Organisational designer and author
I help organisations create structures that support value creation, clear decisions and adaptation. My work draws on Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model and experience as an entrepreneur, coach and organisational designer.
After twenty years building and leading a digital agency, my focus today is organisational design at Bosch. Through my books and this site, I share practical ways to work with complexity.
Designing for viability
An organisation needs both local autonomy and a shared direction. I use the Viable System Model to examine where decisions belong, how teams coordinate and how leadership connects everyday operations with longer-term adaptation.
This means working with structures that have grown over time as well as designing new ones. My focus is on value creation, the balance between central and decentralised responsibilities, and weak signals of change.
Professional experience
2022–present
Robert Bosch GmbH
Organisational Designer, Viable System Model Coach and Business Process Expert in the Mobility Sector.
2019–2022
METRO Digital & METRO AG
Roles included Agile & OKR Master at METRONOM, Agile Coach and Operational Program Lead at METRO digital, and Head of Digital Touchpoints & eCRM at METRO AG.
2015–2019
Independent consulting and teaching
Senior Agile Coach, leadership training and organisational development for companies including Commerzbank, RWE, innogy and BNP Paribas. Lecturer in Corporate Governance and Project Management at Mediadesign Hochschule in Düsseldorf.
1995–2015
anyMOTION
Co-founded and led the digital agency for twenty years. During that time, the team grew to sixty employees.
Books
I write about organisational viability, leadership, decision-making and complexity. These five books connect management practice with a systemic view of organisations.
2023 · English
Leading by Weak Signals
Using Small Data to Master Complexity
With Peter Gomez
Using weak signals and small data to understand complexity and uncertainty.
2019 · German
Verantwortungsvoll führen in einer komplexen Welt
Denkmuster – Werkzeuge – Praxisbeispiele
With Peter Gomez and Timo Meynhardt
A systems-based approach to responsible leadership and organisational viability.
2019 · German
30 Minuten Besser entscheiden mit Red Teaming
With Stephanie Borgert
Challenging assumptions and improving decisions through constructive questioning.
2018 · German
Die intelligente Organisation
Das Playbook für organisatorische Komplexität
A practical playbook for applying the Viable System Model to organisations.
2016 · German
Freiheit und Verantwortung für intelligente Organisationen
An introduction to Stafford Beer’s model for viable systems.
Current projects
VSM7 for Practitioners
A browser-based workspace for designing organisations with the Viable System Model. VSM7 supports facilitators through a structured workshop series, keeps the project record in one place and turns workshop results into reusable documents.
VSM Strategy Game
An interactive, scenario-based learning and organisational design experience grounded in Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model. Participants take responsibility for an organisation over a simulated working week, responding to an increasingly uncertain and challenging business environment.
Coming soon.
Explore my work
VSM7 for Practitioners — A structured approach to applying the Viable System Model in organisational design.
Free templates and downloads — Canvases, workshop materials and learning resources for working with the VSM.
For questions about my work or the Viable System Model, get in touch. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.