The Syncho Online Learning Centre

Programme on Organisational Systems

The Programme on Organisational Systems is a resource for those interested in learning about Organisational Systems – how do organisations do (or not do) what they say they do. The notion of Organisational Systems is based on the ideas of management cybernetics and the Viable System Model developed by the late Stafford Beer and enhanced methodologically by the work of Raul Espejo in both his academic work as well as his practical consultancy work at Syncho Limited since the mid 1980s.

To understand how organisations “work”, you need to unravel the complex systems of communication and meaning among multiple stakeholders as well as understand what brings cohesion to this organisation. For small organisations this may seem trivial. But as organisations increase in size this is far from trivial with few tools available to begin to manage this complexity. By organisation, we are referring to the multiple forms of social systems – private, public and voluntary sector organisations – communities of all types and forms. Without an adequate method plus tools to support viewing how organisations “work”, it becomes exceedingly difficult to improve performance for the organisation as a whole. Often “local” improvements or changes are made without considering the implications for the rest of the organisation. Understanding the organisation as a system helps to minimise this “oversight”.

The Syncho Online Learning Centre uses multiple media formats to deliver content to those who enrol on the Programme. These formats include: published and unpublished papers available as downloadable pdfs or eBooks; exercises to facilitate learning; short videos; online templates; email response to questions; FAQs (frequently asked questions); a glossary of terms; and in time (probably late 2010) teleseminars and webinars.

Organisational Systems - Programme Content

The programme has seven modular components:

Human communication systems: this module presents the epistemological grounding of the programme. We understand organisations as networks of human communications or human communication systems. Maturana’s and Varelas’s ideas of biological autopoiesis and Luhmann’s social autopoiesis have influenced this understanding. Additionally, a key aspect of communications is how people and collectives manage complexity. Both are often overwhelmed by multiple demands that need an effective management of complexity to succeed. Ashby’s concepts of variety and requisite variety are at the core of all the chapters of this module. This module includes a Variety Engineering template, supported by a data base, which permits the user to develop their own models.
The Viable System Model (VSM): this module is at the core of the programme. It offers an understanding of successful strategies to manage the huge complexity of communications within enterprises and between them and other enterprises, institutions and agents of all kinds in their surroundings. Beer’s VSM, in particular its recursive structure, gives a powerful insight into the management of this complexity. The VSM is widely used as a heuristic to manage complexity by many people and enterprises.
Use of Viplan: this module offers an in-depth study of the Viplan Method, supported by case studies. Additionally it includes the Viplan Learning System which is a dynamic explanation of the Viable System Model and its use. This method relates an enterprise’s policies and strategy to its structure. An enterprise’s strategy is a means to work out which aspects of its environment are relevant to consider. This is the enterprise’s relevant complexity for which it needs to develop a robust structure. Naturally, both the enterprise’s strategy and its environmental complexity are affecting each other all the time. The five steps of the Viplan Method offer a path to understand this circular causality. This method has supported Syncho’s work over 25 years. New analytical tools ie, The Viplan Toolbox, aimed at supporting the use of the Viplan Method with templates to apply the five steps of the method are available.

Note: In the early 1990s Syncho developed the eBook entitled Viplan Learning System, a tutorial to learn about the Viable System Model, based on Raul Espejo’s methodological work. This learning environment has been available since 1996 and is currently used by a wide range of universities, including the Open University in the UK. There have been a very few issues in using the Viplan Learning System with Microsoft Vista in particular. Viplan is included with this module but we cannot guarantee that it will work with the latest operating software. For this reason we are also including a linear version which gives all of the content. We plan to upgrade Viplan Learning System to operate on current operating systems in the future but cannot give any date for its release.

Identity and Structural Archetypes: This module is based on the Viable System Model and the Viplan Method. It identifies a wide range of identity and structural archetypical weaknesses that recur in organisations. This module offers observational tools to diagnose organisational weaknesses.
The Enterprise Complexity Model (ECM): this module makes an important methodological contribution to the application of the VSM. Its focus is on problem solving and offers an approach to see enterprises as organisations dealing with challenges of all kinds, such as the market, technology and the environment. It helps seeing enterprises as components of networks that together may be more effective dealing with these problematic situations. It is also strongly grounded in the current digital economy and the related information and communication technologies. The module develops the language of complexity in detail and offers heuristics to model complexity in particular problematic situations.
Performance and Information Management: People in organisations are contributing to the enterprise’s business processes, that is, to producing whatever their products and services are. This is the value chain that they manage to relate their suppliers to their customers. These processes relate to the enterprise’s strategy. Also people are producing organisational processes, that is, processes that maintain the enterprise as a cohesive and adaptive whole in its environment. The modelling of these processes is done with the support of the Viplan Method. But, people in organisations need information for their participation in business and organisational processes. For this they are supported by information processes. However inadequate these processes might be, they are natural to an enterprise. The purpose of this module is to improve them by design. It is necessary to align information and communication systems with business and organisational processes. This is an exercise in managing the complexity of an organisation at the level of individuals and groups. This is an exercise in variety engineering that is grounded in the Viplan Method and the Enterprise Complexity Model.
Individual and Organisational Learning: in a changing environment a fundamental prerequisite for the survival of individuals and organizations alike is their ability to adapt to this change. This is the essence of ‘learning’. The organization requires an organizational learning capability and a capacity to overcome learning obstacles. However, such a learning capability is not enough. Competing companies are learning too. Thus the speed of learning is also important - one must be able to learn faster than the competition. Enabling learning capabilities has thus become one of the central management tasks of the present day. This module offers a learning model grounded in the management of complexity.

