A meta-model describing autonomous organizational structures (=systems) and is a discipline in operation-research (OR). OR as discipline to apply and analyze decision-making improvement.

Systems are seen as recursive. Recursion describes the dependency to higher and/or lower systems. Recursion 0 has no higher system.

Source (DE): **Adapted** version of https://de.wikiversity.org/wiki/Kurs:Organisationslehre/Viable_System_Model

Each system consists of 5 sub-systems (components), steered via exchanged Information. Information is flowing within the system and its sub-systems as well as to its environment.

System 1

1st sub-system: Operative value creating part of an organization. It has the following properties:

A system can have 1 to multiple “system 1”
Has restricted resources, which are maybe shared

System 2

2nd sub-system Operative coordinating part of an organization. Primary task is to filter information.

System 3

3rd sub-system: Operative optimizing (tactical) part and optimize the interactions between System 1 and System 2.

System 4

4th sub-system: Tactical and strategic development (strategic, e.g. via wardley map approach) part of an organization. Takes external aspects and impacts under consideration. In an organization here functions such as research, strategic marketing and sales, technical strategy, communication, are placed.

System 5

5th sub-system: Normative management, defines the guiding frame for sub-systems 3 and 4. It defines the purpose of the system e.g., “We are an company selling books through a online-marketplace”.

Control loops/ value streams

The VSM knows two control loops or value streams

“There and tomorrow”: between sub-systems 3-4-5 and
“Here and now”: between sub-systems 1-2-3*

The sub-system 3 (links to 1 and 2) has an 3* sibling (link to environmental aspects e.g., legislation). It is the audit system.

Source: https://www.cognadev.com/blog_041.html

Example

Due to https://nativdigital.com/viable-system-model/ a possible instance is as follows

system 5: FiFa
system 4: The respective national club incl. manager, scouts etc.
system 3: The national trainer

system 3*: Audits
system 2: Doctors, masseuses
system 1: the team (t least 11 players)

Environment with media, fans, other national football clubs

Viable System Model (VSM)