncho.com ]. Dr Angela Espinosa [profile] has used the model in the context of sustainability (references below). Jon Walker has provided online guidelines explaining the VSM [ www.esrad.org.uk/resources/vsmg_3/screen.php?page=preface ]. Professor Andrew Pickering has provided an observer's ontological and epistemological interpretation of the development of cybernetics. Moreover, there are many others who have made a contribution to the understanding of the VSM as illustrated in the list of selected references below. 

The VSM offers a conceptual device to understand the complexity of the organization of adaptive entities that are viable, irrespective of the nature of that which has organization. It offers the possibility to diagnose organizational dysfunctionality. Moreover, the VSM can serve as a boundary object to facilitate organisational change. 

SELECTED LINKS

The Metaphorum Group
SCiO 
The World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics
American Society for Cybernetics

SELECTED REFERENCES

Ashby, W.R. (1956), An Introduction to Cybernetics. London: Chapman & Hall.

Bateson, G (1972) Steps to an Ecology of Mind. New York: Ballantine Books.

Beer, S. (1966) Decision and Control. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Beer, S. (1972) Brain of the Firm. Harmondsworth: Allen Lane, The Penguin Press.

Beer, S. (1975) Fanfare for Effective Freedom: cybernetic praxis in government. The 3rd Richard Goodman Memorial Lecture, delivered, Brighton Polytechnic, Brighton, 14^th February ,1973 in Beer, S “Platform for Change”, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons

Beer, S. (1979) The Heart of Enterprise. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Beer, S. (1981) Brain of the Firm, [2^nd edition], Chichester: John Wiley & Sons

Beer, S. (1984) The Viable System Model: its provenance, development, methodology and pathology. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 35(1): 7-25.

Beer, S. (1985) Diagnosing the System for Organisations. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Espejo, R (1990) “Complexity and Change: reflections upon the cybernetic intervention in Chile, 1970-1973”, Systems Practice 3 (3) pp303-313

Espejo, R. (1992) Management of Complexity in Problem Solving. Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control, 14(1): 8-16.

Espejo, R., Bowling, D. & Hoverstadt, P. (1999) The Viable System Model and the Viplan software. Kybernetes, 28(6/7): 661-678.

Espejo, R. & Harnden, R.J. (eds.) (1989) The Viable System Model: interpretation and applications of Stafford Beer’s VSM. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Espinosa, A., Harnden, R. (2007) Complexity Management, Democracy and Social Consciousness: Challenges for a learning evolutionary society. Invited paper. Special issue. Systemic Practice and Action Research. 20(5): 401-412.

Espinosa,A., Harnden, R., & Walker, J. (2007). Beyond Hierarchy: Stafford Beer revisited. Invited paper. Special issue. Kybernetes, 36 (3/4): 333-347.

Espinosa, A., Harnden, R., & Walker, J.  (2008). A Complexity Approach to Sustainability: Stafford Beer revisited. European Journal of Operational Research, 187: 636-651.

Espinosa, A. & Walker, J (2012) A Complexity Approach to Sustainability: theory and application. London: Imperial College Press.

Harwood, S. (2009) The changing structural dynamics of the Scottish tourism industry examined using Stafford Beer’s VSM. Systemic Practice and Action Research, (special issue: Action Research in Organisational Cybernetics), 22(4) 313-334.

Harwood, S. (2011) Can a Cybernetics Lens Contribute to the Business Strategy Domain? Kybernetes, (special issue: Progress in Organisational Cybernetics) 40(3/4), 507-527.

Harwood, S. (2012) The Management of Change and the Viplan Methodology in Practice. Journal of the OperationalResearch Society, 63, 748-761.

Holland, O. & Husbands, P. (2011) The origins of British cybernetics: the Ratio Club.  Kybernetes, 40(1/2), 110 – 123. 

Jackson, M.C. (1988) An appreciation of Stafford Beer’s ‘viable system’ viewpoint on managerial practices. Journal of Management Studies, 25(6). 557–573.

Maturana, H R. & Varela, F.J. (1988) The Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding. Boston: Shambhala.

Pickering, A. (2002) Cybernetics and the Mangle: Ashby, Beer and Pask. Social Studies of Science, 32(3): 413-437.

Von Foerster, H. (1979), Cybernetics of cybernetics, in Krippendorff, K. (Ed.), Communications and Control in Society. New York, NY: Gordon and Breach.

Von Foerster, H. (1979) Observing Systems. Seaside, CA: Intersystems Publications.

Weiner, N. (1948) Cybernetics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.