# How to design a healthy business:
VSM
_The use of the Viable Systems Model in the diagnosis and design of organisational structures in cooperatives and other social economy enterprises_
# The # Viable Systems Model _a guide for co-operatives and federations by Jon Walker_
A manual for the diagnosis and design of organisational structures to enable social economy enterprises to function with increased efficiency without compromising democratic principles.
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# This is a Manual.
Its objectives are:
firstly, to provide you with a set of tools which will enable you to deal with any problems concerning your organisational structure, and
secondly, to show you how to use these tools.
It offers an alternative to the usual approach which depends upon hierarchy, authority and obedience, and is of particular interest to enterprises which are looking for ways of becoming more efficient and of encouraging participation and democratic work practices.
As the manual unfolds, you will gradually acquire a new vocabulary. This new language is the basis of the Viable Systems Model approach: it will enable you to think about your organisation in a fundamentally different way.
The methods described will enable you to
* Diagnose your own organisation. * Prescribe ways of dealing with inadequacies. * Design a healthy organisation from scratch.
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Based on "The Viable Systems Model Pack" originally published as part of the SMSE Strategic Management in the Social Economy training programme carried out by ICOM, CRU, CAG and Jon Walker with the financial assistance of Directorate General XXIII of the Commission of the European Communities Original version completed October 1991
This is a revised version incorporating some new material. _This PDF version was was prepared from the HTML version, the latter being generally more up to date. Both were constructed by John Waters, who also prepared the diagrams. The HTML version can be found at: http://www.greybox.uklinux.net/vsmg/ Copyright © 1991 by ICOM, CRU, CAG and Jon Walker Copyright © 1998 by Jon Walker Version 2.21 Last modified 11th November 2001, correcting a few omissions and typographical errors._