Managerial Choices between Systems, Knowledge and Viability

Aim of this work is to propose an open and dynamic view of organization that goes beyond the boundaries of the structure and considers the environmental dynamism as a source of opportunity rather than complexity. This interpretation directs towards a governance approach capable of maintaining and improving the conditions of viability by orienting decision making in the choice between competitiveness and consonance. The interpretation methodology adopted highlights the need to recover general interpretation schemes in business management, recognizing systems thinking as a fundamental paradigm of reference. To this end, the paper proposes the adoption of the Viable Systems Approach as a governance methodology illustrating its interpretative contribution in orienting business decision making. The possible limits of an approach based on dominant ‘structural’ paradigms are also discussed through the analysis of the case of franchising networks.