Viability and change in the 21st century organisation: a cybernetic perspective

Varsos, Dimitrios S.; Assimakopoulos, Nikitas A.

doi:10.1504/ijass.2018.093039

Cited by 3 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…The network of interactions among the elements composes the _____ system's structure. Structure, therefore, refers to the connections that exist among the system's elements, which impose certain constraints on the system's function (Varsos and Assimakopoulos, 2018). Subsets of closely coupled elements and the relations that hold them together form subsystems, which perform specific functions as parts of the system's overall structure.…”

Section: The Organization Viewed As An Open Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, little attention is paid to the "human" aspect of the organization, including individual needs and wants (Morgan, 1986). Thus, the focus centers on the technical character of the work activities performed, promoting optimal efficiency and increased productivity through the automation of manual labor, rigid hierarchical authority structures, and the elimination of redundancy (Varsos & Assimakopoulos, 2018).…”

Section: _____mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Strategic planning often fails as a result of a lack of a holistic understanding (on the part of decisionmakers) in regard to the relations that exist between the desired outcomes and the necessary conditions that drive outcomes. Resources are mostly exerted, focusing on the desired outcomes, rather than on the conditions under which these outcomes are achieved (Varsos & Assimakopoulos, 2018). The complexity and volatility of the high-risk business environment should not be underestimated, as it relates to the viability of the organization.…”

Section: The Value Of Internal Audit In Organizational Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, the VSM defines the various elements that are necessary for creating viable organizations, through an adequate balance between horizontal and vertical forms of communication and control. The VSM should not be confused with a functionally based organizational structure that is typically articulated through a conventional organogram (Varsos & Assimakopoulos, 2018). The VSM draws on a number of fundamental tenets of cybernetics, including that of requisite variety.…”

Section: The Vsm: a Brief Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In turn, the operations need to attenuate the environment's variety and amplify their own variety relative to the environment. The continuous loop structures that are illustrated in Figure 4, reflect an emphasis placed on homeostasis, which is sought as a balance through requisite variety (Varsos & Assimakopoulos, 2018).…”

Section: The Principle Of Requisite Varietymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A cybernetic approach to organizational resilience

Zgouva¹,

Varsos²,

Assimakopoulos³

2020

AES

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The modern organization operates in a dynamic environment where ambiguity and uncertainty abound. As an open social system that functions in a continuously evolving business context, the modern organization must determine the external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and its strategic direction, and continually align its governance and management models, in a manner that reflects the diversity of this context. Embracing an organizational resilience paradigm, augments traditional risk management efforts and promotes the optimization of key and enabling processes, across all functions and levels of the organization. On a practical level, organizational resilience can be instrumental in improving management performance and an impetus to anticipating future threats and opportunities. Moreover, it can reinforce the organization’s capacity to monitor developing trends, as well as its ability to respond proactively to a variety of events, while learning from past successes and failures. Finally, implementing an effective internal control framework, combined with sufficient internal audit processes, will ensure that operational and tactical actions are aligned with strategic priorities that are consistent with the culture of the business, and in line with the organization’s overall risk tolerance. In this work we make use of the cybernetic structure of the Viable System Model (VSM) to both identify and diagnose the pathologies commonly found in traditional organizations, and explore its practical potential, in developing and implementing redesign initiatives, which reinforce the organization’s resilience and agility.

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Section: The Organization Viewed As An Open Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: _____mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Value Of Internal Audit In Organizational Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Vsm: a Brief Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Principle Of Requisite Varietymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A cybernetic approach to organizational resilience

Zgouva¹,

Varsos²,

Assimakopoulos³

2020

AES

Self Cite

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A Systems Approach to Information Security for the Twenty-First Century Organization

Varsos

Giannakou²,

Assimakopoulos

2020

AES

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A crisis resulting from disruptive events that threaten to harm the organization or its stakeholders can originate from a plethora of sources. Data breaches, unauthorized disclosures of confidential information, and data leaks, are on the news almost daily. Most guidelines and standards published by prominent International Standards Organizations hold that risk-based thinking supports public, private, and community enterprises (referred for convenience in this work by the generic term “organization”) in determining the forces that could cause their key and enabling processes to deviate from planned arrangements, to apply preventive measures to modify risk, and to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. A well-structured Information Security Management System that is developed, implemented, and maintained through sound risk-based thinking, enables the organization to take appropriate actions to address the risks and opportunities associated with its information resources, in a manner that is commensurate to the complexity of its socio-technical infrastructure and the external environmentassociated with its activities. In this work we explore the Risk Management Process that is outlined in the ISO 31000 international standard, through the requirements/guidelines defined in the ISO/IEC 27000-series of international standards. The knowledge gained is applied to develop a systems driven conceptual structure thatcan be employed by any organization operating on the complexities of an interconnected environment, for the purpose of designing, implementing, monitoring, reviewing and continually improving a structured Information Security Management System.

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The Economic Crisis and the Role of External Audit: The Case of Greece

Zgouva

Varsos²,

Assimakopoulos

2020

AES

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The global financial crisis of 2008 has been rivaled only by the Great Depression of the 1930s. The breadth and duration of this crisis had an adverse impact on every national economy, reflecting the systemic interdependence of an interconnected economic ecosystem, and the strengths and weaknesses of individual countries, regions, and monetary policies. The economic crises was particularly disparaging to the Greek state, which has a long history of excessive public spending, massive tax evasion, wage growth not supported by proportional productivity, and unsustainable debt levels. The health of the economy was further eroded as a result of a lack of confidence that was driven by questionable accounting practices and the misreporting of economic performance indicators by successive governments. The Court of Audit of the Hellenic Republic1 operates as the independent external auditor for the Greek state. Its effective and efficient operation within its mandated boundaries will be instrumental in the nation’s economic recovery and a key preventing measure to arrest financial mismanagement in the future. This work will describe the context in which the CoA carries out its activities, and will explore the means through which the organization can apply a systems approach to its structure, function, and management paradigm for the purpose of reinforcing its strategic, operational, and tactical capacity.

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Viability and change in the 21st century organisation: a cybernetic perspective

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

A cybernetic approach to organizational resilience

A cybernetic approach to organizational resilience

A Systems Approach to Information Security for the Twenty-First Century Organization

The Economic Crisis and the Role of External Audit: The Case of Greece

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