Raul Espejo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Raul Espejo

Kybernetes, Jun 1, 2015

Purpose– It is natural for interacting organisational actors and environmental agents to experien... more Purpose– It is natural for interacting organisational actors and environmental agents to experience complexity asymmetries. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the balancing of these complexities at a level of performance that not only maintains the organisation’s viability but also the health of its ecosystem.Design/methodology/approach– Ashby (1964) proposed variety, or the number of possible states of a situation, as a measure of complexity and the Law of Requisite Variety as an ontology and heuristic for complexity management strategies. Following these propositions Beer’s variety engineering (Beer, 1979) is a construct to design these strategies.Findings– This paper offers epistemological and methodological considerations to discuss the viability and performance of organisational systems.Research limitations/implications– Measuring organisational performance needs powerful methodological support. This paper offers to some extend this support but it needs further development.Practical implications– Performance is related to the concept of dynamic capabilities, which in recent times has had important practical implications.Originality/value– Though the concepts of this paper have a long history, their methodological articulation is original.

Springer eBooks, 1995

In this paper we discuss the contemporary issue of corporate responsibility. Our aim is firstly t... more In this paper we discuss the contemporary issue of corporate responsibility. Our aim is firstly to offer a general introduction to current concerns and practices under this topic. Of these environmental care is the specific concern of this paper. Following this we use the Viable System Model (VSM) to reflect upon the relations between corporations and those stakeholders concerned with the environment. The VSM offers a systems approach to think about these relations and a strategy to manage their complexity. This reflection is at the core of the paper. We finally draw general conclusions.

Kybernetes, Oct 18, 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the knowledge that Beer's viable... more PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the knowledge that Beer's viable system model helps when applied to the study of change processes in organisations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper develops a case study constructed on interviews and shared reflections by the author and a key player in the company. Aspects of the case study are then seen with an epistemological lens.FindingsWhile it is apparent that ideas, purposes, values or policies depend on resources to happen, this paper argues that it is necessary their embodying in effective relations to succeed creating and producing desirable meanings.Research limitations/implicationsSome forms of embodiment are more effective than others. The viable system model offers embodiment criteria to increase the chances of a successful production of ideas, purposes, values and policies, and the case study shows that for this purpose a limitation is transforming long‐established relationships.Originality/valueThis paper uses a particular and unique situation to illustrate through the viable system model some of the general difficulties that organisations face in achieving desirable transformations.

Constructivist Foundations, 2017

Scholte’s article offers a most valuable reflection on cybernetics and acting. This commentary re... more Scholte’s article offers a most valuable reflection on cybernetics and acting. This commentary reflects on interaction mechanisms between actors and audiences.

Springer eBooks, 1993

In this paper I want to pursue a general problem of concern to all organisations, whether in the ... more In this paper I want to pursue a general problem of concern to all organisations, whether in the public or private sectors, large or small. This is the problem of how organisations relate themselves effectively to the environment in which they evolve and operate.

Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 2006

Springer eBooks, 1978

Many of the problems with which societies are confronted today transcend the scope of existing in... more Many of the problems with which societies are confronted today transcend the scope of existing institutional capabilities, The energy crisis, or problems of pollution, or providing food for growing populations, as well as regional development are recognisably problems of this type. Approaches to their solution have generally been conceived in terms of “programs. “ Many types of input are combined in the process of program substantiation, some of which, such as technical inputs, differ significantly according to the nature of the program. By contrast, management issues of planning and implementation arise irrespective of the particular problem area addressed.

Kluwer Academic Publishers eBooks, Feb 27, 2006

This paper deals with the issue of structural fragmentation in organisations. Very often we do no... more This paper deals with the issue of structural fragmentation in organisations. Very often we do not see how to relate resources in order to produce effective organisations. We fail to see these resources as parts of possible systems. I want to illustrate in this paper the value of seeing systems. Failing in this increases the difficulty of relating the thinking and doing of organisations, thus hindering their learning. I first offer an introduction to the idea of seeing systems, second elaborate the idea of complexity unfolding as a natural process to deal holistically with task complexity, third discuss, supported by empirical work at the National Westminster Bank, a common case of fragmentation in task implementation and finally, offer the experience of designing a process to overcome this fragmentation.

