This paper analyses the convenience of the Viable System Model (VSM) as a framework to guide organisational adaptive response and resilience in times of instability and change. Methodological approach: A thought experiment based on the case study of an eco-village where a project based on action research was conducted following the introduction of the VSM Findings: The work provides evidence of the efficacy of the VSM and its recursive structure to facilitate resilience and organisational adaptation, and provides evidence of its advantages over conventional management tools to deal with uncertainty in complex environments. Research limitations: Based on a case study, the scope of the study is limited and context specific. The comparison of tools is also limited to the ones related with allocation of resources aiming to provide resilience, viability and adaptive response to critical events. Implications: The case study invites to revisit and discuss the fitness of conventionally used management tools to cope with complexity-from an organisational perspective. Originality and value: This document invites to a reflection on the nature of dominant management tools used in contemporary management to cope with complexity-The document provides insights on the value of organizational cybernetics and its capability to guide organizations in times of instability and change while facilitating resilience and adaptation through the management of variety

Purpose The purpose of this is to explore the potential of the combined use of the viable system model (VSM) and social network analysis (SNA) to identify organizational pathologies. Design/methodology/approach Using a well-documented case study based on an academic consultancy intervention and Action Research Project, participative methods for the diagnostic of the VSM and questionnaires for the collection of connectivity data for the SNA were used to develop a heuristic to integrate these two tools and identify organizational pathologies. Findings This study provides empirical evidence of the benefits of the combined use of SNA to enhance the identification of organizational pathologies in VSM interventions, by providing an additional qualitative and quantitative framework for the interpretation of findings coming from VSM organizational diagnostics. Research limitations/implications This work explores some analytic routines of SNA frequently used in management. The validation is constrained to the nature of the data set from a case study. The document invites to a discussion of further and more advanced applications on the integration of the VSM and SNA. Practical implications The enhanced identification of organizational pathologies can contribute to the emerging new interest in applications of the VSM in management, providing robustness to the structural analysis of organizations. Originality/value This paper proposes a guideline to exploit the potential of the combined use of SNA and VSM. It opens new avenues for the study of organizational pathologies.

Este artigo aborda a política de integração regional em curso na América Latina, ao longo dos anos 2000, com base nas premissas e ações da Iniciativa de Integração Regional Sul Americana (IIRSA) vista como estratégia de desenvolvimento adotada pelas elites políticas regionais e como instrumento da política exterior brasileira.Com foco nos projetos empreendidos no eixo localizado na Pan-Amazôniaanalisa a estratégia de integração vis-à-vis à regulação ambiental, destacando o papel que a virada à esquerda, nos países da Pan-Amazônia, promoveu sobre a regulação ambiental, ao adotar um modelo de integração que promove a diminuição do estoque de recursos naturais,estratégicos para políticas de desenvolvimento sustentável. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritivo-analítica, baseada em dados secundários e conteúdos de documentos oficiais disponíveis nas instituições envolvidas. A análise empreendida associa a tipologia de Estado Logístico(Cervo2003) e a teoria da variedade do capitalismo (Hall andSoskice2001; Schneider, 2008) para compreender os desdobramentos do capitalismo na região a partir da ascensão das “novas esquerdas” ao poder, quando a agenda ambiental assume papel secundário no contexto da política de integração regional, contradizendo o conteúdo dos programas de governo e das agendas políticas que haviam colocado a questão ambiental como elemento central.

The regional integration policy in Latin America was based on the premises of the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA), seen as a development strategy adopted by the regional political elites and as an instrument of Brazilian foreign policy. Focusing on the projects undertaken in the Amazon Hub, the article analyzes the integration strategy and its impact on environmental regulation. The paper highlighted the role played by the developmentalism goals in the region regarding the environmental regulation, adopting a model of integration encompassing a reduction of natural resources stock, which is a strategic feature for sustainable development policies. This chapter results from descriptive research, based on secondary data and official documents available from the involved institutions. They analyze the Brazilian government’s neo-developmentalism goals to understand how the environmental agenda in Pan Amazon was affected.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a case study of niche governance to analyze the governance of rainwater systems in the Amazon. Design/methodology/approach A visualization of the interactions of stakeholders was made with the use of social network analysis, where data were collected through interviews to experts from the region. A framework based on niche management and the safe, resilient and sustainable (Safe and SuRe) principles were used to interpret the results. Findings The work identifies key players and issues influencing governance for the implementation of rainwater systems; and capture of decision-making powers by agents making evident redundancies in the management of rainwater in the region; highlighting issues of lack of inclusion in the decision-making process, planning and implementation; threatening the sustainability, resilience and governance of rainwater systems in Belem. Originality/value Methodologically, this work is the first of its kind for the amazon and contributes to the exploration of tools and frameworks to assess governance in the implementation of rainwater systems.