Using the Viable Systems Model to Structure a System Dynamics Mapping and Modeling Project for the Australian Taxation Office

This paper is a case study of a major System Dynamics (SD) intervention in policy design in the Australian Taxation Office. The project, which lasted two years, tested a number of hypotheses regarding the application of Stafford Beer's Viable Systems Model (VSM) to the structure and process of the project. The paper reports that the success of the VSM within the ATO was qualified by political changes in the external environment.     

The Viable System Model and Its Application to Complex Organizations

Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model is the best known of the many cybernetic models he constructed over a career spanning more than 50 years. He explored the necessary conditions for viability in any complex system whether an organism, an organization or a country. Although the model was first applied in his work in the steel industry, many further applications were made during his later work as a consultant. The best known of these was when he was invited by President Salvadore Allende of Chile in 1970 to model the social economy of that country. That experiment was brutally cut short in 1973 by the CIA assisted coup during which Allende was killed and Pinochet’s dictatorship installed. The model itself draws on mathematics, psychology, biology, neurophysiology, communication theory, anthropology and philosophy. It was first expressed in mathematical terms in ‘The Cybernetic Factory’; next it was described in neurophysiological terms in Brain of the firm; and finally according to logic and graphic presentation in Heart of Enterprise and Diagnosing the System for Organizations. This last version is the one that is most accessible. It enables people to address organizational issues in a way that skirts the usual categories and organization charts and gets down to the actual necessary functions, no matter who is performing them. With this model people can get a boost as they diagnose or design an organizations. One aspect is to discover what the organization’s critical variables are and to find or install the homeostats that will show that they are maintaining equilibrium. Within that context, the model will help you ascertain that the principle functions and communications channels are in place and can function effectively. A crucial aspect of the VSM is that it is recursive; that is that the same relationships can be traced from the shop floor to the corporation or from the village to the country. Two examples will be discussed: a small business and the Chilean work from the 1970s. It is hoped that this will encourage people to imagine a world that works much better than it does now and where management is not defeated by complexity. A version of this paper was delivered as the first Stafford Beer Memorial Lecture on July 8, 2007 at the World Multiconference on Systems, Cybernetics and Informatics in Orlando Florida.     

Reflection-in-Action: Modeling a specific organization through the Viable Systems Model

The purpose of this project is to explore a way for systems practitioners to learn the skills necessary to employ a particular systems model in practice. Reflection-in-Action is one way to embark on a double-loop learning cycle and, thus, develop the tacit skills and inarticulate knowledge needed to employ a particular systems model. Through Reflection-in-Action, a Viable Systems Model (VSM) of the San Francisco Zoo was constructed. This project involved three phases of research; for each, a VSM using the data available was constructed. During each phase, the questioning of current assumptions and operating norms led to changes in the direction of the research. This led to the construction of significantly different VSMs for each phase.     

Decoding the Japanese Lean Production System According to a Viable Systems Perspective

The increase in the complexity and variability of the business environment, due to constant and rapid changes in markets, calls for more flexible and effective production systems. Of the most valuable production systems, the Japanese lean production system (LPS) is the best known and studied, but is still not the most widely applied with success outside Japan. The reason for the low level of success of lean production outside its native country is the lack of understanding of the strong interactions which hold between enterprises and business systems. In order to fill this gap in our knowledge, we investigate the systemic interactions according to the viable system view. To develop our analysis, we combine the elements of two of the major viable systems theories: the Viable System Model (VSM) of Stafford Beer, and the Viable System Approach (VSA) of Gaetano Golinelli. We combine these two perspectives to create a cohesive framework that combines the internal structural analysis of VSM with the analysis of links to the environmental suprasystems of VSA. In line with this framework, we examine the peculiar aspects of the Japanese LPS in order to find the relevant correspondences between the Japanese LPS and the Viable Systems perspective. We portray the peculiarities of the lean production system, shedding light on its roots in the Japanese business environment (Dominici 2008, 2010), and we show how it has worked as an incubator to create those managerial practices that represent the LPS. We also show how the Japanese kaisha can be effectively represented as a viable system in homeostatic interaction with the Japanese business environment. We conclude with an analysis of the results and summary of the possibilities for further research.     

