Application of the viable systems model for growth and development sustainable in organizations: A literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46842/ipn.cien.v28n2a05Keywords:
System thinking, MSMEs, organizational development, sustainable growth and development, viable system modelAbstract
In Mexico, the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) represent 99.8% of businesses and generate 68.4% of total employment. These companies face challenges that hinder their growth and sustainable development, such as limited access to financing, lack of government support, insufficient training, inefficient marketing and production strategies, and low investment in technology. To address these challenges, a literature review is conducted on the applications of Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM), which promotes efficient and adaptable business management, fostering innovation and technological development, as well as encouraging a systemic vision. The research employs the PRISMA method to identify and analyze relevant publications, highlighting the importance of a systemic perspective in business management.
References
INEGI, “Censos Económicos 2019. Micro, pequeña, mediana y gran empresa: Estratificación de los establecimientos,” 2020. Accessed: Nov. 01, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/productos/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/nueva_estruc/702825198657.pdf
INEGI, “Comunicado de Prensa Num. 448/19: Resultados de la Encuesta Nacional sobre Productividad y Competividad de las MiPyMEs (ENAPROCE) 2018.” [Online]. Available: www.inegi.org.mx
G. Pérez-Elizundia, J. A. Delgado-Guzmán, J. F. Lampón, “Commercial banking as a key factor for SMEs development in Mexico through factoring: A qualitative approach,” European Research on Management and Business Economics, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 155-163, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2020.06.001
E. Becerra, E. Cortes, “Factores de permanencia empresarial de las microempresas del sector comercio de Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco,” 2018. doi: https://doi.org/10.23913/ride.v9i17.412
A. Jiménez-Rico, K. Galván-Zavala, R. Navarrete-Reynoso, “Financiamiento de las Mipymes en México y su impacto en su esperanza de vida,” Revista de Desarrollo Económico, pp. 1-13, Jun. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.35429/JED.2020.23.7.1.13
A. Fernández, “Red de Aprendizaje en Autotransporte de Carga,” Mexico City, 2018. Accessed: Dec. 02, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://redesdeaprendizaje.org/Download/Factsheet%20transporte.pdf
D. C. Mendez, M. Lehman, “Technology and innovation in mexico: a perspective from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” in Proceedings 2005 IEEE International Engineering Management Conference, 2005, pp. 160-164. doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/IEMC.2005.1559110
M. Reynolds, S. Holwell, Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide, 1st ed., Springer London, 2010. Accessed: Nov. 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-84882-809-4
M. C. Jackson, Systems Thinking: Creative Holism for Managers, 1st ed., USA, 2003.
S. Vadari, S. R. Parandker, “A systems approach to business excellence to improve the sustainability of an organization,” in 2011 Annual IEEE India Conference, 2011, pp. 1-4. doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/INDCON.2011.6139622
S. Gallego, M. García, “Design of a conceptual model for manufacturing companies within the 4th industrial revolution applying the Viable System model,” IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng, vol. 1193, no. 1, p. 12115, Oct. 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1193/1/012115
R. Espejo, A. Reyes, Organizational Systems Managing Complexity with the Viable System Model, USA: Springer, 2011.
A. Pacheco, M. C. Cruz, Metodología Crítica de la Investigación. Lógica, procedimiento y técnicas, México: Grupo Patria, 2006.
