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System dynamics and cybernetics: a synergetic pair
Author(s) -
Schwaninger Markus,
Ríos José Pérez
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
system dynamics review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1099-1727
pISSN - 0883-7066
DOI - 10.1002/sdr.400
Subject(s) - cybernetics , viable system model , complementarity (molecular biology) , computer science , context (archaeology) , system dynamics , management science , argument (complex analysis) , operations research , bridge (graph theory) , industrial engineering , artificial intelligence , mathematics , engineering , medicine , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , genetics , biology
The authors advocate building a bridge between two systems approaches, namely system dynamics (SD) and the viable system model (VSM), which is the main exponent of organizational cybernetics (OC). Such a synthesis is aimed at opening a path towards a better capability of actors to deal with complex issues in both organizations and society. Given their respective strengths—modeling and simulation of content issues in the case of SD, and providing a viable organizational context in the case of OC—a combination of the two approaches is claimed to be potentially fertile. That argument gets twofold support. Firstly, the complementarity of SD and the VSM is cogently shown. Secondly, the authors refer to examples of synergy development through a combination of the two approaches. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.