基于对象的CIPS总体设计模型体系

在分析综合现有模型体系、建模方法和面向对象思想的基础上,建立了一套基于对象的模型体系,简述了使用该模型进行总体设计的方法．该模型体系不但能全面地描述系统中的状态因素和人的行为因素,同时由于它的整个定义集都是建立在对象、属性和服务这三个基础定义上的,这可以使模型方便地转换成数学描述,有利于对现有系统和未来系统的信息流和物质流的过程、效率和可行性等加以分析     

智能运输调度系统模型库构造与管理

根据最近的研究和未来展望 ,从系统设计的角度对 V RSP( Vehicle Routing and SchedulingProblem s)的模型按结构进行了分类 ,给出了模型类的知识表示 ;详细地讨论了 VRSP模型类的父类、子类、多项式派生子类、相似类、多项式派生超子类、等价类 ;研究了模型类的并、交、补运算 ,从而深刻地揭示了模型类之间的关系 .提出了 VRSP模型库及其管理系统一个框架设计 .本文的研究虽然是针对智能运输调度系统进行的 ,但其思想和方法对一般智能管理系统的设计具有普遍意义.     

The Viable Systems Model Applied to a National System of Innovation to Inform Policy Development

This paper outlines how the viable systems model (VSM) can provide insights into a National System of Innovation by focussing on the necessary variety needed to match the system's changing external environment. Because an innovation system is more diffuse than a firm, the VSM needs to be described within an ‘ecological’ metaphor. This approach gives insights into the system's learning processes, showing that there can be a trade-off between variety and control for the system to maintain a fixed level of viability. Furthermore, for many innovation systemsthe coordination is ‘soft’; taking place through markets, through Government directions, and through relationships embodied in clusters, unions or industry groups, etc.Governments generally can only manage the system indirectly by facilitating the generation of the necessary variety, influencing strategic directions, filling gaps in the system and encouraging coordination. Societal or cultural innovations, such as new forms of citizen participation in decision-making, may well improve the viability of an innovation system. However, if these innovations are pursued for societal rather than economic purposes, they fall outside the usual definition of innovation within an NSI.     

基于xUML的C4ISR系统可执行对象模型设计

C4ISR系统自身复杂性和军事需求多变性,使得系统设计风险增加,研制难度愈来愈大.把模型驱动体系结构MDA的思想和可执行建模语言xUML引入C4ISR系统的设计研制过程中,详细分析了可执行对象模型对于C4ISR系统研制的意义,给出了基于xUML的C4ISR系统可执行对象模型设计方法和步骤,并通过水面舰船的实例验证了该方法的可行性.该方法对系统结构化分析、动态逻辑验证、性能测量评价,而且在描述能力、可理解性和可分析性等方面比基于Petri网的可执行模型都有很大改善.     

空间系统军事应用仿真模型体系设计

空间系统军事应用仿真是对复杂大系统仿真的过程,模型体系是其核心。首先分析空间系统军事应用基本概念和空间系统军事应用仿真的主要内容,说明了空间系统军事应用仿真模型体系设计的原则与标准,对空间系统军事应用仿真模型进行了功能上的分类,设计了空间系统军事应用仿真模型体系结构。设计的体系结构考虑了可扩充性和适应未来一体化联合作战的需求。     

动力传动系统仿真模型库的分析与设计

模型库是仿真系统的基础和核心部分之一。模型库系统应能对各类仿真模型进行有效的组织、管理,支持模型的共享与重用,提供良好的模型调用接口及对数据库系统的操作接口。通过对动力传动仿真模型库的规划、组成及功能分析,提出了模型库系统的体系结构,初步探讨了模型库管理功能的实现、模型的生成与配置及系统实现的关键技术。     

一类串级不确定非线性系统的最优滑模控制器设计

对一类串级不确定非线性系统提出了一种基于SDRE控制的最优滑模控制方法。该方法采用两环控制结构，外环控制器的设计采用基于依赖状态的Riccati方程最优控制，用以产生最优滑模面。内环控制器设计采用滑动模控制以减小控制系统对参数变化、模型误差、外部干扰的敏感。同时提出了两种求解依赖于状态的Riccati方程的方法，所设计的最优滑模控制器能使串级不确定系统具有鲁棒稳定性。最后通过一个仿真算例，验证了该控制方法的有效性。     

诊断问题的类模型研究

随着对诊断问题研究的不断深入 ,基于产生式规则的知识表达形式已经很难胜任复杂系统诊断问题的知识表示 .本文在已有的面向对象知识表达的基础上 ,提出了诊断问题的类模型 ,并给出了相应的算法.     

