Towards building an intelligent system based on cybernetics and viable system model

It aims to revisit some notable ideas in cybernetics namely, Stafford Beer’s viable system model (VSM) and Ross Ashby’s Law of requisite variety. In the paper we will discuss the philosophical underpinnings and theoretical standpoints of these ideas and their relevance to the management of a complex engineering organization.
The approach adopted combines cybernetics and systems thinking to explore the key parameters to building an intelligent system. We take an Intelligent system to be a viable and one that can learn and adapt to the changes in its environment.
CSTP-NASRDA [Centre for Space Transport and Propulsion – National Space Research and Development agency] is used as an example to explore how a complex engineering organization can become viable enough to cope with the dynamics and complexities that confront management. The more complex an organization gets the more complex it is to manage hence, the more organization we have to put in. In this paper, a model for an intelligent system is built, based on Stafford Beer’s viable system model and Ross Ashby’s contribution to cybernetics.
Keywords: System; Organization; Intelligence; viability; Viable Systems Model; Cybernetics