According to cyberneticists like Stafford Beer, viable systems must balance two actions:
- Attenuate the Environment: Reduce the complexity and variety coming at the organization to a level the internal system can handle.
- Amplify Internal Variety: Increase the organization’s own flexibility, market intelligence, and adaptability so it can effectively respond to the remaining variety.
If a system relies too heavily on attenuation, it risks becoming rigid, bureaucratic, and unresponsive to change.