The design process for organizational structures sometimes resembles a random walk, especially when it is embedded in an arena of competing personal interests and power games. Many organizations still lack clear guidance and are therefore seeking a rigorous, nuanced, and impartial methodology for the design and development of their organizational structures, processes and behavioral repertoire. The Viable System Model (VSM) can help: by identifying the essential design principles and parameters that need to be considered, and which can be used to enhance an organization’s effectiveness, adaptability, cohesion and overall viability. This book, the third volume in a set of three, connects the VSM to the world of the standard organizational chart. It offers readers a new perspective on corporate functions and their contributions to the organization as a whole. Further, it shows them how the VSM can be used to develop viable organizational structures, following a detailed step-by-step approach. Lastly, it explains the vital processes, behaviors, and attitudes that need to be developed in order to make organizations truly viable. Readers will find solutions to, and guidelines on, many critical organizational design issues, e.g. designing job profiles; correctly mapping synergistically (“centrally”) operating units in the organizational chart; outsourcing processes; and handling matrix situations; as well as designing and implementing organizational change processes. "This compendium is a most welcome contribution to Organizational Cybernetics. Lassl provides a detailed analytical and insightful perspective on the currently most powerful organization theory, which is a key to mastering complexity: the Viable System Model. The author also finds new, creative ways of showing the practitioner how to make the model work. If you apply it properly, you can reap huge benefits: the viability of your organization and a prosperous future."Prof. em. Dr. Markus Schwaninger, University of St. Gallen "There is nothing more practical than a good theory" (K. Lewin). This is exactly what Lassl’s books exemplify and prove. By advancing the VSM-based organizational theory and providing ample application-related examples, these books allow the readers to look at their organizations and management from a new perspective, and provides them with the knowledge to trigger and implement practical organizational changes.I have been able to draw upon many cutting-edge examples from Lassl’s books for my lectures on the VSM, which have repeatedly convinced students of its value and enabled them to gain an in-depth understanding of the VSM. Particularly Lassl’s elaborations on variety management and on the axiom of requisite vertical eigen-variety are cornerstones for every organizational design project, for value-oriented management, and for the overall viability of the organization. I highly recommend the book to all managers looking for ideas for future-oriented design of organizations and of value creation."Prof. Dr. Matthias Müller-Wiegand, Vice President Department Business and Law, Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln/University of Applied Sciences

Organizations are complex social systems, and dysfunctionalities can settle in very quickly and almost unnoticed, costing valuable time and resources. In a highly volatile and complex world where mistakes are virtually unforgivable, the ability to rapidly and accurately diagnose dysfunctionalities, and familiarity with the right governance and leadership principles, have thus become vital for organizations’ success. This volume, the second in a set of three, introduces readers to the Viable System Model (VSM)-based diagnosis and governance of organizations. Readers will be familiarized with a broad range of dysfunctional patterns that can impede an organization’s viability, while also deepening their understanding of organizational viability gained in Volume 1. This volume examines in detail the highly dynamic nature of organizations, the multiple equilibrium systems that need to be kept in mind, and the intricate nature of leadership in organizations. It addresses fundamental organizational and managerial issues/topics such as the functioning of hierarchies, the “right” degree of centralization, the various challenges throughout an organization’s lifecycle, and the vital role of conflicts for organizational health. The insights derived from the VSM in this volume will provide readers with a comprehensive, nuanced, and sound conceptual foundation for questions concerning the diagnosis and governance of organizations, the tasks, challenges and principles of leadership, and the implementation of strategies in organizations. "This compendium is a most welcome contribution to Organizational Cybernetics. Lassl provides a detailed analytical and insightful perspective on the currently most powerful organization theory, which is a key to mastering complexity: the Viable System Model. The author also finds new, creative ways of showing the practitioner how to make the model work. If you apply it properly, you can reap huge benefits: the viability of your organization and a prosperous future."Prof. em. Dr. Markus Schwaninger, University of St. Gallen "There is nothing more practical than a good theory" (K. Lewin). This is exactly what Lassl’s books exemplify and prove. By advancing the VSM-based organizational theory and providing ample application-related examples, these books allow the readers to look at their organizations and management from a new perspective, and provides them with the knowledge to trigger and implement practical organizational changes.I have been able to draw upon many cutting-edge examples from Lassl’s books for my lectures on the VSM, which have repeatedly convinced students of its value and enabled them to gain an in-depth understanding of the VSM. Particularly Lassl’s elaborations on variety management and on the axiom of requisite vertical eigen-variety are cornerstones for every organizational design project, for value-oriented management, and for the overall viability of the organization. I highly recommend the book to all managers looking for ideas for future-oriented design of organizations and of value creation."Prof. Dr. Matthias Müller-Wiegand, Vice President Department Business and Law, Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln/University of Applied Sciences

