A discussion paper on The Cybernetics Society: Vision and Strategic Intent was presented by Angus Jenkinson to the Council in October 2019 and followed by a more detailed review of this in January 2020, when the vision was endorsed by Council. At the time, he was a trustee. Much of what has happened since flow from the Council decision. In 2021, the Council again endorsed the Vision.
In the paper, he wrote:
The Board of Trustees of The Cybernetics Society (“CybSoc”) have a responsibility on multiple grounds to safeguard and develop the Society. There is a view that there should be concern at the state of CybSoc. Is this so and if so what needs to be done?
The paper offered a view to promote discussion. It suggested a diagnosis and various governance objectives based on a logic of cybernetics itself. It was intended to support conversation and decision making, hopefully saving time, and triggering further processes. The aim of this post is to share this Information with members so that they may join the community of interest and consider their points of view for our AGM, suggestions to Council, or participation in Council or other initiatives.
It reviewed
- Present situation — analysis, logic, and assumptions
- General objectives related to the health of CybSoc
- Potential options
- Discussion points.
The presentation that followed considered the current situation, objectives, options, and certain design proposals that are being implemented in the 2021 website. A more detailed outline follows this summary:
- Recognise the present is not where we want to be. Insufficient funds for resources, few people, low recognition. Declining?
- Develop a vision, objective, and plan, including future functioning. Consider the need for branding development.
- Look for donations to support this plan. Aim to bring in some support asap, eg as an intern or apprentice to begin.
- Expand our membership consciousness to include Commonwealth countries. And Europe. There is no Cybernetic Society in WOSC for Europe, nor indeed for Australia, South America, India, et cetera.
- Grow: From 30 @ £20pa (£600 pa) doubling membership each year for five years to 1000 members and increasing fee in accordance with offer value (@£50-60) and associates and a full time organizer. This would lead to annual income of £50-£100,000 with donations and fee based activities (see below). This would provide a base for ongoing development
- Expand our base of hon fellows to include a richer mix — exemplifying the full scope of what cybernetics does and could do. Expect each to endorse cybernetics and communicate to network.
- Create cybernetics ‘chapters’, see below — a way of giving expression to the range and opening up membership paths. Will open our thinking and marketing/communication avenues — use these to support membership applications
- Create special interest groups and enable new initiatives to tackle subjects of interest. Build an activity base thereby and publications.
- Rapidly implement a new website focused on membership services, information, activities. This should have a design with the variety to handle the planned growth and activities but could evolve over time. Possibly use a platform like the Open Science Forum is a quick way of making accessible all of the literature and archives that we have. Then over time migrate back to site.
- Develop a policy for membership and tools to support application— who is permitted to be a member? On the one hand we want to maintain the authenticity of cybernetics and membership, and on the other hand we need to recognise that cybernetics has become in many ways part of the general thinking — admittedly often sloppy — of the contemporary world. Also: What if any post-nominal is available to the associate member?
- Use social media platforms for outreach; eg LinkedIn, Medium, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook conferences, Meetup. Use LinkedIn to connect and to communicate to groups that have related interests. Share on YouTube channel
- Develop: Programme of activities (monthly meet-ups etc), journal, and potentially training courses, possibly run in association with other societies
- Reach out to other organisations, eg RSA or IoD, that are more neutral as well as others that are related, eg Systems & Cybernetics in Organisations, British Computer Society and Operations Research… This can be brought forward as soon as feasible. Can also be selectively used to boost early growth.
Present situation — ‘Cybernetics’ assumptions and analysis
- Cybernetics is a powerful paradigm-shifting general science of explanation, problem-solving, design, and praxis applying to any and all fields in which directiveness is involved as well as philosophical/scientific questions of where directiveness applies. It is still evolving. Cybernetics is a kind of metadiscipline and praxis for scores of other fields — or should be. In so doing, it would also be learning, evolving.
- It has also diversified (fragmented) into multiple daughter domains, who may not have much regard for each other, nor learn from each other (social/biological autopoiesis, PCT, psychiatry, brief therapy and change design, AI, management cybernetics/governance, quality management…). Sometimes the basics are missing.
- Much of its language and thinking has become mainstream without being associated with cybernetics as such (more likely with “systems theory”). Association with “cyber-xxx” and robotics/AI has inaccurately narrowed its identity in social discourse. This has not been helped by the dominance of mechanical language and frames in cybernetics — arguably often inappropriately.
- Many of the most significant challenges of present society are well-suited to cybernetic analysis (core science, global ecology, world economy, social outcomes to resolve discontent and inequity, social media effects…) As a transdisciplinary tool, long standing scientific and socio-economic issues (e.g. regulation of DNA/RNA sequencing — or financial markets, causality, aid programmes and eco logical regulation, design-use/control of AI, management/governance of enterprises, prison reform…) could have been better advanced or resolved, and this will remain true in the future. Competence in the field is not on Business School agendas nor recruitment requirements in a swathe of fields.
