VSM Coach Online Course in English
2024-11-15 13:00 - 2024-12-15 17:00 (Europe/London)
An Online VSM Coach Course with Angela Espinosa

English: Friday 15th November – Friday 13th December 2024
COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM

Aims: This VSM training package aims to:

Introduce the Viable System Model (VSM), and in particular, the ‘viability and sustainability’ approach, which emphasizes the need for organisational sustainability as well as viability.
Introduce the ‘Self-Transformation Methodology’ to guide implementation of the VSM.
Facilitate practicing the VSM and the STM in organisations chosen by students
Introduce theory and tools for Performance Management and Self Governance
Offer a critical review of VSM theory and applications

Approach:

The module will apply an action learning approach – learning by doing’:

It will introduce the basic cybernetic concepts underlying VSM theory

Through real life examples, students will learn to apply these concepts in their personal and organisational lives

The VSM theory will be applied by the students in an organisation of their choice. They will be ‘role playing’ as internal consultants and as employees or customers from the organisation, to learn how to:

model the organisation as a viable system

analyse current shortcomings of the organisation, by following VSM criteria of effectiveness

design a more effective organisation, following VSM criteria

understand VSM criteria for self-governance and review current performance management systems and decision-making spaces.

The module will be delivered online, and will include interactive workshops with presentations, using collaborative online technology (e.g., Miro), to share exercises and exchange of experiences.

Assessment:

Students learning and contributions will be peer-reviewed, through team works, and final presentations of their findings
Students are invited to summarise their learning in a brief critical essay about the VSM and the strengths and limitations of applying the VSM

Agenda for VSM Coach Course in English

Day One: Introduction to the VSM a. Managing organisational complexity b. The Viable System Model c. Viability and Sustainability (v & s) d. Applications of the VSM
Day Two: The Self Transformation Methodology a. Organisational Identity b. Recursive Analysis c. Preliminary VSM diagnosis
Day Three: Full VSM diagnosis a. S1/Environment b. S1/S2/S3 c. S3/S4/S5 d. Organisational Pathologies
Day Four: VSM Design a. Aligning Strategy, Structure and Technology i. VSM of the desired organisation ii. Developing roles and mechanisms for strategy implementation iii. Required ICT developments b. Self-Transformation Projects
Day Five: Self-governance a. Performance Management i. Reviewing KPIs ii. Reviewing Performance Management Systems b. Analysing Decision-Making mechanisms c. Sustainable Self-Governance

Course duration 24 hours- Dates: 5 days each from 13:00 to 18:00 UK
English Course Dates:

November the 15th, 13:00 to 18:00
November the 22nd , 13:00 to 18:00
November the 29th 13:00 to 18:00
December the 6th 13:00 to 18:00
December the 13th 13:00 to 17:00

Note: once completed the registrations, the Trainer and the students can adjust this timetable in the most convenient way for all.
Language

Course: English
Training material: English
Pricing: Course fees: £1000.00

PLEASE PAY USING THIS LINK TO TICKET TAILOR
Trainer

Dr Angela Espinosa (Colombia, 1958) has been an international leader in developing the Viable System Model. She worked closely with S Beer and co-founded and led the Metaphorum to develop his legacy when he passed away.

Angela has three decades experience in teaching, coaching, and consulting in the VSM in Europe and Latin-America. She has published extensively on applications and developments of the Viable System Model.

She is an Emeritus Fellow from the Centre for Systems Studies at the University of Hull, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Exeter University; a Fellow of the British Cybernetics Society; and an Associated Professor in Transylvania Executive Education.

Cybernetics and education: architecture for freedom
2025-02-05 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/London) | Metaphorum Webinar
Webinar with Prof. José dos Santos Cabral Filho.
see: webinar info for more details.
Cybernetics and education: architecture for freedom

VSM Coach Course Feb 2025 - English
2025-02-24 09:00 - 2025-02-26 17:00 (Europe/Berlin)
A three day training course leading to the VSM Coach certification.

How do you make decisions, how do you design the communication channels in your company? How adaptive, how controllable your company is depends on this. In many companies, this dimension is undervalued.

As the “state of the art” in organizational diagnosis, the VSM focuses on the nervous system of the organization, the decision-making and communication processes, and thus goes beyond the “normal” views of organizational charts and processes.

This third dimension of organizing offers groundbreaking new insights for a diagnosis and design of the enterprise. Properly designed, it turns dealing with complexity into a company’s strength.

The course will enable you to diagnose dysfunctions and improvement opportunities for your organization.

