The late Professor Stafford Beer bestrode Management as a colossus.

In a series of ground breaking books culminating in "Brain of the Firm", reprinted Wiley 1995, and the companion volumes "Heart of Enterprise", reprinted Wiley 1988, and "Diagnosing the System for Organisations", reprinted Wiley 1991, he produced models applicable to the problems of structure, innovation, autonomy, participatory development, accountability and even pain and alerting in organisations. In the neurophysiological Viable System Model (VSM) he applied Homeostasis and Variety to neuroanatomy. Thus he was able to distinguish Identity maintaining Decisions, Development, Operational and Regulatory management. This supported a strict foundation for evolutionary control and founded Management Cybernetics.

Within months of the publication of "Brain" Beer was propelled into International public prominence with a commission to apply the model to Chile for the newly elected President Salvador Allende. Management Cybernetics was applied to Government. Sadly short-sighted American foreign policy turned an heroic project into tragedy. But now as the "Steward of Accountability" America and the World is seeing that with cheap, reliable, computing and telecommunications Beer's methods can bring Justice not only to Wall street but to the tribal and unaccountable for whom only terror seems a solution.

Stafford "40 Years in Cybernetics" giving the Gordon Hyde Memorial Lecture in January 1990 (1hr 27mins).

A fuller account of his achievements and a complete bibliography of his many books and papers is given by the Cwarel Isaf Institute, founded by Prof. Dr. Fredmund Malik, Chairman Malik Management Zentrum St. Gallen, and Stafford. There is a commentary, by Stafford, on some of the books delightfully entitled "Ten Pints of Beer".

Early critics of Beer's work thought the hierarchical structure of VSM, an imperative from Set Theory, made it in some way authoritarian and unable to adapt to a flatter more equal and democratic management. Such critics failed to recognise the need to make responsibility unambiguous and that the levels of management in VSM need not represent managers but management policies applicable from short to long term.

In his later years, "Beyond Dispute" Wiley 1994, Beer invented Team Syntegrity. He found that the icosahedron represented the largest structure that management participants could occupy and retain the potential for similar contexts and perspectives. He developed it as a tool, amongst other things, to realise World Government.

The beginnings of a potential "Six Degrees of Separation" or "Small World Phenomenon" process was described by Joe Truss while friends and practitioners gathered at the University of Hull for a Staffordian Syntegration to discuss "What should we do with Stafford's legacy/gift?" on 26th to 29th June 2003. One team, for example, considered "Deploying Syntegration to Resolve Conflict and Stop War". Dr. Allenna Leonard recommended Stafford's paper "World in Torment" as an introduction. More details of this memorable event.

The Metaphorum Society organised CybCon2004 "Cybernetics and Public Adminstration" in London at St James's Park and LSE on September 3rd and 4th. See Leonie Solomons report for details.

The problems of scaling are discussed by Joe Truss, Chris Cullen and Allenna Leonard in "The Coherent Architecture of Team Syntegrity ®: from Small to Mega Forms".

The Official Stafford Beer website is a commercial site operated by John Moores University in Liverpool which also houses Beer's library of 1,500 books and a collection of papers and artefacts, including the stochastic analogue machine (1956) and the algedonic computer (to study learning systems- the wood and brass machine in "Brain of the Firm"). There are several important papers for free downloading, tapes for sale and a fascinating 221 page catalogue of his books. A selection of poems and 25 .gifs of his paintings can be seen.

An Announcement of Stafford's death by the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics includes some tributes and reference to Beer's "On the Nature of Models: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and Women, Too (from Warren McCulloch to Candice Pert)".

Stafford's last address "What is Cybernetics?" on being awarded an honorary degree from University of Valladolid in Spain.

Jon Walker's "The Viable Systems Model" is a guide for co-operatives and federations with case studies. An excellent introduction.

Professor Raul Espejo's Syncho Consultancy designs organisational structures that maximise the autonomy of team members whilst ensuring the cohesion and direction the organisation needs. Raul was Stafford's Chief Scientist in Chile.

Robert Bittlestone's Metapraxis Consultancy specialising in business diagnostics and early warnings for multinational companies. Stafford held Directorships in the early years of both these firms.

Tony Gill's Phrontis Consultancy applying VSM to management areas such as business modelling and process management, supply chain management, knowledge management, and performance management and improvement.

Patrick Hoverstadt is a partner in Fractal. A consultancy that applies VSM and Syntegration. He has recently become a Principle Developer of a toolset for the VSM. This is one focus of the MetaPhorum Group, now with its own website formed as a result of the Staffordian Syntegration.

Integra Mangement Systems offer a Consulting Methodology and Performance and Research Mangement software tools. Dr John Bickford and his team developed their approach inspired by Stafford's VSM. Clients include many household name organisations.

"A Viable System Model:Consideration of Knowledge Management" is from Dr Allenna Leonard applying VSM to the management of knowledge from the perspective of the individual, the network and the organization.

Prof. Dr. Markus Schwaninger of the Institute of Management University of St. Gallen has written much on Stafford's Cybernetics. For example see his discussion paper "A Theory for Optimal Organisation".

Syntegration as a mediator in the Three/Four Viable system homeostat is discussed in Annika H. Andersson's "Guiding Principles in combining The Viable System and Team Syntegrity".

Stafford at Sammuel Fox is recalled by John Friend in a reminiscence that starts in the early years and ends in Toronto in 2000.

The Real Time Study Group of IT designers is seeking to apply VSM to Real Time Government in UK and corporate governance. The website is in Draft.

Software engineers have taken up the VSM for systems software. Notably Dr. Charles Herring "The Viable System Architecture". This is Charles' Powerpoint presentation to Microsoft Research.

Dr Jay Bayne of Echelon4 emphasises high assurance grid connection applications. The site continues to grow with many references.

"Stafford Beer: the man who could have run the world" is an appreciation by Rosemary Bechler.This article was first published on openDemocracy.net. Reproduced here by permission

A poet's tribute to a fellow poet from David Whittaker given to the gathering of friends and colleagues at the Royal Society of Arts mourning Stafford's death.

David has published a delighful memoir based on their exchanges of letters tracking Stafford's travels and reading from 1981 to 1996. This is a unique and fascinating insight. Halfway through and we have Varela haranguing the Dalai Llama (HHDL, of course). Bouncing off Needham's massive ego; joy in Leibnitzian "Monadolgy" and a preference for "Physics as Metaphor" by Roger Jones rather than Capra's Tao. Oh how we miss him! But David brings him to life on these pages. A gourmet delight.

Leonid Ototsky from Magnitogorsk in Russia famous for the giant MMK steelworks has a setup personal tribute.

Lastly from Vanilla Beer, the painter, an appreciation by Allenna Leonard of her father's life, work and death.

The above is only a small selection of work that has appeared on the web.

There are more than 4,000 hits on Google at the time of writing. Please advise Nick Green if you have any new work, contracts, papers criticisms or discussions of Stafford's work that you would like us to include.

Stafford Beer was an Honorary Fellow of the Cybernetics Society and died in Toronto on 23rd August 2002 surrounded by his large extended family of students and friends.

Guardian Obituary

Telegraph Obituary

Metaphorum was set up by friends, colleagues and students to contiue developing Stafford's work.

Three audio files of Stafford talking

• at the Cybernetics Society in 1990 (86 mins)
• to Roger Cook (6 mins) about the Chilean Coup
• and contributing to Ray Gosling on Buckminster Fuller (29 mins)