Today’s complexity, speed, and need for adaptation are putting organizations under stress. Understanding how organizations function and truly come alive has become a critical competency. And yet, organizations still seem to lack a solid understanding of what constitutes meaningful, viable, and effective organizational structures. Using the Viable System Model (VSM) as a framework, this three-volume compendium volume offers readers a new and comprehensive perspective on organizations and how they function beyond the organizational chart. Moreover, it equips readers with a rigorous methodology for analyzing organizations and addressing deep-seated organizational dysfunctions, while also showing them how to redesign their structures and develop better and more tailor-made solutions. This first volume introduces readers to the VSM and its main components. Readers are taken on a journey, allowing them to rediscover all-too-familiar aspects in the life of their organization and to become aware of the critical success factors for its smooth functioning and long-term viability. In turn, volumes 2 and 3 provide an in-depth introduction to diagnosing and designing organizations with the help of the VSM. For academics, this compendium rediscovers a theoretical perspective that can help them understand macro-structural issues; at the same time, for VSM experts and researchers alike, it resolves many open aspects in the VSM framework. "This compendium is a most welcome contribution to Organizational Cybernetics. Lassl provides a detailed analytical and insightful perspective on the currently most powerful organization theory, which is a key to mastering complexity: the Viable System Model. The author also finds new, creative ways of showing the practitioner how to make the model work. If you apply it properly, you can reap huge benefits: the viability of your organization and a prosperous future."Prof. em. Dr. Markus Schwaninger, University of St. Gallen "There is nothing more practical than a good theory" (K. Lewin). This is exactly what Lassl’s books exemplify and prove. By advancing the VSM-based organizational theory and providing ample application-related examples, these books allow the readers to look at their organizations and management from a new perspective, and provides them with the knowledge to trigger and implement practical organizational changes.I have been able to draw upon many cutting-edge examples from Lassl’s books for my lectures on the VSM, which have repeatedly convinced students of its value and enabled them to gain an in-depth understanding of the VSM. Particularly Lassl’s elaborations on variety management and on the axiom of requisite vertical eigen-variety are cornerstones for every organizational design project, for value-oriented management, and for the overall viability of the organization. I highly recommend the book to all managers looking for ideas for future-oriented design of organizations and of value creation."Prof. Dr. Matthias Müller-Wiegand, Vice President Department Business and Law, Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln/University of Applied Sciences /div

The Internet Encyclopedia in a 3-volume reference work on the internet as a business tool, IT platform, and communications and commerce medium.

The meso-level realm of social reality is structured by corporate and categoric units, along with their respective cultures. Unlike the macro and micro realms of social reality, the meso-level does not reveal its own unique forces. Rather, the dynamics of meso-structures and cultures are driven by macro- and micro-level forces pushing on individual and collective actors as they build corporate units and develop parameters defining membership in particular social categories.

An exploration of professions and the characteristics of professionalism.

Katharina Kretschmer contributes to the role typology research stream in international business. The book is highly relevant for management practice. Deep insights into the implications of subsidiary roles are displayed, and it is shown that role-specific subsidiary management is possible if not necessary. In the future, MNC managers could benefit even more when, instead of treating all their subsidiaries alike, approaching them differently – especially when evaluating their performance.

During the last 60 years the discipline of human factors (HF) has evolved alongside progress in engineering, technology, and business. Contemporary HF is clearly shifting towards addressing the human-centered design paradigm for much larger and complex societal systems, the effectiveness of which is affected by recent advances in engineering, scien

This book contributes to current debates on the protection of human rights in the 21st century. With the global economic collapse, the rise of the BRICS, the post-intervention chaos in Libya, the migration crisis in Europe, and the regional conflagration sparked by the conflict in Syria, the need to protect human rights has arguably never been greater. In light of the precipitous decline in global respect for human rights and the eruption or escalation of intra-state crises across the world, this book asks 'what is the future of human rights protection?'. Seeking to avoid both denial and fatalism, this book thus aims to: examine the principles at the very foundation of the debate on human rights; diagnose the causes of the decline of liberal internationalism so as to offer guiding lessons for future initiatives; identify those practices and developments that can, and should, be preserved in the new era; question the parameters of the contemporary debate and advance perspectives that aim to identify the contours of future ideas and practices that may offer a way forward. This book will be of much interest to students of humanitarian intervention, R2P, international organisations, human rights and security studies.

Sustainable Self-Governance in Businesses and Society offers a sound introduction to Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) and clarifies its relevance to support organisational sustainability and self-governance. While the VSM has been known since the early 1980s, it hasn’t been always easy to understand and to apply. It explains the self-transformation methodology to analyse the way organisations manage (or not) their complexity and govern themselves. The work is supported by multiple examples of application in organisations of all scales – from small to multi-national corporations and from organised social networks to communities and national organisations. It clarifies the relevance of Beer’s theory to support systemic learning and change in organisations, and to coach them to self-organise and self-govern. Readers interested in further understanding insights from complex systems and cybernetics theories for designing and transforming organisations will benefit from this book, as it works to offer very detailed insights on how to put the VSM theory into practice. It clarifies how it improves adaptive capabilities, agile and self-regulated structures, more capable of fully implementing corporate sustainability strategies and self-governing themselves. The chapters provide key reading for managers, consultants, practitioners, and post-graduate students working in organisational transformation, governance, and sustainability.