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System Four

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System Four

Handles the outside-and-then: the future as “the playground of opportunity” (HOE 1979: 143). Also “to provide self-awareness for the System-in-focus” (DTS 1985: 115).

What Beer says

  • “System Three is debarred, because it is dedicated to the internal environment, and System Four is born” (HOE 1979: 143). Environments: the accepted “total envelope” and the problematic environment “marked with the interrogation sign” (HOE 1979: 228).
  • “System Four houses the viable system’s whole apparatus for adaptation. It follows that System Four must contain a model of the viable system of which it is the System Four” (HOE 1979: 235). DTS: model of itself, indefinitely — “infinite regression of self-images” as key to self-awareness (DTS 1985: 116).
  • “the weakest component of the viable system in existing management orthodoxy. System Four exists — it has to: but it is disseminated, and lacks integration” (HOE 1979: 143). Cutting it under threat: “this reaction is suicidal” (DTS 1985: 121).
  • “System Four is in no sense senior to System Three: they are accountable to each other” (HOE 1979: 252).

Where it sits in the model

Born because system-three cannot leave inside-and-now. With Three, the adaptation homeostat system-five closes. Focus: project onto “the model of the viable system whose System Four they comprise” (HOE 1979: 233) — operations room (HOE 1979: 243; DTS 1985: 117; Chile: HOE 1979: 242) (cybersyn). BOTF: “the development directorate of the firm” (BOTF 1981: 181).

Textual notes

Arousal/reticular derivation is BOTF; HOE restates from variety.

Open points

Draft BOTF “Environments of decision” section flagged for review.

overview · pure-vsm-part-ii-the-viable-system-model · system-three · system-five · cybersyn

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