IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ejores/v274y2019i3p1198-1201.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A question of interpretation: The Viable System Model (VSM)

Author

Listed:
  • Harwood, Stephen A.

Abstract

Smith and Shaw (2018) The characteristics of problem structuring methods: A literature review. European Journal of Operational Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.05.003) offer an interesting insight into the characteristics of problem structuring methods (PSMs) grounding this upon a literature review. However, their evaluation of Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM) is open to a different interpretation to the one they offer, drawing upon significant literatures seemingly not considered. Whilst Smith and Shaw argue that the VSM is not a PSM, the characterisation of the VSM presented in this short communication suggests that in terms of the thirteen questions posed by these authors, that indeed, the VSM can be viewed as PSM.

Suggested Citation

  • Harwood, Stephen A., 2019. "A question of interpretation: The Viable System Model (VSM)," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 274(3), pages 1198-1201.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:274:y:2019:i:3:p:1198-1201
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2018.10.054
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221718309226
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.10.054?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Espinosa, Angela & Walker, J., 2013. "Complexity management in practice: A Viable System Model intervention in an Irish eco-community," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 225(1), pages 118-129.
    2. Espinosa, Angela & Reficco, Ezequiel & Martínez, Andrea & Guzmán, David, 2015. "A methodology for supporting strategy implementation based on the VSM: A case study in a Latin-American multi-national," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(1), pages 202-212.
    3. Espinosa, A. & Duque, C., 2018. "Complexity management and multi-scale governance: A case study in an Amazonian indigenous association," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(3), pages 1006-1020.
    4. Lara Bartocci Liboni & Luciana Cezarino & Adriana Cristina Ferreira Caldana & Omar Sacilotto Donaires, 2015. "Diagnosing Failure in an Organizational Strategic Alliance for New Product Development," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(6), pages 721-734, November.
    5. I Munro & J Mingers, 2002. "The use of multimethodology in practice—results of a survey of practitioners," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 53(4), pages 369-378, April.
    6. Espinosa, A. & Harnden, R. & Walker, J., 2008. "A complexity approach to sustainability - Stafford Beer revisited," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 187(2), pages 636-651, June.
    7. Espejo, Raul, 1996. "Requirements for effective participation in self-constructed organizations," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 414-422, August.
    8. Angela Espinosa & Jon Walker, 2011. "A Complexity Approach to Sustainability:Theory and Application," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number p699, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Maren Berge Vik & Hanne Finnestrand & Robert L. Flood, 2022. "Systemic Problem Structuring in a Complex Hospital Environment using Viable System Diagnosis – Keeping the Blood Flowing," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 203-226, April.
    2. Stephen Harwood, 2021. "Introducing the VIPLAN Methodology (with VSM) for Handling Messy Situations – Nine Lessons," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 34(6), pages 635-668, December.
    3. Lowe, David & Espinosa, Angela & Yearworth, Mike, 2020. "Constitutive rules for guiding the use of the viable system model: Reflections on practice," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(3), pages 1014-1035.
    4. Alexandre de A. Gomes Júnior & Vanessa B. Schramm, 2022. "Problem Structuring Methods: A Review of Advances Over the Last Decade," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 55-88, February.
    5. Sydelko, Pamela & Espinosa, Angela & Midgley, Gerald, 2024. "Designing interagency responses to wicked problems: A viable system model board game," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(2), pages 746-764.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lowe, David & Espinosa, Angela & Yearworth, Mike, 2020. "Constitutive rules for guiding the use of the viable system model: Reflections on practice," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(3), pages 1014-1035.
    2. Andrea C. Martinez‐Lozada & Angela Espinosa, 2022. "Corporate viability and sustainability: A case study in a Mexican corporation," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 143-158, January.
    3. Maren Berge Vik & Hanne Finnestrand & Robert L. Flood, 2022. "Systemic Problem Structuring in a Complex Hospital Environment using Viable System Diagnosis – Keeping the Blood Flowing," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 203-226, April.
    4. Hart, Diane & Paucar-Caceres, Alberto, 2017. "A utilisation focussed and viable systems approach for evaluating technology supported learning," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 259(2), pages 626-641.
    5. Amin Vahidi & Alireza Aliahmad & Ebrahim Teimouri, 2019. "Evolution of Management Cybernetics and Viable System Model," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 297-314, June.
    6. Alexandre de A. Gomes Júnior & Vanessa B. Schramm, 2022. "Problem Structuring Methods: A Review of Advances Over the Last Decade," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 55-88, February.
    7. Tavella, Elena & Papadopoulos, Thanos, 2017. "Applying OR to problem situations within community organisations: A case in a Danish non-profit, member-driven food cooperative," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 258(2), pages 726-742.
    8. Elena Tavella & L. Alberto Franco, 2015. "Dynamics of Group Knowledge Production in Facilitated Modelling Workshops: An Exploratory Study," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 451-475, May.
    9. Diane Hart, 2021. "Conceptualizing the systemic evaluation of dashboards in quality enhancement processes in higher education," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(6), pages 817-832, November.
    10. Sydelko, Pamela & Espinosa, Angela & Midgley, Gerald, 2024. "Designing interagency responses to wicked problems: A viable system model board game," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(2), pages 746-764.
    11. Stephen Harwood, 2021. "Introducing the VIPLAN Methodology (with VSM) for Handling Messy Situations – Nine Lessons," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 34(6), pages 635-668, December.
    12. Espinosa, A. & Duque, C., 2018. "Complexity management and multi-scale governance: A case study in an Amazonian indigenous association," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(3), pages 1006-1020.
    13. Amin Vahidi & Alireza Aliahmadi, 2019. "Describing the Necessity of Multi-Methodological Approach for Viable System Model: Case Study of Viable System Model and System Dynamics Multi-Methodology," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 13-37, February.
    14. Ana Gabriela Ramírez-Gutiérrez & Pedro Pablo Cardoso-Castro & Ricardo Tejeida-Padilla, 2021. "A Methodological Proposal for the Complementarity of the SSM and the VSM for the Analysis of Viability in Organizations," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 331-357, June.
    15. Avinash Kumar Singh & Devendra Kumar Pathak & Sabyasachi Patra, 2023. "An integrated systems thinking approach for achieving sustainability in project‐based organizations," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 501-535, May.
    16. Juan E. Núñez-Ríos & Jacqueline Y. Sánchez-García & Omar G. Rojas & Elias Olivares-Benitez, 2020. "Factors to Foster Organizational Sustainability in Tourism SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-21, October.
    17. Smith, Chris M. & Shaw, Duncan, 2019. "The characteristics of problem structuring methods: A literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 274(2), pages 403-416.
    18. Lami, Isabella M. & Tavella, Elena, 2019. "On the usefulness of soft OR models in decision making: A comparison of Problem Structuring Methods supported and self-organized workshops," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(3), pages 1020-1036.
    19. Rajneesh Chowdhury, 2023. "Methodological Flexibility in Systems Thinking: Musings from the Standpoint of a Systems Consultant," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 59-86, February.
    20. Emmanuel D. Adamides & Konstantinos Georgousoglou & Yannis Mouzakitis, 2023. "Designing a Flexible and Adaptive Municipal Waste Management Organisation Using the Viable System Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-24, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:274:y:2019:i:3:p:1198-1201. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.