Law of Requisite

The Law of Requisite Variety - Why Flexibility is Important for Success in a Changing World (1998)......Page 1
Contents......Page 3
Introduction......Page 4
Ashby's Law......Page 6
A Common Misinterpretation of Ashby's Law......Page 10
Managing Diversity......Page 11
The 'Costs' of Requisite Variety......Page 14
Some Implications the Law of Requisite Variety......Page 16
Successful Outcomes are Dependent on the Ability to Address a Variety of Different Needs and Situations......Page 17
The Immune Systems of AIDS Patients Have Lost Much of Their 'Requisite Variety'......Page 21
Aligning Flexibility and Consistency......Page 22
Individual Flexibility and Variety Must Increase As Structural Variety is Decreased......Page 25
The Dominant Law of Social Systems......Page 26
Power and Dependence......Page 30
Requisite Variety, Evolution and Self-Organization......Page 33
Summary and Review: A Vocabulary for Systemic Thinking......Page 36
Putting the Law of Requisite Variety Into Practice......Page 41
Example of System Modeling Tool Which Supports Better Systemic Thinking......Page 43
Conclusion......Page 48
Postscript......Page 49
Appendix A: (William) Ross Ashby......Page 50
Bibliography......Page 54
Index......Page 56