- Begun by a group of geniuses and polymaths, it no longer attracts enough talent. Cybernetics is not evolving and fulfilling its potential. It is often ‘half-baked’ into other disciplines.
Present situation — CybSoc
- CybSoc is a professional membership body with a tiny membership base. (This partially reflects the state of cybernetics.) Its paucity of members threatens its future.
- Yet it is one of the founding and (in principle) world’s leading institutions for (what should be) a major scientific discipline with many vital professional applications. It is or should be the leading European body and also a membership and resource venue for (at least) Commonwealth countries
- Compared with other professional bodies its annual fees are very low — it also does less. Fees have not changed in decades, when the relative cost was higher. US body annual fee is $100. They also have a lifetime membership. We lag their status.
- Tiny membership plus low fees means we don’t have the income to invest in resources.
- In the present condition, CybSoc lacks the scope, scale, resources, and reach to make much of an impact other than indirectly or for a chosen few.
- What is done is carried by good-hearted volunteers, who are also busy people. Efforts are being made to update the website. But financial, institutional, and human resources are generally very constrained.
- Claimed benefits or membership are not all available. Typical services of professional bodies like Chartered status, training, and special interest groups are not offered or not well developed. We have no Journal (of our own).
- This is bad for the discipline and its offspring, for other domains, individual career paths, society, planet, and CybSoc.
General objectives — A regenerative Vision over 5 and 10 years
Recognise the present is not where we want to be.
- Insufficient funds for resources, few people, low recognition. Declining?
Develop a vision, objective, identity, and plan, including future functioning.
- Consider the need for branding development.
- Enhance the offerings and website.
Look for donations to support this plan.
- Develop a benefit case for interested individuals and foundations
- Might there be a public funding option?
Aim to bring in resource ASAP, eg as an intern (or apprentice) to begin.
Expand our membership consciousness to include Commonwealth countries, Europe.
- There is no Cybernetic Society in WOSC for Europe, nor indeed for Australia, South America, India, et cetera.
- Use social media to support this.
Also expand it to more consciously relate to various disciplines where it is currently “half-baked”
Develop a policy for membership/fees and tools to support application — who is permitted to be a member? What fees apply?
- On the one hand we want to maintain the authenticity of cybernetics and membership, and on the other hand we need to recognise that cybernetics has become in many ways part of the general thinking — admittedly often sloppy — of the contemporary world.
- Also: What if any post-nominal is available to the associate member?
- Update regulations.
Grow: From 30 @ £20pa (£600 pa) doubling membership each year for five years to 1000 members, increasing fee in accordance with offer value (@£50-60 for standard member)
- Use Fellowship base more effectively
- Employ part-time/volunteer associates, interns, (volunteer) SIG & chapter leaders, and a full time organizer.
- Make better use of social media
- This would lead to annual income of £50-£100,000 (with donations and fee-based activities, see below). This would provide a base for ongoing development.
Over 10 years:
- Be intelligent with language
- Develop short course training paths and interesting evening events
- Develop training modules with broad appeal
- Develop resources relating cybernetics to current university curricula — a research project
- Enhance chapters and build links to other prof bodies
- Crowdfund SIG projects
- Create thriving YouTube channels
- Publish “short guides” via established channels
Options: Presenting cybernetics
- Expand our base of hon fellows to include a richer mix — exemplifying the full scope of what cybernetics does and could do. Expect each to endorse cybernetics and communicate to network.
- Create cybernetics ‘chapters’, see below — a way of giving expression to the range and opening up membership paths. In each case build a brief case for the value of cybernetics. Will open our thinking and marketing/communication avenues — use these to support membership applications.
- Create and provide support resources for special interest groups focused on hot contemporary topics and enable new initiatives to tackle subjects of interest.Look for funding for these. Build an activity base thereby and publish — also on leading sites e.g. Medium…
Tools and activities: Potential options
Rapidly implement a new website focused on membership services, information, activities. This should have a design with the variety to handle the planned growth and activities, including Chapters and SIG, but could evolve over time. Possibly use a platform like the Open Science Forum is a quick way of making accessible all of the literature and archives that we have. Then over time migrate back to site.
Be unafraid to open the language. & develop visual assets
Use social media platforms for outreach; eg LinkedIn, Medium serious blog/paper channel, Instagram to create domain relevance, YouTube, Facebook conferences, Meetup. Use LinkedIn to connect and to communicate to groups that have related interests. Share on YouTube channel
Develop: Programme of activities (monthly meet-ups etc), journal, and potentially training courses, possibly run in association with other societies
Reach out to other organisations, e.g. RSA or IoD, that are more neutral as well as others that are related, e.g. Systems & Cybernetics in Organisations, British Computer Society and Operations Research… This can be brought forward as soon as feasible. Can also be selectively used to boost early growth.
Various further discussion points were brought and considered. Plans have been approved and confirmed.
— Angus Jenkinson, FCybS