Trainer

Martin Pfiffner (1965) lives in Switzerland. After studying economics at the University of St. Gallen HSG, he earned his doctorate in systems-oriented management with Prof. Dr. Fredmund Malik (management) and Prof. Dr. Peter Gross (sociology). Later he complemented his education by studying management cybernetics with Prof. Dr. Stafford Beer. He is a Fellow of the Cybernetic Society, FCybS.
From 1990 to 2012, Martin worked as a management consultant for Management Zentrum St. Gallen. He was responsible for the development of managerial cybernetics with a focus on the application development of the Viable System Model, the dissemination of Syntegration in Europe, the establishment of the International Bionics Center IBZ in Munich and the Cwarel-Isaf Institute and its conferences – a predecessor of Metaphorum.
Between 2013 and 2016 he owned a SKEMA martial arts school and was president of the SKEMA association Switzerland. In 2017 together with friends Martin established the Fondation Oroborus in Switzerland with the purpose of disseminating applied management cybernetics.
Today he works as an independent top management consultant, speaker, publisher and researcher. He still practices martial arts and plays the guitar in an alternative-rock band.

Exploring a critical organisational praxis – invoking cybernetic thinking, indigenous knowledge and decolonisation
2025-03-05 16:00 - 17:30 (Europe/London) | Metaphorum Webinar
Sujay Dinnalli & Ushma Desai
As India is poised to become the third largest economy, there is a pressing need to look at the state of organisations and people within them. That this constitutes a critical enquiry is evidenced from the low percentage of organised sector workers in the country’s workforce, the dearth of industrial innovation, and other alarming socio-economic indicators. Social research in organisations has looked at the cultural intricacies within organisations, and the challenges hence produced.
more details: webinar page

Wicked problem related to climate change adaptation in Venice and its Lagoon and bio-cybernetic principles to address it.
2025-04-02 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | Metaphorum Webinar
Dr. Christiane Gebhardt
The critical literature review provides a framework for understanding the nature of the wicked problem of the threat of Sea Level Rise arising at the nexus of society and nature. It shows the scope of action for climate change adaptation employing a tentative governance model derived from synthesising literature.
more details: webinar page

Unlocking Collaboration: Mastering the VSM Collaboration Canvas
2025-05-07 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | Metaphorum Webinar
In this webinar Mark Lambertz introduced the VSM Collaboration Canvas, a tool rooted in the Viable System Model (VSM) for enhancing collaboration across organizational boundaries. Whether you’re looking to bridge gaps between teams, align strategies, or address operational inefficiencies, this session will equip you with practical insights and actionable techniques.
More Details in the Webinar description:
Unlocking Collaboration: Mastering the VSM Collaboration Canvas
Recording:

The role of the effector in thinking – Revisiting the VSM model of cognition.
2025-06-04 17:00 - 18:30 UTC | Metaphorum Webinar
The cybernetic paradigm of cognition as an alternative to causality thinking, mainly associated to the model of science.
Free webinar.
Details and registration link:
The role of the effector in thinking – Revisiting the VSM model of cognition.
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrc-6orTIpE93LPq621YbrVdLr1sIF4afh

Metaphorum 2025
2025-07-03 - 2025-07-05 | Manchester Business School, Booth St W, Manchester, M15 6PB
Humans at risk? Applying the Viable System Model and Team Syntegrity for steering Towards Agency and Resilience in the Age of Alien Intelligence and Instability.

Save the date

detailed information about the conference is here

VSM Coach Course Sept. 2025 - Deutsch
2025-09-29 09:00 - 2025-10-01 17:00 (Europe/Berlin)
Ein drei-Tages-Kurs für die Zertifizierung als VSM Coach.

Wie treffen Sie Entscheidungen, wie gestalten Sie die Kommunikationskanäle in Ihrem Unternehmen? Davon hängt ab, wie anpassungsfähig, wie kontrollierbar Ihr Unternehmen ist. In vielen Unternehmen wird diese Dimension unterbewertet. Als “state of the art” der Organisationsdiagnose fokussiert das VSM auf das Nervensystem der Organisation, die Entscheidungs- und Kommunikationsprozesse, und geht damit über die “normale” Sicht auf Organigramme und Prozesse hinaus. Diese dritte Dimension des Organisierens bietet bahnbrechende neue Erkenntnisse für eine Diagnose und Gestaltung des Unternehmens. Richtig gestaltet, macht sie den Umgang mit Komplexität zur Stärke eines Unternehmens. Der Kurs versetzt Sie in die Lage, Dysfunktionen und Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten für Ihre Organisation zu diagnostizieren.

