Sociotechnical System - Wikipedia

An EXCELLENT Wikipedia article with many useful references: Sociotechnical systems ( STS) in organizational development is an approach to complex organizational work design that recognizes the interaction between people and technology in workplaces. The term also refers to coherent systems of human relations, technical objects, and cybernetic processes that inhere to large, complex infrastructures...
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Sociotechnical System - Wikipedia

An EXCELLENT Wikipedia article with many useful references: Sociotechnical systems ( STS) in organizational development is an approach to complex organizational work design that recognizes the interaction between people and technology in workplaces. The term also refers to coherent systems of human relations, technical objects, and cybernetic processes that inhere to large, complex infrastructures...

Interactive Planning - Wikipedia

An EXCELLENT Wikipedia article with many useful references: Interactive planning is a concept developed by Russell L. Ackoff, an American theorist, early proponent of the field of operations research and recognized as the pioneer in systems thinking. Interactive planning forwards the idea that in order to arrive at a desirable future, one has to create a desirable present and create ways and means...
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Interactive Planning - Wikipedia

An EXCELLENT Wikipedia article with many useful references: Interactive planning is a concept developed by Russell L. Ackoff, an American theorist, early proponent of the field of operations research and recognized as the pioneer in systems thinking. Interactive planning forwards the idea that in order to arrive at a desirable future, one has to create a desirable present and create ways and means...
English

The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 4: Governance and Cyberspace

John Naughton, tech columnist at The Observer Newspaper, talks about that great Wild West of our time – Cyberspace. From its roots in “permissionless innovation” to the staggering dominance of a very small number of companies over most aspects of our lives, he surveys the absence of governance, and how two effective sovereigns – Apple and Google – have appropriated powers normally associated with...
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The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 4: Governance and Cyberspace

John Naughton, tech columnist at The Observer Newspaper, talks about that great Wild West of our time – Cyberspace. From its roots in “permissionless innovation” to the staggering dominance of a very small number of companies over most aspects of our lives, he surveys the absence of governance, and how two effective sovereigns – Apple and Google – have appropriated powers normally associated with...
English
0:42

Model-based Management in Major/Megaprojects (IPMA)

Presentation given to IPMA: Megaprojects are complex organizational structures that have a great influence on their parent organizations as well as on their environment. In order to be able to design and steer these complex systems, a suitable focus is necessary. This is provided by the approach to organizational viability. Viability expresses that large and megaprojects are to be designed in such...
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0:42

Model-based Management in Major/Megaprojects (IPMA)

Presentation given to IPMA: Megaprojects are complex organizational structures that have a great influence on their parent organizations as well as on their environment. In order to be able to design and steer these complex systems, a suitable focus is necessary. This is provided by the approach to organizational viability. Viability expresses that large and megaprojects are to be designed in such...
English

The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 3: Authorising Change at Ground Level with Julian Corner

Where is the power? Julian Corner used a process of local ‘action enquiry’ to bring about effective social change. This in places where, as he puts it, a system of ‘care’ is effectively a system of oppression – siloed, systematised, and more focussed on privileging its own rules than on the value of human care. In this episode he talks about these challenges, and how this ‘action enquiry’ model...
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The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 3: Authorising Change at Ground Level with Julian Corner

Where is the power? Julian Corner used a process of local ‘action enquiry’ to bring about effective social change. This in places where, as he puts it, a system of ‘care’ is effectively a system of oppression – siloed, systematised, and more focussed on privileging its own rules than on the value of human care. In this episode he talks about these challenges, and how this ‘action enquiry’ model...
English

The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 2: Progress in the Field of Child Protection with Eileen Munro

‘Professor Eileen Munro turned decades of inadequate child protection on its head with one simple question: are we helping or hindering the front line? In this episode, she reflects on the successes - and revealing failures - of her review into child protection. Eileen covers a lot of ground in a short space of time. It is fascinating. Talking points: Centralised processes can't protect children...
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The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 2: Progress in the Field of Child Protection with Eileen Munro

‘Professor Eileen Munro turned decades of inadequate child protection on its head with one simple question: are we helping or hindering the front line? In this episode, she reflects on the successes - and revealing failures - of her review into child protection. Eileen covers a lot of ground in a short space of time. It is fascinating. Talking points: Centralised processes can't protect children...
English
1:51