Information Systems Journal, 1993

This paper offers a framework to relate strategy, structure and information systems in an organiz... more This paper offers a framework to relate strategy, structure and information systems in an organization. Current developments in information systems, particularly in the executive information systems (EIS) area, make apparent that the emphasis of design is in the ergonomy and flexibility of the reporijng, and not ih their alignment with effective management processes. Partially to overcome this shortcoming the paper offers criteria to improve management processes. Such criteria are provided by the viable system model (VSM). The emphasis is on the structural improvement of strategic processes. This leads to the discussion of a class of inlbrmation systems aimed at balancing the longer-term, strategic and the shorter-term, operational needs of the organization. Methodological and practical aspects for the implementation of such systems are discussed with reference to a management too/-cmERsYN-which illustrates one way of linking information systems to management processes.

Kybernetes, Feb 13, 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to clarify both regulatory processes in enterprises and the r... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to clarify both regulatory processes in enterprises and the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their improvement.Design/methodology/approachThe approach of the paper is conceptual development and case study.FindingsIt appears that ICTs will permit increasingly to measure the complexity of organisational processes.Practical implicationsThe paper illustrates the nature of complexity based accounting systems for enterprises.Originality/valueThis paper offers an original approach to relate organisational processes, ICTs and performance.

Systems research and behavioral science, Nov 1, 1998

ABSTRACT This paper reflects upon the attempts by society to achieve environmental sustainability... more ABSTRACT This paper reflects upon the attempts by society to achieve environmental sustainability on the globe. It starts by considering the ways that the relationships between corporations and society are developing in view of the increasing economic power of the former relative to the latter and gives a brief overview of the nature of the perceived environmental crisis we face. Use is made of the metaphor of the ‘tragedy of the commons’ to illustrate this. Using systems thinking, the problem of the apparent conflict between individual self-interest and the needs of the community for long-term sustainability is explored and thoughts from this perspective about structural requirements for sustainability are developed. Concepts from systems thinking such as the need for autonomy to manage complexity, the parallel requirement for cohesion within recursive systems, the derived concept of citizenship to explore relationships with the community and finally levels of performance are all found to be of value in understanding this most pressing of human problems. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Translational systems sciences, 2014

In this paper I offer personal reflections 40 years after Cybersyn’s demise the 11th of September... more In this paper I offer personal reflections 40 years after Cybersyn’s demise the 11th of September 1973. This project was Stafford Beer’s creation, underpinned by his Viable System Model. The emphasis of these reflections is in contrasting its rather limited achievements with its vision and relevance for our societies today. Its claims were large; it was presented as a project that achieved important results in a short period of time. The paper compares its actuality with these claims. Particularly I explore the project’s methodological and epistemological shortcomings. Unravelling these shortcomings gives us a platform to gain an understanding of its potentialities. I will argue that Stafford Beer’s vision of a “Liberty Machine” was ahead of its time and furthermore that it has profound implications for our current societies, in particularly for the organization of our economies.

Cybernetics and Systems, Jul 7, 2022

Kybernetes, Apr 27, 2012

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to offer an incursion into the complexity of organisations. ... more Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to offer an incursion into the complexity of organisations. This paper distinguishes a collective in its surroundings, an organisation in its medium and an organisation in its environment and proposes these distinctions as complementary epistemologies that help when studying organisations. Design/methodology/approach-This is a conceptual paper, supported by two case studies, that makes use of ideas of organisational cybernetics, autopoiesis and organisational ecology. Findings-Beyond the more common black box observation of organisations that helps account for the transformations of inputs into outputs, this paper argues for the accounting of the relationships producing an organisation. This latter approach highlights the need to account for the complexity of communications between autonomous systems with different cognitive capabilities. Originality/value-The complementary epistemologies offered in this paper offer an emerging paradigm to understand ecologies of enterprises and other organizational forms.