Who are we?
Founded in 1968, the GWS is a non-profit scientific society dedicated to advancing and applying cybernetic and systemic thinking in business, politics, and society.
Today, the GWS serves as an active community and dialogue platform that connects practitioners, researchers, and educators who explore how cybernetics and systems theory can address contemporary challenges in management, economy, and social organization. The Society is primarily based in the German-speaking region but maintains a growing international network across Europe and beyond.
What is our focus?
The GWS focuses on fostering a reflective and generative exchange between research and practice. Its principal aims include:
• Advancing the understanding and application of managerial and social cybernetics;
• Supporting interdisciplinary dialogue across management, social science, and engineering;
• Promoting education and training in systemic and cybernetic approaches;
• Encouraging the translation of cybernetic principles into practical management and policy tools.
Members contribute by developing, discussing, and applying models, concepts, methods, and technologies for managing complexity, enhancing organizational learning, and enabling sustainable adaptation in human–technical systems.
What are our activities?
The GWS organizes scientific symposia, public discussions, and regular online events such as the SynergyLab – Forum für intelligente Organisation (synergylab.space), which brings together researchers and practitioners to explore current topics in managerial and social cybernetics.
The Society also publishes the open-access journal Collective Intelligence Perspectives (ci-perspectives.org) and supports selected publication projects that contribute to the historical and theoretical development of cybernetics.
Beyond events and publications, the GWS acts as a hub for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and mentorship, maintaining an ongoing dialogue among those who apply systems and cybernetic principles to real-world complexity.