Sociocracy: Better for Peers: governance is the new black

[presentation is in English] In the world of New Work, Teal, Agile, Self-Organisation/Self-Management, Systems Thinking and Blockchain, talk about governance is the new black. Just try to remember how often you recently read about teams experimenting with new ways of collaborating and deciding together. One example could be Zappos, a daughter company of Amazon, which got known for using a...
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English
1:51

Sociocracy: Better for Peers: governance is the new black

[presentation is in English] In the world of New Work, Teal, Agile, Self-Organisation/Self-Management, Systems Thinking and Blockchain, talk about governance is the new black. Just try to remember how often you recently read about teams experimenting with new ways of collaborating and deciding together. One example could be Zappos, a daughter company of Amazon, which got known for using a...
Use with Accreditation
English

The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 1: Where is the Power?

Why doesn’t government work? Is it the politicians, the civil servants, the political parties? Or is it the system in which they all operate? This episode introduces the experience and current thinking of co-presenter, Ed Straw. We talk about his journey from being an engineering graduate to consulting at the heart of Westminster, how he encountered power and the confusion surrounding it. Then we...
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The Hidden Power Podcast Ep 1: Where is the Power?

Why doesn’t government work? Is it the politicians, the civil servants, the political parties? Or is it the system in which they all operate? This episode introduces the experience and current thinking of co-presenter, Ed Straw. We talk about his journey from being an engineering graduate to consulting at the heart of Westminster, how he encountered power and the confusion surrounding it. Then we...
English

Systems Community of Inquiry (SysCoI)

The Systems Community of Inquiry is a worldwide network of systems thinkers, scientists and practitioners. This SysCoI Stream was migrated in January 2018, based on an experiment started at syscoi.com/stream in June 2017. These instances have been based on WordPress O2, a communications tools first used internally by WordPress developers in 2009, extensively revised in 2013, and then released to...
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Systems Community of Inquiry (SysCoI)

The Systems Community of Inquiry is a worldwide network of systems thinkers, scientists and practitioners. This SysCoI Stream was migrated in January 2018, based on an experiment started at syscoi.com/stream in June 2017. These instances have been based on WordPress O2, a communications tools first used internally by WordPress developers in 2009, extensively revised in 2013, and then released to...
English
1:04 +Q

Patterns of Strategy

Patrick introduces us to how the strategic fit between organizations drives their strategic direction. His work, which he developed together with Lucy Loh, is the first significant new approach to strategy in a long time. He unfolds a vital perspective for those who wish to understand how to maneuver their organization to change its strategic fit to their advantage. The framework allows one to...
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English
1:04 +Q

Patterns of Strategy

Patrick introduces us to how the strategic fit between organizations drives their strategic direction. His work, which he developed together with Lucy Loh, is the first significant new approach to strategy in a long time. He unfolds a vital perspective for those who wish to understand how to maneuver their organization to change its strategic fit to their advantage. The framework allows one to...
Contact the Author
English
0:33 +Q

The hidden power of Systems Thinking - governance in a climate emergency

In the age of the Anthropocene the need for new ways of thinking and acting has become urgent. But patterns of obstacles are apparent in any action, be they corporate interests, lobbyists, or outdated political and government systems. In this presentation Professor Ray Ison and Ed Straw will show how and why systemic failure in governance is at the heart of the collective incapacity to tackle the...
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English
0:33 +Q

The hidden power of Systems Thinking - governance in a climate emergency

In the age of the Anthropocene the need for new ways of thinking and acting has become urgent. But patterns of obstacles are apparent in any action, be they corporate interests, lobbyists, or outdated political and government systems. In this presentation Professor Ray Ison and Ed Straw will show how and why systemic failure in governance is at the heart of the collective incapacity to tackle the...
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English
0:37 +Q

Creating shared meaning for systemic change

Language is often a problem in complex organisational change, with different departments and stakeholder groups using the same words to mean different things, and using different words to mean the same thing. As systems practitioners, we are constantly building models of organisations and their environments, but we too bring our own language and assumptions, and it’s often apparent that the models...
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0:37 +Q

Creating shared meaning for systemic change

Language is often a problem in complex organisational change, with different departments and stakeholder groups using the same words to mean different things, and using different words to mean the same thing. As systems practitioners, we are constantly building models of organisations and their environments, but we too bring our own language and assumptions, and it’s often apparent that the models...
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Dutch
1:46

