José Pérez Ríos

Models of organizational cybernetics for diagnosis and design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a framework, based on Beers viable system model (VSM) that enables managers of public and private organizations to cope with the complexities faced by their organizations.Design/methodology/approach – Based on concepts from organizational cybernetics (OC) an heuristic is elaborated for the design or diagnosis of any organization, from the point of view of its viability.Findings – An outline of the process that enables managers to diagnose or design the organization they manage is formalized in a structured sequence which, starting with the clarification of an organizations identity, purpose and boundaries, guides the whole process of structure creation and the detailed diagnosis of all its structural components from the point of view of its viability. A taxonomy of frequent pathologies that affect organizations is also presented.Practical implications – This kind of framework can guide managers to apply the cybernetic concepts for higher organizational...

Communication and information technologies to enable viable organizations

Purpose – This paper attempts to show how the new communication and information technologies and the internet in particular can help in the design of viable organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a set of specific software tools based on internet, created for the purpose as given above. The tools are bundled in two packages. The VDMod package supports the application of Beers viable system model (VSM) and the inclusion of system dynanics simulation models into the VSM model, as well as easy access to other tools such as team syntegrity. The SystemsNet package allows the members of the systems community to communicate with each other and gain swift access to these tools through the internet.Findings – Communication and information technologies are enablers which help in the design of viable organizations by means of internet‐based software tools. They make the application of systemic approaches such as Beers VSM and its combined use with System Dynamics (SD), or other methodologie...

Organizational Cybernetics and Urban Planning: The Case of the University of A Coruña

The challenge to managers in the current turbulent environment is a formidable one. In relation to this challenge, researchers have pointed out that the quality of managers’ decisions is limited by the quality of the models about the systems they try to govern. This chapter’s purpose is to show how Organizational Cybernetics (OC) and the Viable System Model (VSM) contribute in this context. In addition, the chapter intends to fill the gap between the conceptual depth of organizational cybernetics theoretical studies and the need of managers for a structured facilitating process. We contribute by showing a case application of OC and the VSM at Coruna University, Galicia, Spain. In this case, a conceptual framework has been used by the Vice-Rector of Infrastructures and Environmental Management to translate its university’s vision into strategic, operational and tactical policies and actions. The case that we present shows how the need to redesign the university campuses can be used as an exceptional opportunity to produce a major impact, not only within the university spaces, but also in the wider environment.

Design and diagnosis for viable organizations in practice: university urban planning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an example of the application of a framework, based on Beers organizational cybernetics and viable system model, that allowed the top management of a public university to design and implement university policy and actions related to the physical design of the various university campuses.Design/methodology/approach – Based on organizational cybernetics concepts, an heuristic is used by the top management of a public university for designing the strategy and actions related to urban planning issues.Findings – The paper outlines the process that helped the universitys new top management to diagnose the situation at the beginning of its mandate and to design pertinent actions. This process starts by clarifying the university identity, purpose and boundaries and is followed by identifying the required structural levels. For each of them the key factors to be considered and actions to be taken are stated. The use of a Recursion Levels‐Key Factors Matrix helped...

The Application of the Viable System Model to Enhance Organizational Resilience

The interest in how to build resilient organizations is increasing in the last two decades. However , there is no formal and accepted framework yet. In this paper, we argue that the application of the principles of the Viable System Model (VSM) improves organizational resilience. We also argue that the VSM constitutes a valid framework to design resilient organizations.

A self‐organizing network for the systems community

The number of approaches, researchers and practitioners in Systems Thinking has been growing over the last decades and particularly in recent years. This wide and deep evolution within the systems community that is a sign of vitality has also increased the communication difficulties among its components. If the systems community wants to overcome these difficulties and help cross fertilisation, adequate structures are needed to facilitate the communication processes. In this work, we present a communication and exchange of information system specifically designed for this aim. It tries to use the possibilities offered by Internet to create a systems thinkers/practitioners virtual community with the capacity to facilitate the creation of as many new partial communities as the members of the systems community wish. The design of the network system is based on Beers viable system model and his recursive conception of viable systems.

The application of organizational cybernetics and ICT to collective discussion of complex issues

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to expose how organizational cybernetics (OC)-related concepts could be used in combination with information and communication technologies (ICT) to facilitate group discussions on complex issues, and to show its impact in a real case. Design/methodology/approach – A software inspired by OC and team syntegrity concepts has been developed with the aim of helping groups of people to deliberate around complex issues through the internet. Two groups of persons with similar backgrounds were chosen to pursue a deliberation process around the same issue. One had the support of ICT while the other did not. The authors used the same questionnaires with both groups, aimed at getting qualitative and quantitative information about the results obtained in each case. Findings – The results obtained show that the group working with ICT support did produce a better output (quality and quantity) than the group not supported with ICT as well as a higher degree of satisfaction in pract...

How Organizational Cybernetics can Help to Organize Debates on Complex Issues

In this paper we expose how concepts taken from the Systems Thinking field, and in particular Organizational Cybernetics (OC), can help decision makers to study complex issues with the help of the information and communication technologies (ICT). We present some software tools developed within the Systems Thinking and Organizational Cybernetics Research Group (STOCRG) of the University of Valladolid that based on OC concepts use ICTs to help groups of people to study complex issues in a collaborative way through Internet. We discuss some uses of OC to help collective decisions making and we show two international pioneering experiences in which the ICTs have been used in combination with OC concepts. In the first case the purpose was to create a collective scientific book by a group of scientists working at distance and, in the second case, to organize a major academic international event. We end the paper showing an example of specific software (Debates Organizer) developed in the STOCRG through the last 15 years to facilitate any size of groups of people through Internet the organization of debates on complex issues.

An Organizational Cybernetics Approach to University Planning in an Urban Context: Four Intervention Experiences

In this chapter we discuss how the use of Organizational Cybernetics (OC) helps to identify the variety of needs to be considered in a planning-related intervention in a university campus and to influence the project design in such a way that the variety of services responding to these needs will also be increased. After a short description of some OC concepts and of the systemic methodological framework that has been used in this work, we present examples of application of this framework in four urbanistic and architectonic interventions on the UDC campuses.

Systems Thinking, Organisational Cybernetics and the Viable System Model

The profoundly rapid changes occurring in the operating environment for organisations in general and companies in particular are making it essential, if their viability is to be guaranteed, for the provision of tools that can deal with the kind of complexity inherent in such changes.