The Political Cybernetics of Organisations

Abstract

Viable systems theory is a development of managerial cybernetics within a critical systems theory context. The theory not only addresses cybernetics, it also shows how politics is fundamental to it. Politics used power and power processes to shape structures, manipulate information, and influence the way that people behave. The concept of centripetal politics used by Ionescu in his discussion of the changes over the last century to society is applied to organisations and their political processes. The outcome suggests the possibility of a political map that has the potential to explain organisational behaviour.

Keywords: Viable systems, politics, power, centripetal politics, organisational behaviour