SCIO NL - sep 20 - Huisvestingscase

The meeting is held in Dutch: SCIO-NL meeting in September 2020, in which we talked about the housing situation in the Netherlands. We explored ways in which we could use systemic models and reasoning to get a grip on some of the unwanted effects we see. We talked about causal loops, shared a VSM-like perspective regarding different recursive levels that play a role (from national government to...
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Dutch
1:46

SCIO NL - sep 20 - Huisvestingscase

The meeting is held in Dutch: SCIO-NL meeting in September 2020, in which we talked about the housing situation in the Netherlands. We explored ways in which we could use systemic models and reasoning to get a grip on some of the unwanted effects we see. We talked about causal loops, shared a VSM-like perspective regarding different recursive levels that play a role (from national government to...
English

Combining the VSM with other systems thinking methods – looking for fruitful combinations

This topic is aimed at taking stock of members’ experiences with using the VSM explicitly in combination with other methods. What went well? What did not? I will introduce the topic with a (very) short introduction of my own experiences (including causal loop diagrams, Deming and Cybernetic Big 5 Theory)
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Combining the VSM with other systems thinking methods – looking for fruitful combinations

This topic is aimed at taking stock of members’ experiences with using the VSM explicitly in combination with other methods. What went well? What did not? I will introduce the topic with a (very) short introduction of my own experiences (including causal loop diagrams, Deming and Cybernetic Big 5 Theory)
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English

How Systems Thinking can help with digital transformation

Global economy putting pressure to digitalise at day to day interactions and business (micro) level. Digitalisation will transform not only the way we make business, but the way people interact, live in our cities and communities, commute and travel, and consume. It is difficult to appreciate the depth and consequences of this transformation and, I think, ST could make a difference.
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How Systems Thinking can help with digital transformation

Global economy putting pressure to digitalise at day to day interactions and business (micro) level. Digitalisation will transform not only the way we make business, but the way people interact, live in our cities and communities, commute and travel, and consume. It is difficult to appreciate the depth and consequences of this transformation and, I think, ST could make a difference.
Confidential – Members Only
English
12pp

Covid-19: why did the virus take us by surprise? What we can learn from Covid-19 about the control of systems and organizations based on the Viable System Model

The Covid-19 crisis is a cataclysmic event and caught us all by surprise. It is considered a health and economic crisis, but at the same time and rarely discussed, it also reveals the weaknesses in the systemic processes in our society and organizations. The Viable System Model (VSM) by Stafford Beer allows us to structure the various weaknesses and to put them into a coherent framework. The VSM...
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12pp

Covid-19: why did the virus take us by surprise? What we can learn from Covid-19 about the control of systems and organizations based on the Viable System Model

The Covid-19 crisis is a cataclysmic event and caught us all by surprise. It is considered a health and economic crisis, but at the same time and rarely discussed, it also reveals the weaknesses in the systemic processes in our society and organizations. The Viable System Model (VSM) by Stafford Beer allows us to structure the various weaknesses and to put them into a coherent framework. The VSM...
English
0:33 +Q

Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance

...The Hyperobjective Media and Agency in Co-creative Design Processes: The session by Marie Davidova will focus on Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) design field and hyperobjectivity of its prototypes. The field discusses the question of cities’ adaptation to climate change and biodiversity loss. Current environmental ecology research shows that species that have adapted to...
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English
0:33 +Q

Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance

...The Hyperobjective Media and Agency in Co-creative Design Processes: The session by Marie Davidova will focus on Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance (SAAP) design field and hyperobjectivity of its prototypes. The field discusses the question of cities’ adaptation to climate change and biodiversity loss. Current environmental ecology research shows that species that have adapted to...
Use with Accreditation
English
0:38 +Q

Shakespeare & Systems Thinking

... - the high and low co-operate in the general system of unavoidable concatenation: People I talk to often seem a little wary of the term “systems thinking” – a bit abstract, perhaps, and far too intellectual. On other hand, anyone who can appreciate complex drama, from Shakespeare to modern TV shows like The Wire, is arguably already doing it, that is thinking, to some degree, systemically...
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English
0:38 +Q

Shakespeare & Systems Thinking

... - the high and low co-operate in the general system of unavoidable concatenation: People I talk to often seem a little wary of the term “systems thinking” – a bit abstract, perhaps, and far too intellectual. On other hand, anyone who can appreciate complex drama, from Shakespeare to modern TV shows like The Wire, is arguably already doing it, that is thinking, to some degree, systemically...
Use with Accreditation
Dutch
0:43 +Q

