Stafford Beer’s
Viable System Model
Features of the VSM
• Based on the structure of the human
nervous system
• Five levels or functions
• The five functions recur at each level of
organization
Features of the VSM
•
•
•
•
Maximizes autonomy of units
Minimizes bureaucracy
Maintains control of essential activities
Evaluates results more than methods
The five functions
• System five – controls the rate of innovation,
defines the organization’s values
• System four – does long-range planning,
designs the next product or service
• System three – middle management, defines a
“resource bargain” with the system ones
• System two – coordinates the producing units
• System one – the producing units
Concerns of the
Viable System Model
• Make sure that the knowledge and skills
needed are available
• Be sure that the information needed to
make decisions is available
• Design an organization that is adaptive
System One units and their environments
Present
Environment
Local
Environ ment
Local
Environ ment
Local
Environ ment
Operation
One A
Management
Operation
One A
Operation
One B
Management
Operation
One B
Operation
One C
Management
Operation
One C
Repeat of the System One units with the
addition of Systems Two, Three, and Three
Star
Present
Environment
System 3
3*
Local
Environment
Operation
One A
Management
Operation
One A
Local
Environment
Operation
One B
Management
Operation
One B
Operation
One C
Management
Operation
One C
Local
Environment
2
System Four probing the future environment
Future
Environment
System 4
All relevant
developments
in the
environment
oriented
to the future
All internal
functions
concerned
with the
future
Relationships among Systems 3, 4, and 5
System 5
System 5
System 4
System 4
System 3
System 3
System 5
Future
Environment
System 4
Present
Environment
System 3
3*
Local
Environ
ment
Operation
One A
Management
Operation
One A
Local
Environ
t
men
Operation
One B
Management
Operation
One B
Operation
One C
Management
Operation
One C
Local
Environ
ment
2
The Viable
System
Model
The VSM applied to the Chilean economy
Ministry of Economics
5
CORFO / ODEPLAN
(National planning office)
4
National office for
statistics and census
3
Filtre
Industry A
Sector Com.
Comittee A
IndustryB
Industry
B
Sector Co
Comittee B
IndustryC
Sector Comittee C
2
1
Design of the algedonic feedback loop from the
people to the government (Beer, 1981)
Viable System Model
• A diagnostic tool that can aid in
understanding any organizational structure
– line, staff, or matrix
• Defines the variety that needs to be
controlled and the structures to control it
• Shows how both to ensure innovation and
to regulate it
Relevance to Enterprise
Architecture
• The VSM provides a way of viewing the
structure of an organization
• It could, in principle, be used to design an
information system for an organization
• At least one software program has been
created to help people analyze an
organization in terms of the VSM