The viable system model as a framework to guide organisational adaptive response in times of instability and change

Castro, Pedro Pablo Cardoso

doi:10.1108/ijoa-01-2018-1334

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…According to Cardoso Castro [47], the VSM can be applied to any organisation regardless of its size, nature or operating context for diagnosis or to restructure in order to achieve viability. Its functionality has been demonstrated in different sectors [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57].…”

Section: Identification Of Conflicts Through Viable System Model (Vsm)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering the path coefficients, one of the challenges is to harmonise the interactions between primary operations with the elements of coordination and control without neglecting the information provided by Int to improve the courses of action and to operate sustainably. Based on the above, it is considered that the VSM can be used as an alternative to translate the information obtained with the PLS-PM and generate organisational changes that lead to a state of viability [47,51,69].…”

Section: Structuring Sustainable Performance Through the Vsmmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainable Performance in RAMSAR Sites

et al. 2019

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This article explores and validates the integrated use of the viable system model (VSM) and the partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) approach to assess the sustainable management of RAMSAR sites carrying out economic activities. This work adopts a systems-thinking approach integrating systemic methodologies in three phases: (1) the VSM was first used to develop a conceptual model of the organisational problem; (2) PLS-PM was used to propose a construct to outline a solution, as well as to statistically validate the relationships proposed in the conceptual model; finally, (3) through the VSM, the relationships between actors were rethought in order to promote sustainable performance. The results obtained suggest that the joint use of VSM and PLS-PM is an effective approach that aids in the identification of relational and structural pathologies affecting the observed RAMSAR systems. It also proved useful to suggest that relationships can lead to the sustainable performance of the sites under study. It should be noted that the framework of systemic tools is constrained in its application to the organisational domain: assessing two RAMSAR areas in Mexico. Methodologically, this is the first application of the integrated use of VSM and PLS-PM to analyse the management and viability/sustainability of RAMSAR areas from an organisational perspective, opening a new avenue for the analysis and optimisation of management of such areas. This study provides tools to support actors and academics related to RAMSAR sites and opens up a discussion on how to rethink the organisational interactions in order to improve RAMSAR sites’ adaptive capabilities.

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Section: Identification Of Conflicts Through Viable System Model (Vsm)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Structuring Sustainable Performance Through the Vsmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainable Performance in RAMSAR Sites

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Table 1 shows the components of the instrument, which, in turn, consider the aspects described in the deployment of the SSM (next section). The variables considered by the questionnaire are Environment (ENV), Management (Mng), Operations (Ops), Organisational linkage (Olnk) and Complementarity (Cmp), which are based on the functions of the VSM (Beer 1985) and on the contributions of Mendola and Volo (2017) and Sarstedt et al (2016). A 5-point Likert scale was used, with scores ranging from 1 = disagree entirely to 5 = completely agree; through this approach, the respondents assessed the relationships proposed in the conceptual model.…”

Section: Information Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second objective was to estimate the validity of the relationships proposed in the construct, and to do so, partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) was used. The third objective was to enrich the conceptual model using the viable system model (VSM) of Beer (1985) to provide practical characteristics to the proposal and guide the analysis of the data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systems Science Approach to Inter-Organisational Complementarity in Tourism SMEs

Sánchez-García

Núñez-Ríos

Soto-Pérez

et al. 2019

Syst Pract Action Res

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This article proposes a model based on the integration of systemic mechanisms such as the soft systems methodology, partial least squares path modelling and the viable system model as an alternative for fostering complementarity (associativity) in Small and Medium Enterprises to improve responsiveness and adaptations in the tourism sector. The systemic method was adopted as a framework for the proposal. In this regard: 1. The soft systems methodology was used to frame the problem and propose a construct for outlining a possible solution; the methodology included a questionnaire applied to 150 actors (including SME owners and managers and government officials). 2. Partial least squares path modelling was used to statistically validate the relationships in the construct. 3. Through the viable system model, the interactions between SMEs were reconsidered to recognise contextual impacts and foster complementarity. The goodness of fit of 70% obtained for the conceptual model suggests that complementarity, as an organisational form, is possible. The soft systems perspective is considered suitable because it deals with the complex nature of the problem (SME associativity). Although the results in this study apply to the Mexican context, we suggest that this potential limitation can be offset by the multi-methodological approach proposed here, allowing the model's application to all kinds of organisations. Hence, the observations in this paper are constrained to the organisational domain. This study may enable scholars and managers to improve communication channels as well as inter-organisational relationships, emphasising the increase in the responsiveness and adaptation capabilities to facilitate associativity between SMEs in the studied sector.

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“…Beer's model [39] uses a structuralist perspective that recognizes the recursive nature of systems: that systems exist holonically or in hierarchies and that their modalities of organization at a higher level are consistently repeated in other parts of the system. In this sense, viable systems exhibit the same organizational characteristics [51].…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Systemic Design for Food Self-Sufficiency in Urban Areas

et al. 2020

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This article adopts a systemic approach to address the problem of the operationalization of relationships between actors conducive to food self-sufficiency in urban areas. Through the use of Social Network Analysis (SNA), the literature on urban agriculture was analyzed, detecting eight key trends and topic areas. This information was used to design a generic recursive organizational structure with the identification of the key roles and functions for management and governance in the multi-level and multi-stakeholder relationships of a sustainable urban self-sufficient food production system, inspired by the principles of complexity management and organizational cybernetics. Methodologically, this is the first application that combines the exploratory capability of SNA and the recursive structure of the Viable System Model (VSM) to propose applicable organizational structures in any urban area, suggesting a new route for the study and application of systemic thinking in the development of urban agriculture schemes. However, due to the conceptual nature of this work, this study opens a discussion on how we can rethink interactions to seek continuous adaptation in food self-sufficiency, provide tools that foster inclusion, and adapt to every context to support the relevant actors and academics in urban agriculture.

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The viable system model as a framework to guide organisational adaptive response in times of instability and change

Cited by 18 publications

References 37 publications

Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainable Performance in RAMSAR Sites

Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainable Performance in RAMSAR Sites

A Systems Science Approach to Inter-Organisational Complementarity in Tourism SMEs

Systemic Design for Food Self-Sufficiency in Urban Areas

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