Simpel top-down VSM (SCiO NL)

The presentation is in Dutch: SCIO-NL meeting in July 2020, in which Joost van der Leij explains the VSM in a simple way from a top-down perspective. He emphasizes the recursion levels from a management perspective, distinguishing between senior and junior management.
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Dutch
0:43 +Q

Simpel top-down VSM (SCiO NL)

The presentation is in Dutch: SCIO-NL meeting in July 2020, in which Joost van der Leij explains the VSM in a simple way from a top-down perspective. He emphasizes the recursion levels from a management perspective, distinguishing between senior and junior management.
German

Die dritte Dimension des Organisierens: Steuerung und Kommunikation

RRP: 35 € Paperback : 360 pages ISBN : 978-3658292461 Publisher : Springer Gabler; 1. Aufl. 2020 edition (10 Jun. 2020) Language: Deutsch Es ist ein offenes Geheimnis: Unsere Organisationen funktionieren mehr schlecht als recht. Darin liegt das Kernproblem und überraschenderweise zugleich die Lösung. Denn wir brauchen keine neuen Konzepte und Rahmenbedingungen, wir brauchen keine besseren...
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German

Die dritte Dimension des Organisierens: Steuerung und Kommunikation

RRP: 35 € Paperback : 360 pages ISBN : 978-3658292461 Publisher : Springer Gabler; 1. Aufl. 2020 edition (10 Jun. 2020) Language: Deutsch Es ist ein offenes Geheimnis: Unsere Organisationen funktionieren mehr schlecht als recht. Darin liegt das Kernproblem und überraschenderweise zugleich die Lösung. Denn wir brauchen keine neuen Konzepte und Rahmenbedingungen, wir brauchen keine besseren...
English

INCOSE UK SEASON Report 2020

A copy of the INCOSE UK SEASON Report 2020 that provides a baseline of the current situation with regard to the Systems Engineering profession in the UK. Please feel free to distribute this within your organisation where it can best be used.
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INCOSE UK SEASON Report 2020

A copy of the INCOSE UK SEASON Report 2020 that provides a baseline of the current situation with regard to the Systems Engineering profession in the UK. Please feel free to distribute this within your organisation where it can best be used.
English

System Dynamics: Modeling, Simulation and Analysis: Practical guide with examples for the design of industrial, economic, biological, engineering and environmental models.

RRP: £34.41 Paperback: ‎ 339 pp Publisher: ‎ Independently published ; ISBN 979-8649370226 This book offers a time-efficient approach for readers to acquire step-by-step knowledge in the formation and construction of dynamic models using Vensim. It addresses the challenge of working with minimal current and historical data by providing simulation models that accommodate such analyses. By...
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System Dynamics: Modeling, Simulation and Analysis: Practical guide with examples for the design of industrial, economic, biological, engineering and environmental models.

RRP: £34.41 Paperback: ‎ 339 pp Publisher: ‎ Independently published ; ISBN 979-8649370226 This book offers a time-efficient approach for readers to acquire step-by-step knowledge in the formation and construction of dynamic models using Vensim. It addresses the challenge of working with minimal current and historical data by providing simulation models that accommodate such analyses. By...
English

Practices of Dynamic Collaboration: A Dialogical Approach to Strengthening Collaborative Intelligence in Teams (Management for Professionals)

RRP: £45 Paperback: ‎ 244 pp Publisher: ‎ Springer ISBN : ‎ 978-3030425517 This book provides senior managers, project- and program managers, team coaches and team leaders with thought and management tools for potentiating self-organization and creating collaborative intelligence in teams. Adapted and expanded from the 2018 Dynamic Collaboration: Strengthening Self-Organization and Collaborative...
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Practices of Dynamic Collaboration: A Dialogical Approach to Strengthening Collaborative Intelligence in Teams (Management for Professionals)

RRP: £45 Paperback: ‎ 244 pp Publisher: ‎ Springer ISBN : ‎ 978-3030425517 This book provides senior managers, project- and program managers, team coaches and team leaders with thought and management tools for potentiating self-organization and creating collaborative intelligence in teams. Adapted and expanded from the 2018 Dynamic Collaboration: Strengthening Self-Organization and Collaborative...
English

The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking

RRP: £33.24 Paperback: 340 pages Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (25 Mar. 2020) ISBN: 1138493996 The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking: Governance in a Climate Emergency is a persuasive, lively book that shows how systems thinking can be harnessed to effect profound, complex change. In the age of the Anthropocene, the need for new ways of thinking and acting has become urgent. But patterns of...
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The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking

