(Apologies to those who received a similar newsletter a little earlier. The wrong version was sent in error. This wlll have reached about 30% of those on our list.)

Newsletter, 22 August  2026

We are delighted to announce that everything in the centenary project is progressing even better than expected.  We would like to pay tribute to the dedicated group of volunteers who have all worked tirelessly over the last year to bring all of this to fruition.

The Festschrift book is now in its final stages, and if all goes to plan will be ready for the conference on September 17.  As all the editors, the authors and the copy editor have donated their time for free, we will be able to distribute the digital book free of charge,  and hard copies will be available through print on demand for the cost of the printing.  

The first draft of the conference programme is now available on the Metaphorum 2026 Conference web site. (A PDF version formatted for convenient printing will be added very soon.) As you can see, we have a wonderful group of speakers and fascinating talks and workshops.   We’ve really struggled to fit everyone in  -  and still left plenty of time in the breaks for the conversations and networking that really matter.

https://conference2026.metaphorum.org/schedule

We already have over 100 people signed up, and are rapidly coming to the limit of the conference capacity.   

So, if you’re still planning to come, sign up as soon as possible before the remaining places run out .

The video documentary has proven to be much more of a challenge than we expected, so we will be showing a taster of what we hope to achieve.  Metaphorum is currently working with Liverpool John Moores University - who look after the Stafford Beer Collection - to raise the money needed to produce a full, professionally produced documentary.

Judith Hennemann

The third dimension of corporate central functions •
Learnings from the application of the Viable System Model

9 September, 17.00-18.30 BST (UK summertime)

To register: visit our events page and click  'get your ticket now' at the webinar description

Judith Hennemann - Manager Organizational Development with AUMOVIO, VSM Coach

Judith has a degree in sociology (focus industrial working conditions) and Automotive industry running through her veins. She has worked in a production plant for 15 years, supporting shopfloor self-organization, she was a “leadership lab” trainer and coach and OD key account for region Mexico. Currently responsible for working on corporate culture after the spin off and for organizational development. Particular expertise in OKRs and the VSM. In her own time, Judith has just published her fourth poetry book with axel dielmann verlag Frankfurt.

The third dimension of corporate central functions • Learnings from the application of the Viable System Model

• Get familiar with AUMOVIO
• Corporate enabling functions – what are their struggles?
• VSM in practice
  • Balancing synergy and operations – Competence Management and Learning
  • Impact without mandate – Operations and Technology
• Learnings

We will explore

• How corporate central functions can get stuck and petrified in 2 dimensions (and in “the matrix”)
• How “schizophrenia” leads to frustration
• The pain of cut nerves and how the immune system of a company escalates
• How to turn analysis into concrete action, and how LLM can help kill your darlings
• How learning is subtle and slow in sluggish systems

Lessons learned

• What are the best tools for practice application?
• How can the VSM be useful for corporate central functions?
• Traps and difficulties
• My favorite VSM tools and situations