M. J. Page et al., “PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews,” BMJ, p. n160, Mar. 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n160
A. Espinosa, C. Duque, “Complexity management and multi-scale governance: A case study in an Amazonian indigenous association,” Eur J Oper Res, vol. 268, no. 3, pp. 1006-1020, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2017.07.049
M. Saviano, L. Nenci, F. Caputo, “The financial gap for women in the MENA region: a systemic perspective,” Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 203-217, May 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-07-2016-0138
A. M. Espinosa, J. Walker, K. Grover, M. V. Vachkova, “The viability and sustainability approach to support organisational resilience: Learning in a recent case study in the health sector,” Syst Res Behav Sci, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 689-700, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2951
A. Espinosa, Sustainable self-governance in businesses and society: The viable system model in action, 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429490835
K. Dutta, “Exploring Digital Multisided Platforms: A Systems Thinking Approach,” Syst Pract Action Res, vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 851-876, Dec. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-023-09631-5
I. Fedotova, O. Shersheniuk, M. Prokopenko, I. Britchenko, R. Vazov, “Management of a viable enterprise on the basis of the approach to management of a «living» organization and the concept of viable systems,” in Problems and prospects of development of the road transport complex: financing, management, innovation, quality, safety – integrated approach, Kharkiv, Ukraine: Privat Company Technology Center, 2021, pp. 63-80. doi: https://doi.org/10.15587/978-617-7319-45-9.ch5
C. Macías Barreto, M. Aguilar Fernández, “Modelo viable de empresa creativa para pequeñas y medianas empresas artesanales,” Nexo Revista Científica, vol. 34, no. 04, pp. 1129-1139, Oct. 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.5377/nexo.v34i04.12637
T. Sadi, J. Wilberg, I. D. Tommelein, U. Lindemann, “Supporting the design of competitive organizations by a domain-specific application framework for the viable system model,” in Sustainability in Modern Project Management - Proceedings of the 18th International DSM Conference, DSM 2016, 2016, pp. 77-87.
R. Espejo, “The enterprise complexity model: An extension of the viable system model for emerging organizational forms,” Syst Res Behav Sci, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 721–737, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2735
J. W. K. Chan, “Enhancing organisational resilience: application of viable system model and MCDA in a small Hong Kong company,” Int J Prod Res, vol. 49, no. 18, pp. 5545–5563, Sep. 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2011.563829
S. Gallego-García, M. García-García, “Design and Simulation of an Integrated Model for Organisational Sustainability Applying the Viable System,” Model and System Dynamics, vol. 567. 2019. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29996-5_64
S. S. Isah, L. S. Sodangi, “Development of sustainable key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring and control system using viable system model,” in 3rd International Conference on Digital Information Processing and Communications, ICDIPC 2013, 2013, pp. 593-599.
N. Burgess, N. Wake, “The applicability of the Viable Systems Model as a diagnostic for small to medium sized enterprises,” International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 29-46, Nov. 2012, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/17410401311285282
V. Bugwandin, M. S. Bayat, “Organisational cybernetics: A systems thinking methoused for small and medium enterprises,” Acta Commercii, vol. 23, no. 1, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v23i1.1092
P. D. Panagiotakopoulos, A. Espinosa, J. Walker, “Sustainability management: Insights from the Viable System Model,” J Clean Prod, vol. 113, pp. 792-806, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.11.035
O. S. Donaires, M. G. Pinheiro, L. O. Cezarino, L. H. Ostanel, D. P. Martinelli, “Systemic Model for Diagnosis of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises from Two Cities from the Countryside of the State of São Paulo in Brazil,” Systems Pract Action Res, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 221-236, Jun. 2010, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-009-9157-5
A. Espinosa, “Governance for sustainability: learning from VSM practice,” Kybernetes, vol. 44, no. 6–7, pp. 955-969, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/K-02-2015-0043
G. J. Lewis, “A cybernetic view of environmental management: the implications for business organizations,” Bus Strategy Environ, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 264-275, 1997, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-0836(199711)6:5<264::aid-bse122>3.0.co;2-k
S. Sankaran, R. Müller, N. Drouin, “Creating a ‘sustainability sublime’ to enable megaprojects to meet the United Nations sustainable development goals,” Syst Res Behav Sci, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 813-826, Sep. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2744
P. Panagiotakopoulos, A. Espinosa, J. Walker, “Integrated sustainability management for organizations,” Kybernetes, vol. 44, no. 6-7, pp. 984–1004, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/K-12-2014-0291
A. Akmal, N. Podgorodnichenko, R. Gauld, T. Stokes, “New Zealand Pae Ora Healthcare Reforms 2022: Viable by Design? A Qualitative Study Using the Viable System Model,” Int J Health Policy Manag, vol. 12, no. 1, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.34172/ijhpm.2023.7906
J. Stephens, T. Haslett, “A Set of Conventions, a Model: An Application of Stafford Beer’s Viable Systems Model to the Strategic Planning Process,” Syst Pract Action Res, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 429–452, Oct. 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-011-9194-8
J. E. Núñez-Ríos, J. Y. Sánchez-García, R. Tejeida-Padilla, A. L. Coria-Páez, “Human capital management innovation for Mexican lodging through autopoiesis and self-organisation,” in 62nd Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, ISSS 2018: Innovation and Optimization in Nature and Design, 2018, pp. 125-140.