Trainer

Martin Pfiffner (1965) lives in Switzerland. After studying economics at the University of St. Gallen HSG, he earned his doctorate in systems-oriented management with Prof. Dr. Fredmund Malik (management) and Prof. Dr. Peter Gross (sociology). Later he complemented his education by studying management cybernetics with Prof. Dr. Stafford Beer. He is a Fellow of the Cybernetic Society, FCybS.
From 1990 to 2012, Martin worked as a management consultant for Management Zentrum St. Gallen. He was responsible for the development of managerial cybernetics with a focus on the application development of the Viable System Model, the dissemination of Syntegration in Europe, the establishment of the International Bionics Center IBZ in Munich and the Cwarel-Isaf Institute and its conferences – a predecessor of Metaphorum.
Between 2013 and 2016 he owned a SKEMA martial arts school and was president of the SKEMA association Switzerland. In 2017 together with friends Martin established the Fondation Oroborus in Switzerland with the purpose of disseminating applied management cybernetics.
Today he works as an independent top management consultant, speaker, publisher and researcher. He still practices martial arts and plays the guitar in an alternative-rock band.

The Viable System Model: Theory and Application
2025-11-13 13:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London)
In this VSM Course [ 4 (5-hour) days], you’ll learn about the Viable System Model, one of the most popular systemic approaches to management, pioneered by Stafford Beer. You will be immersed in the theory through practical examples on how to manage complexity in organisations, and you will learn how to put it into practice by following a systemic methodology – the Self-Transformation Methodology’.
After the module, you will know how to diagnose an organisation of any scale, how to redesign it using cybernetic criteria; and how to think cybernetically and master the basic principles of complexity management, organisational viability and recursive governance.
By the end of the module you will be certified by Metaphorum Cooperative Ltd. as a VSM Coach. And you will also become a member of the Cooperative for one year, which will give you access to a global community of cybernetic experts and practitioners learning together and jointly developing its knowledge and resources.
Dates:
November the 13th and the 27th [13:00-18:00 pm – UK wintertime (GMT)]
December the 4th and the 11th [13:00-18:00 pm – UK wintertime(GMT)]
Cost: see Angela’s website.
Language
Course: English
Training material: English
Upon completion of the VSM Coach course, and when you are ready to fully put it into practice in an organisation of your choice, you can complete a VSM Designer Course to be mentored by the Trainer. More details
Testimonial from Peter Tuddenham (mp3 audio)
Book your place
Reserve your seat now – Click here to enroll
PRICING: COURSE FEES: £1000 (INCLUDING CERTIFICATION)
[If a bursary or scholarship was required, please communicate with the trainer].
ONLY a few Spots left for this cohort !!
Please pay here

Zertifizierter VSM Coach 22., 24. und 30.04.2026
2026-04-22 09:00 - 2026-04-30 18:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Zürich
Das Seminar für Unternehmer:innen, Unternehmenslenker:innen, Unternehmensentwickler:innen und Organisationsentwickler:innen.
by Pascal Miserez and Martin Pfiffner
Ungewissheit, Volatilität und Komplexität nehmen weiterhin zu. Und damit die Anforderungen an wirkungsvolle Führung und Steuerung. Das dreitägige Seminar zum zertifizierten VSM Coach (Metaphorum) bietet eine umfassende Einführung in das Viable System Model (VSM), ein in den 1960er Jahren von Stafford Beer entwickeltes, bewährtes kybernetisches Modell zur Steuerung von Organisationen jeder Grössenordnung. Das Viable System Model bildete u.a. in den 1980er Jahren eine wesentliche Grundlage für die Entwicklung des St. Galler Management Modells durch Hans Ulrich und findet sich in Teilen auch in jüngeren Organisationsmodellen wie den «Flight Levels» von Klaus Leopold wieder. Die jüngsten Entwicklungen im Bereich der künstlichen Intelligenz und die sich daraus ergebenden Möglichkeiten für Führung und Steuerung unterstreichen den Wert und die Zeitlosigkeit des universell anwendbaren Modells, das sein Potenzial aus 4 Mrd. Jahren Evolution bezieht.
Ziele des Seminars
Die Teilnehmenden werden umfassend befähigt, Organisationen nach den Prinzipien des Viable System Models systematisch zu analysieren, neu auszurichten und nachhaltig zu optimieren. Sie verstehen und beherrschen die fünf Steuerungsfunktionen der Systeme 1 bis 5 und sind in der Lage, das VSM praktisch anzuwenden und Organisationen effektiv zu transformieren.
Damit erreichen sie eine massgeschneiderte und lückenlose Entscheidungs- und Kommunikationsstruktur, die Agilisierung und Effektivierung des Unternehmens, eine klarere Fokussierung auf Kundennutzen, die Sicherstellung von Komplexitätsfähigkeit bei gleichzeitiger Robustheit, die Sicherstellung kontinuierlicher Anpassung (Lernen & Innovieren), die Klarheit über Verantwortung und Voraussetzungen wirksamer Führung, das Ausschöpfen von Verflachungs- und Vereinfachungspotentialen, die Auflösung von Konfliktherden, das Abwerfen von «Organisationsballast» sowie die Auflösung der Kommunikationsblockaden.
more: 25-15-001 – 2026-02 – VSM Coach – 2026-04 – 1-7