RRP: £33.24 Paperback: 340 pages Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (25 Mar. 2020) ISBN: 1138493996 The Hidden Power of Systems Thinking: Governance in a Climate Emergency is a persuasive, lively book that shows how systems thinking can be harnessed to effect profound, complex change. In the age of the Anthropocene, the need for new ways of thinking and acting has become urgent. But patterns of...
English

Systems Thinkers

RRP: £40 Paperback : 348 pages ISBN : 1447174747 Publisher : Springer; 2nd ed. 2020 Edition (20 Feb. 2020) Language: : English This biographical history of the field of systems thinking examines the work of thirty of its major thinkers. It discusses their key contributions to the subject, the way these were expressed in practice and the relationship between their lives and ideas.
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Systems Thinkers

RRP: £40 Paperback : 348 pages ISBN : 1447174747 Publisher : Springer; 2nd ed. 2020 Edition (20 Feb. 2020) Language: : English This biographical history of the field of systems thinking examines the work of thirty of its major thinkers. It discusses their key contributions to the subject, the way these were expressed in practice and the relationship between their lives and ideas.
English

Systems Approaches to Making Change: A Practical Guide

RRP: £50 Paperback: 346 pages Publisher: Springer; 2nd ed. 2020 edition (19 Feb. 2020) ISBN: 1447174712 The five approaches outlined in this book offers the systems thinking practitioner a range of interchangeable tools for pro-actively making systemic improvements amidst complex situations of change and uncertainty. Practitioners from all professional domains are increasingly confronted with...
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Systems Approaches to Making Change: A Practical Guide

RRP: £50 Paperback: 346 pages Publisher: Springer; 2nd ed. 2020 edition (19 Feb. 2020) ISBN: 1447174712 The five approaches outlined in this book offers the systems thinking practitioner a range of interchangeable tools for pro-actively making systemic improvements amidst complex situations of change and uncertainty. Practitioners from all professional domains are increasingly confronted with...
English

Visualising Business Transformation: Pictures, Diagrams and the Pursuit of Shared Meaning

RRP: £37 Hardcover : 234 pages ISBN: 1138308242 Publisher : Routledge (6 Feb. 2020) Business transformation typically involves a wide range of visualisation techniques, from the templates and diagrams used by managers to make better strategic choices, to the experience maps used by designers to understand customer needs, the technical models used by architects to propose possible solutions, and...
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Visualising Business Transformation: Pictures, Diagrams and the Pursuit of Shared Meaning

RRP: £37 Hardcover : 234 pages ISBN: 1138308242 Publisher : Routledge (6 Feb. 2020) Business transformation typically involves a wide range of visualisation techniques, from the templates and diagrams used by managers to make better strategic choices, to the experience maps used by designers to understand customer needs, the technical models used by architects to propose possible solutions, and...
English
0:41

Systems-Centered® - Working with Differences Differently

In common with all living human systems, organisations need differences to develop and transform. And yet, in organisations, as in all living human systems, we often dismiss, attack or try to convert differences. Indeed, we are primed neurologically to do this – our Flight, Fight, Freeze responses. Agazarian’s systems-centered method of functional subgrouping offers a way to lower our reactivity...
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English
0:41

Systems-Centered® - Working with Differences Differently

In common with all living human systems, organisations need differences to develop and transform. And yet, in organisations, as in all living human systems, we often dismiss, attack or try to convert differences. Indeed, we are primed neurologically to do this – our Flight, Fight, Freeze responses. Agazarian’s systems-centered method of functional subgrouping offers a way to lower our reactivity...
Contact the Author
English
0:48

Systems and Strategy War Rooms

The talk will look at the underlying concepts, design and practice of War Rooms as decision environments for dealing with complex and fast moving situations. Starting with Blackett’s invention of the War Room, through Beer’s Cybersyn to the work we are currently engaged on and its use with client in tackling complex strategic issues. We’ll talk through the difference current technology offers and...
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English
0:48

Systems and Strategy War Rooms

The talk will look at the underlying concepts, design and practice of War Rooms as decision environments for dealing with complex and fast moving situations. Starting with Blackett’s invention of the War Room, through Beer’s Cybersyn to the work we are currently engaged on and its use with client in tackling complex strategic issues. We’ll talk through the difference current technology offers and...
Contact the Author
English

Are Viable Companies Alive? Does it Matter?