导弹总体设计过程中的过程模型研究

针对导弹总体设计过程，提出以过程集成的思想来解决总体设计这个多学科多任务的复杂灵活的设计分析过程，并给出了能够描述导弹总体设计过程各种动态因素的过程模型-IPM，分析了IPM过程建模的相关内容。最后给出了一个应用实例验证了IPM思想的正确性和可行性。     

多变量系统模糊动态模型的辨识

介绍了一种新型的基于模糊神经网络的多变量模糊动态模型的辨识方法 ,该方法是通过将输入空间进行直接划分 ,而不是在输入空间的每一维上进行划分来得到模糊规则的。这样所形成的隶属函数为多维隶属函数 ,并使模糊规则的数目大为减少。在模糊聚类算法的基础上 ,提出了一个衡量聚类有效性的函数 ,以确定模糊规则的数目。以二级倒立摆系统为应用背景 ,取得了较好的辨识效果。     

复杂系统的认识与系统模型

在现有复杂社会系统的组元、结构、功能的系统概念基础上,增加系统运行、产品和进化等概念,为认识、理解复杂社会系统提供了准确而完整的系统概念架构;提升与完善系统认识方法(“物理-事理-文化”系统方法论)与企业建模理论,使其成为对复杂社会系统的认识方法与系统研究方法(系统模型方法论),为复杂系统的运行与进化的认识、描述和研究提供了科学而准确的方法和技术手段,使复杂系统的模型研究、系统仿真成为复杂系统研究和发展的科学手段。以系统模型作为系统知识模型,建立相应的知识管理系统,实现系统知识的转化、传输、共享、使用、存储的有效管理,使我们的社会在逐步实现信息化的同时真正建成知识化社会、创新型国家。     

基于模型的飞行控制系统一体化设计技术研究

飞行控制系统设计是一项复杂的系统工程,涉及众多的专业。为了提高系统开发效率,采用MATLAB软件构建了统一的设计平台,使得各专业能够借助平台开展相关设计工作。飞行控制系统一体化设计思路来源于基于模型的设计思想。采用基于模型的设计流程,能够快速完成设计迭代,缩短产品研制周期。作者从飞行控制系统设计的角度,对采用MATLAB软件构建的一体化设计平台及涉及的相关专业技术进行了研究,供广大工程设计人员借鉴。     

一种适用于系统仿真的文氏管动态模型

当前用于系统仿真的文氏管模型过于简单,而考虑两相流的CFD模型却难以集成到发动机系统仿真中,通过综合采用数值计算、实验验证、系统辨识的方法,建立了一种适用于系统仿真的4阶文氏管动态模型。计算表明：即使在汽蚀状态下,文氏管也可能出现3.3%的流量波动,而不是所谓的恒定流量源。因此,该模型将有利于提高发动机系统仿真的可靠性。

Abstract：

The models of venturi used in system simulation are always too simple to reflect the real flow process,but the CFD models are too complex to be enclosed into the propulsion system in spite of its accuracy.A 4th order dynamic model of venturi which is applicable to system simulation is brought forward through numerical simulations,experiments and system identifications.Result shows that there is a 3.3% flow fluctuation even under cavitation circumstance,other than constant flow rate.This model is helpful to improve the fidelity of propulsion system simulation.     

基于MODELCENTER的EPUAV系统模型建立与参数优化

建立了小型电动无人机(EPUAV)的系统模型,包括几何外形模型、气动参数计算模型、质量计算模型、发动机模型和操稳性模型.基于多学科协同设计集成优化平台ModelCenter进行系统集成,并建立了EPUAV的多学科设计优化模型,利用遗传算法实现了EPUAV的总体参数优化设计,实现了EPUAV的快速总体优化设计平台.飞行试验验证了EPUAV系统模型准确性,优化结果满足设计要求.     

专家系统在导弹总体计算机辅助设计中的应用研究

本文探讨了将专家系统技术应用于导弹总体初步设计中的原理和方法, 建立了一个实验型反坦克导弹总体计算机辅助设计专家系统, 并在微机上得以实现。该系统用Turbo和Prolog, TurboC, FORTRAN语言混合编程, 以菜单方式进行人机对话。     

飞船系统故障诊断的知识模型

分析和讨论了飞船系统故障诊断知识的构成，运用面向对象的方法和技术，给出了飞船系统故障诊断的描述知识模型和过程性知识模型.