Cybernetic System Design for a Complex World

Nyhet

The Variety Calculus

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

2 809 kr

Kommande

The Variety Calculus has profound implications for leaders, decision makers in any sector struggling to achieve clarity and agency in the challenging and complex world we face now and in the future. The Variety Calculus provides the means to tailor organisations, capabilities, or technologies to the nature of their operating circumstances, whether simple or complex. It puts into practice a different way of thinking and envisaging systems that will help understand situations, design solutions, and take decisions with confidence. Derived from cybernetics – the universal mechanisms through which all systems, social or technological, adapt and maintain viability in dynamic conditions – it provides a theoretical framework and practical tools and methods to generate effective agency even in the most challenging tasks. Cybernetic ideas have been uniquely developed into an accessible and comprehensive methodology that is applicable to all aspects of purposeful system design and allows professionals to navigate the complexity of the modern ‘Information Age’ world.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-06-02
Mått156 x 234 x undefined mm
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor268
FörlagTaylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN9781041166252

Tillhör följande kategorier

Gordon Niven is a Chief Systems Thinking Specialist at the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, UK. He has been applying systems approaches for over 15 years to challenging situations across all areas of Defence & Security. He teaches systems thinking, is an honorary fellow at Exeter University, and is a consultant specialising in complex challenges.David Capewell served 37 years in the UK Military and his last appointment was as Chief of Joint Operations responsible to government for UK global operations. He is currently the Chairman of a forensic intelligence business and a director of a large digital systems company. He sits on the boards of a range of prestigious capital investment houses and was a panel chair of the recent Strategic Defence Review. He is a distinguished fellow at RUSI and was the Hudson fellow at the University of Oxford.

Prologue, Part 1. Ideas To Shape How You View the World, 1. The Variety Calculus, 2. Thinking in Systems, 3. Variety and Complexity, 4. How Variety Can Help You Shape Effective Action, 5. Variety, Information, and Time, Part 2. Managing Variety, 6. Managing Organisational Variety, 7. Managing Environmental Variety, 8. How to Cope with Complexity, Part 3. From Theory to Practice, 9. The Veritas Analysis Framework, 10. Using Veritas to Support Planning and Design, 11. Organisations as Devices for Managing Variety, 12. An Alternative Approach to Organisation Design, 13. A Generic Functional Management Model, 14. The Rise of the Machines, Epilogue

"The vast majority of us are unwitting 'complicators'. 'Simplifiers' who quickly see the wood for the trees are rare and precious. The more so in our very complex world. This hugely useful book provides a methodology to help us navigate the organisational and structural challenges of our times. I cannot commend it enough."Field Marshal The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, GCB CBE DSO DL "At a time of enormous complexity, the Variety Calculus combines systems, cybernetics, and critical thinking tools to achieve agency and purpose when we need it most. This is an essential guide for leaders grappling with organisational challenges. It provides a unique perspective and a methodology to succeed in today’s world."Sir Jeremy Fleming, KCMG CB