The Viable System Model is one of the key capabilities that SCiO has focused on. It’s an implementation of cybernetics. “Viable system” suggests living system — and vibrant systems feel alive. Are they? Can organisations be organisms? And what difference would that make? This questions our questions and stimulates provocations. At a time when science is regenerating, does management need to as the...
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Are Viable Companies Alive? Does it Matter?

The Viable System Model is one of the key capabilities that SCiO has focused on. It’s an implementation of cybernetics. “Viable system” suggests living system — and vibrant systems feel alive. Are they? Can organisations be organisms? And what difference would that make? This questions our questions and stimulates provocations. At a time when science is regenerating, does management need to as the...
Contact the Author
English

Reframing ITIL: A Systems Thinking Look at IT Service Management

RRP: £19.95 Paperback: 179 pages Publisher: SCiO (10 Jan. 2020) ISBN: 1708360085 “Reframing ITIL" provides a gentle introduction to the Viable System Model as a tool to managing and operating successfully within any organisation. It combines this with a refreshing review of ITIL processes - operating dynamically via feedback loops rather than as a set of activities being conducted in series with...
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Reframing ITIL: A Systems Thinking Look at IT Service Management

RRP: £19.95 Paperback: 179 pages Publisher: SCiO (10 Jan. 2020) ISBN: 1708360085 “Reframing ITIL" provides a gentle introduction to the Viable System Model as a tool to managing and operating successfully within any organisation. It combines this with a refreshing review of ITIL processes - operating dynamically via feedback loops rather than as a set of activities being conducted in series with...
English

The Viability of Organizations Vol. 3: Designing and Changing Organizations

RRP: £40.75 Hardcover: 376 pages Publisher: Springer; 1st ed. 2020 edition (25 Nov. 2019) ISBN: 303025853X The design process for organizational structures sometimes resembles a random walk, especially when it is embedded in an arena of competing personal interests and power games. Many organizations still lack clear guidance and are therefore seeking a rigorous, nuanced, and impartial methodology...
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The Viability of Organizations Vol. 3: Designing and Changing Organizations

RRP: £40.75 Hardcover: 376 pages Publisher: Springer; 1st ed. 2020 edition (25 Nov. 2019) ISBN: 303025853X The design process for organizational structures sometimes resembles a random walk, especially when it is embedded in an arena of competing personal interests and power games. Many organizations still lack clear guidance and are therefore seeking a rigorous, nuanced, and impartial methodology...
English

Seeing Anew: Using John Dewey's Theory of Inquiry to Understand the Inquiry System of Soft Systems Methodology

This session will show how John Dewey's general theory of inquiry (1938) can be used to understand the inquiry system of Peter Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and will suggest some practical opportunities that might flow from this for systems thinking practitioners. It will also show how Dewey's theory of inquiry helps to clarify the essential difference between 'hard' and 'soft'...
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Confidential – Members Only
English

Seeing Anew: Using John Dewey's Theory of Inquiry to Understand the Inquiry System of Soft Systems Methodology

This session will show how John Dewey's general theory of inquiry (1938) can be used to understand the inquiry system of Peter Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and will suggest some practical opportunities that might flow from this for systems thinking practitioners. It will also show how Dewey's theory of inquiry helps to clarify the essential difference between 'hard' and 'soft'...
Confidential – Members Only
English

Defeat from the jaws of victory or, why we need a collaborative strategy

In this highly interactive session, participants will get to experience the five behavioural axioms for a successful co-operative system. The method is that of heuristic learning as the exercise comprises 10 rounds of decision-making in small teams. The decisions made by any team affect every team and the levels of trust. The experience will illustrate the five axioms below are necessary: 1. Be...
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English

Defeat from the jaws of victory or, why we need a collaborative strategy

In this highly interactive session, participants will get to experience the five behavioural axioms for a successful co-operative system. The method is that of heuristic learning as the exercise comprises 10 rounds of decision-making in small teams. The decisions made by any team affect every team and the levels of trust. The experience will illustrate the five axioms below are necessary: 1. Be...
English
0:54

Using systems thinking approaches to evaluate organisational training programmes.

Training is an investment, much like introducing new technologies or processes, that organisations make in order to improve their performance. However, it is harder to evaluate the success of training than of 'hard' changes like technology or process. Since the 1970s the training profession has largely drawn on variants of the so-called 'Kirkpatrick framework' to evaluate training, even though...
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English
0:54

Using systems thinking approaches to evaluate organisational training programmes.