J. E. Yu, “Understanding the Action-based Research for Strategic Change from Systemic Perspectives,” Global Business and Finance Review, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 1-13, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.17549/gbfr.2021.26.4.1
G. Preece, D. Shaw, and H. Hayashi, “Application of the Viable System Model to analyse communications structures: A case study of disaster response in Japan,” Eur J Oper Res, vol. 243, no. 1, pp. 312–322, May 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2014.11.026
M. Schwaninger, “Governance for intelligent organizations: a cybernetic contribution,” Kybernetes, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 35-57, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2018-0019
S. Jun-Feng, L. Wo-Ye, “Design of Equipment Procurement Project Organization Based on Viable Systems Model,” Procedia Eng, vol. 24, pp. 809–815, 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.2742
J. Y. Sánchez-García, A. G. Ramírez-Gutiérrez, J. E. Núñez-Ríos, P. P. Cardoso-Castro, O. G. Rojas, “Systems Thinking Approach to Sustainable Performance in RAMSAR Sites,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 22, p. 6469, Nov. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226469
M. Schwaninger, “Systemic design for sustainability,” Sustain Sci, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1225-1234, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-018-0538-5
C. Macías-Barreto, M. Aguilar-Fernández, “Soft Systems Methodology Applied to Design Processes in an Artisan Enterprise,” Revista Ingeniería UC, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 308-322, Sep. 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.54139/revinguc.v28i2.29
J. E. Núñez-Ríos, J. Y. Sánchez-García, A. Ramirez-Nafarrate, “Sustainable performance in tourism SMEs: a soft modeling approach,” Journal of Modelling in Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 1717-1739, Nov. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JM2-06-2021-0136
A. Espinosa, T. Porter, “Sustainability, complexity and learning: Insights from complex systems approaches,” Learning Organization, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 54-72, 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/09696471111096000
M. Tannir, G. Mills, I. Krystallis, J. Kalra, “Governance, cooperation and coordination in large inter-organisational project networks: a viable system perspective,” International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 617–642, Feb. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-08-2022-0485
J. E. Núñez-Ríos, J. Y. Sánchez-García, “Determining the Factors to Improve Sustainable Performance in a Medium-Sized Organization,” Sustainability (Switzerland), vol. 16, no. 16, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16166937
A. K. Singh, D. K. Pathak, S. Patra, “An integrated systems thinking approach for achieving sustainability in project‐based organizations,” Syst Res Behav Sci, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 501-535, May 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2892
A. Tong, J. Calvo, K. R. Haapala, “Integration of Sustainability Indicators and the Viable System Model Towards a Systemic Sustainability Assessment Methodology,” Syst Res Behav Sci, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 564-587, Sep. 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2553
B. Moore, J. Calvo-Amodio, J. F. Junker, “Synthesizing systemic intervention approaches: Combining viable system model, knowledge management, and Toyota production system for a sustainable holistic management model,” in Proceedings of the 59th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, 2015.
I. Perko, G. del Gaudio, V. Potocan, “Sustainable supply chains – Designing a requisite holistic model,” Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, Jun. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12707
M. Schwaninger, “Organizing for sustainability: a cybernetic concept for sustainable renewal,” Kybernetes, vol. 44, no. 6-7, pp. 935-954, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2015-0008
B. Enquist, C. Camén, M. Johnson, “Contractual governance for public service value networks,” Journal of Service Management, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 217–240, 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/09564231111124235
K. Panagiotidis, N. Tsolakis, A. Tsigkas, “Overcoming critical failure factors in enterprise information systems implementation: A viable system model framework for manufacturing firms,” Journal of the Operational Research Society, vol. 74, no. 7, pp. 1670-1689, Jul. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01605682.2022.2108734
J. M. Díaz-Nafría, Cyber-subsidiarity: Toward a global sustainable information society, 2018. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09069-6_39
J. M. Díaz-Nafría, M. Cañizares-Espada, I. Seoane-Pujol, J. A. Montaño-Gómez, T. Guarda, Enabling Sustainable Management Through Kalman Filtering in glossaLAB: A Case Study on Cyber-Subsidiarity, Springer, 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4884-7_5
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Erick Daniel Gonzalez Herrera, Mario Aguilar Fernández (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
