Scholarlink

Management in systemic terms means to cope with complexity. Ross Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety shows the way, - to maintain the varieties of interacting systems in balance. To denote that process, we use the cybernetic concept of «Variety Engineering», which we also formalize. It refers to processes of mutual complexity amplification and attenuation by interacting agents. The purpose of this contribution is to explore ways of coping with complexity by means of Variety Engineering. The abstract concepts are illustrated by examples from ecological, social, and economic contexts. The cases in point will be used to demonstrate how complexity can be managed, to foster sustainability in these three dimensions.

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Variety Engineering – A Cybernetic Concept with Practical Implications

  • 会议论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

查看全文
  • Markus Schwaninger,
  • Stefan Ch. Ott

摘要

Management in systemic terms means to cope with complexity. Ross Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety shows the way, - to maintain the varieties of interacting systems in balance. To denote that process, we use the cybernetic concept of «Variety Engineering», which we also formalize. It refers to processes of mutual complexity amplification and attenuation by interacting agents. The purpose of this contribution is to explore ways of coping with complexity by means of Variety Engineering. The abstract concepts are illustrated by examples from ecological, social, and economic contexts. The cases in point will be used to demonstrate how complexity can be managed, to foster sustainability in these three dimensions.