2019-12-09
December 9 (the second Monday of the month) is the 74th meeting for Systems Thinking Ontario. The registration is on Eventbrite at https://stafford-beer-book-launch.eventbrite.com.
Book Launch: Stafford Beer, The Father of Management Cybernetics (plus a Metaphorum Debriefing)
We are celebrating the fall release of Stafford Beer, The Father of Management Cybernetics: Big Data Analysis including Cybernetic Glossary.
Stafford Beer worked in industry and his analytical methods grew out of his experiences there. In an attempt to explain his Viable System Model (the VSM) and other ideas the authors have described the route by which he arrived at his solutions. This was Staffords preferred teaching method, contextualizing his thinking.There is nothing theoretical about his solutions - they are all grounded in practice. Their successful application caused him to be invited to work for Salvador Allende in Chile and for many other companies and governments. His insistence that hierarchical models will fail the people whom they are supposed to serve is axiomatic to his thinking.
Vanilla Beer is an artist and Staffords daughter : Dr Allenna Leonard is a practicing cybernetician and Staffords life partner.
Allenna will be present to speak about how the book came about, and her experiences with the Cybernetics movement.
In addition, Allenna attended Metaphorum 2019, "Ctrl+Shift+Del - Rebooting Society", Nov. 1-3 in Amsterdam, and will provide us with a debriefing.
Venue:
Suggested pre-reading:
There's a "Look Inside" for the book listing on Amazon at https://www.amazon.ca/Stafford-Beer-Father-Management-Cybernetics/dp/1073031217
Agenda
