Managing change with VSM and STS: an experiential approach

Abstract

This article describes a simulation exercise using Stafford Beer's Viable-Systems Model. The workshop, titled Managing Change, was presented as a collaborative event by the Viable Systems International Partnership and Socio-Technical Systems Associates to participants familiar with socio-technical systems design from previous workshops. The simulation was based on an STS experiential demonstration of traditional and self-managing team motivation and productivity. Participants were assigned roles corresponding to the five functions of the VSM for two sessions. The first session was in real time with several environmental disturbances. The second was done as a walk-through, one system and one disturbance at a time. The exercise underlined that practice is required before newly learned methods can be applied confidently in turbulent situations.