Who will Benefit from Following this Programme?

Executives who are responsible for maintaining or improving organisational performance. If you ask questions such as: “What are the consequences of cutting costs in xxx?”; or “If you cut back office or operational costs, how long will it be before your front office is unable to perform adequately?” then this is for you. We are referring to the risk of systemic failure.
Organisational Development specialists or internal consultants
Management consultants
Management in public, private and voluntary sector organisations
Regulators charged with regulating competition or behaviour within industry sectors
Anyone interested in systems thinking approaches
Post graduate students researching issues such as organisational theory, organisational cybernetics; organisational behaviour and performance

Comments by previous Program Participants

“I have just finished studying the papers of Module 1. I was still searching, but this theory gives profound new insights for me. Thank you for your work: I’m in the right place! This is seminal work and I’m starting to appreciate the precise language.”

Our Experience

Raul Espejo worked with Stafford Beer in Chile during the early 1970s – before the trilogy on the VSM was published. If you have read these books then you will be aware of Raul’s connection with Stafford. Since the late 1970s Raul has been carrying out research and teaching in Universities in the UK and elsewhere and the VSM has been at the core of much of his work. His contribution to organisational cybernetics is internationally recognised. Syncho has its origins in the CyberSyn project in Chile that took place from 1971 to 1973 (www.cybersyn.cl). This project was initiated by Fernando Flores, whose contribution to the internet economy is widely recognised. Since the formation of Syncho in 1985 Raul has been its Managing Director; Stafford was Syncho’s Chairman for 15 years until 2000. Tony Gill joined Syncho in the late 1980s and has worked with Raul on numerous projects since then. See Raul’s list of publications available on this website. Regrettably Stafford has passed away but this leaves Raul as one of the leading authorities on organisational cybernetics and the VSM.

Cost to enrol on the Programme on Organisational Systems

If you were to attend a Public Course over three days you would pay £1500 to £2000 plus VAT (value added tax) and you would not be able to cover the content presented here online in that time.

We know money is tight and time has to be productively spent. In order to trim costs, we have kept coaching support to the essential level. For many that declare that they are natural “self-learners” this should present no problem. Additionally, you can pursue the programme at your own pace in the time that you are able to allocate.

Accordingly, if you are resident of the European Union the price you will pay to enrol on the Programme on Organisational Systems is £660.00 plus VAT, unless you are VAT registered, in which case you will be either able to recover it or not pay it at all. If you live outside the European Union you only pay £660. For this you will get:

Access to the Syncho Online Learning Centre with content as described above in the seven modules.
Access is given for 12 months after enrolling on the Programme.
Permission to download all pdfs and downloadable material for your own personal use on the understanding that Syncho retains the copyright for all materials made available to you and you agree not to share these materials or your access password with anyone else for whatever purpose.
Limited coaching support by email in response to your written emailed questions averaging two emails per module ie a maximum of 14 email questions for response. We will endeavour to provide a response to each email within 48 hours. All questions must relate to clarifying the material available at the Online Learning Centre and not to applying the VSM to any specific context.
Access to all additional material that may be uploaded to the Syncho Online Learning Centre during the time of your enrolment.
After your year of enrolment, you will be invited to remain a member of the Online Learning Centre for a nominal fee to enable you to participate in further learning and have access to new material.

Enrol Now

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If you are only interested in a more in-depth introduction to the VSM plus two case studies to support your learning then you can have access to these papers on payment of £12.00

Click here for more on Introducing the VSM

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Full Time Post Graduate Students

We welcome full time post graduate students to participate in this programme. The cost is £99 plus VAT which is 15% until the end of December 2009 and then moves up to 17.5% in 2010. As a student you will not get any email or other support and will not have access to the Viplan Toolbox. To be eligible please send an email containing the following information:

full name;
your email address;
name of university or academic institution;
your student registration number;
year in which you expect to complete your research;
name of your supervisor;
university email address of your supervisor.

Once we have validated your information, you will be sent a link to make payment. Once payment has been received we will email your access data for the Syncho Online Learing Centre to you.

Syncho Research & Dissemination on Managing Complexity