Training is an investment, much like introducing new technologies or processes, that organisations make in order to improve their performance. However, it is harder to evaluate the success of training than of 'hard' changes like technology or process. Since the 1970s the training profession has largely drawn on variants of the so-called 'Kirkpatrick framework' to evaluate training, even though...
Contact the Author
English
1:00

Does Dynamic Intelligence exist as a conceptual measure of self-awareness in the moment?

The theory of Constructed Development (as per Stevens’ 2019 PhD thesis) is a measure of a person’s awareness of their constructed intentions in the moment; this measure is time and context-specific and determines how much of their thinking is at choice. This choice leads to a number of possible responses in the moment. The individual’s capacity to choose their response in the moment informs...
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English
1:00

Does Dynamic Intelligence exist as a conceptual measure of self-awareness in the moment?

The theory of Constructed Development (as per Stevens’ 2019 PhD thesis) is a measure of a person’s awareness of their constructed intentions in the moment; this measure is time and context-specific and determines how much of their thinking is at choice. This choice leads to a number of possible responses in the moment. The individual’s capacity to choose their response in the moment informs...
Use with Accreditation
English

Viable Megaprojects

Presentation during the SCiO DACH Camp in Aalen Germany about the application of System Thinking methods for the management of megaprojects with a special view on the pathological archetypes which were given in using the viable system model for the diagnosis of systems.
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Viable Megaprojects

Presentation during the SCiO DACH Camp in Aalen Germany about the application of System Thinking methods for the management of megaprojects with a special view on the pathological archetypes which were given in using the viable system model for the diagnosis of systems.
English
44pp

‘Closing the gap’: Problems with its philosophy and research

The Psychology of Education Review Volume 44 Number 3, Special Issue 44pp - In this paper, problems with the philosophy and research relating to various interpretations of ‘closing the gap’ are used to open up a discussion of, and illustrate, the process whereby a narrow interpretation of ‘science’ and neglect of systems thinking result in the generation of huge amounts of dangerous and misleading...
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44pp

‘Closing the gap’: Problems with its philosophy and research

The Psychology of Education Review Volume 44 Number 3, Special Issue 44pp - In this paper, problems with the philosophy and research relating to various interpretations of ‘closing the gap’ are used to open up a discussion of, and illustrate, the process whereby a narrow interpretation of ‘science’ and neglect of systems thinking result in the generation of huge amounts of dangerous and misleading...
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English

The Viability of Organizations Vol. 2: Diagnosing and Governing Organizations

RRP: £58.22 Hardcover: 282 pages Publisher: Springer; 1st ed. 2019 edition (31 July 2019) ISBN: 3030164721 Organizations are complex social systems, and dysfunctionalities can settle in very quickly and almost unnoticed, costing valuable time and resources. In a highly volatile and complex world where mistakes are virtually unforgivable, the ability to rapidly and accurately diagnose...
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The Viability of Organizations Vol. 2: Diagnosing and Governing Organizations

RRP: £58.22 Hardcover: 282 pages Publisher: Springer; 1st ed. 2019 edition (31 July 2019) ISBN: 3030164721 Organizations are complex social systems, and dysfunctionalities can settle in very quickly and almost unnoticed, costing valuable time and resources. In a highly volatile and complex world where mistakes are virtually unforgivable, the ability to rapidly and accurately diagnose...
English
SD case study

Turning round an investment company in trouble

PROJECT Turning round an investment company in trouble PRACTITIONER Kim Warren, Strategy Dynamics Ltd. APPROX DATE Summer 2019. SITUATION AND CONTEXT A large company providing pensions and other investment products to high-net-worth individuals had grown strongly during some years of good economic and stock market conditions. However, an economic downturn and collapse of global markets had seen...
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SD case study

Turning round an investment company in trouble

PROJECT Turning round an investment company in trouble PRACTITIONER Kim Warren, Strategy Dynamics Ltd. APPROX DATE Summer 2019. SITUATION AND CONTEXT A large company providing pensions and other investment products to high-net-worth individuals had grown strongly during some years of good economic and stock market conditions. However, an economic downturn and collapse of global markets had seen...
English

