The contributions of the Viable Systems Approach to cybernetic and systems thinking

This chapter explores the challenging concept of viable systems within the framework of the Viable Systems Approach (vSa). Initially, influenced by cybernetics and the foundational work of Von Bertalanffy, the vSa found its application in various areas, particularly social organizations. Stafford Beer’s contributions, notably the distinction between decision-making and action areas, spurred the expansion of vSa into organizational domains, differentiating between government and management. The vSa introduces novel perspectives, especially regarding the ontology of viable systems. Unlike Beer’s cybernetic perspective, the vSa embraces a constructivist view, emphasizing the irreducible role of the observer in depicting the system’s paths and decisions. In such a vein, the chapter illustrates essential distinctions between the Viable System Model (vsm) and the vSa. The chapter aims to depict the vSa’s fundamental principles, emphasizing the need for a formalized interpretative scheme applicable to any organized system aiming to survive over time. Delving into philosophical, ontological, epistemological, and paradigmatic dimensions, the chapter highlights the process through which vSa frames viable systems as emergent and dynamic entities with a self-identity. A conceptual depiction based on the differences between vsm and vSa across philosophical, ontological, epistemological, and paradigmatic aspects is presented as a foundation for approaching organizational structures and dynamics. As a result, the vSa emerges as complementary to the vsm for understanding the multidimensionality of organizational systems.