Viability through Complexity Management: Revisiting the Viable Systems Model

Angela Espinosa and Jon Walker

Chapter 2 in A Complexity Approach to Sustainability:Theory and Application, 2017, pp 51-107 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: In this chapter, the viable systems model (VSM) — and related concepts — will be introduced and described. Section 2.1 presents the platform on which the model was built; Section 2.2 gives an overview of the model and introduces the five systems from which it is constructed; Section 2.3 describes in detail its core elements; Section 2.4 presents the basic theory of viability and complexity management from a VSM perspective; Section 2.5 describes in more detail the issues required to deal with the complexity of the adaptation mechanism (3/4/5 homeostat) in a viable system, and in particular, Beer’s latest invention: Team Syntegrity (TS) — a tool for democratic collective decision-making. In the last section (Section 2.6), we reflect on the complementarities between the VSM and the younger theory of complex adaptive systems (CAS), and how they may work together to help us to more effectively address core issues of viability in socio-ecological systems. All through this chapter, we will explain how the theory of viability can be relevant to the development sustainability research and practice.

Keywords: Sustainable Development; Operations Management; Complexity Science; Climate Change; Viability and Sustaibility; Management Systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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