Causal Loop Diagrams: A key tool for Systems Thinking & Practice

Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) are a useful tool in the kitbag of any systems practiotioner. They are used to make our mental models explicit so they can be shared, challenged and understood. CLDs enable us to capture the parts, connections and feedback in a system. They can be used to build consensus, agree definitions, identify leverage points and explore consequences of potential interventions...
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Causal Loop Diagrams: A key tool for Systems Thinking & Practice

Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) are a useful tool in the kitbag of any systems practiotioner. They are used to make our mental models explicit so they can be shared, challenged and understood. CLDs enable us to capture the parts, connections and feedback in a system. They can be used to build consensus, agree definitions, identify leverage points and explore consequences of potential interventions...
English
1:01

Dimensions of Strategic Management, Through Time

Many organisations are preoccupied with Strategic Planning and the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with a clear desire to ‘get to where they want to go’. On this journey, many fall foul of ‘The Tyranny of Meaningless Metrics’ (songs of the Sirens) Worst still, if they do reach the destination, they may discover where they wanted to get to wasn’t the destination actually required to grow...
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English
1:01

Dimensions of Strategic Management, Through Time

Many organisations are preoccupied with Strategic Planning and the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with a clear desire to ‘get to where they want to go’. On this journey, many fall foul of ‘The Tyranny of Meaningless Metrics’ (songs of the Sirens) Worst still, if they do reach the destination, they may discover where they wanted to get to wasn’t the destination actually required to grow...
Contact the Author
English
0:55

Sensemaking: the art and practice of handling messy, changing realities

Alan is a leadership performance coach, working with people handling the complexities of technology, people and business in our hyperconnected world. He was around when the first computers hit the workplace, and his consulting career began when ideas like systems thinking, complexity, change management and transformation started to appear. A few years ago, frustrated that most of the advice was...
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Contact the Author
English
0:55

Sensemaking: the art and practice of handling messy, changing realities

Alan is a leadership performance coach, working with people handling the complexities of technology, people and business in our hyperconnected world. He was around when the first computers hit the workplace, and his consulting career began when ideas like systems thinking, complexity, change management and transformation started to appear. A few years ago, frustrated that most of the advice was...
Contact the Author
English
1:07

Dynamic collaboration and strengthening of your systemic interventions

Systems thinking is a large field with different approaches. These approaches share a common system theoretical basis, but the specific interpretation is always different. System thinkers often dare to overlook the fact that their developmental stage determines their interpretation. People evolve (as individuals) differently, but according to predictable patterns. In this evolution, one gradually...
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Contact the Author
English
1:07

Dynamic collaboration and strengthening of your systemic interventions

Systems thinking is a large field with different approaches. These approaches share a common system theoretical basis, but the specific interpretation is always different. System thinkers often dare to overlook the fact that their developmental stage determines their interpretation. People evolve (as individuals) differently, but according to predictable patterns. In this evolution, one gradually...
Contact the Author
English

Systems Thinking for Management Consultants: Introducing Holistic Flexibility (Flexible Systems Management)

RRP: £65.64 Paperback: ‎ 549 pp: Publisher: ‎ Springer; 1st ed. 2019 edition; ISBN: 978-9811385322 This book discusses how systems thinking and approaches can aid management consultants in navigating the complexities of client advisory in current realities. It thereby brings to the forefront aspects of holism, flexibility and responsibility - the keys to success in today’s world. Management...
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Systems Thinking for Management Consultants: Introducing Holistic Flexibility (Flexible Systems Management)

RRP: £65.64 Paperback: ‎ 549 pp: Publisher: ‎ Springer; 1st ed. 2019 edition; ISBN: 978-9811385322 This book discusses how systems thinking and approaches can aid management consultants in navigating the complexities of client advisory in current realities. It thereby brings to the forefront aspects of holism, flexibility and responsibility - the keys to success in today’s world. Management...
English
10pp

Sidewalk and Toronto: Critical Systems Heuristics and the Smart City

`Smart cities', urban development projects that design computational systems and sensory technology to monitor activity and regulate energy consumption and resource distribution, are a frontier for the prospective deployment of ICTs for sustainability. Often reduced to technological problems of optimization, these projects have implications far beyond narrow environmental and consumptive frames of...
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10pp

Sidewalk and Toronto: Critical Systems Heuristics and the Smart City

`Smart cities', urban development projects that design computational systems and sensory technology to monitor activity and regulate energy consumption and resource distribution, are a frontier for the prospective deployment of ICTs for sustainability. Often reduced to technological problems of optimization, these projects have implications far beyond narrow environmental and consumptive frames of...