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Cybernetics Conversation has ended
Wednesday, July 1
 

12:00pm BST

Welcome and Scene Setting
Wednesday July 1, 2026 12:00pm - 12:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
John and Peter welcome attendees, introduce the event and remind of its purpose and process
Moderators
avatar for John Beckford

John Beckford

Beckford Consulting
PK
Wednesday July 1, 2026 12:00pm - 12:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

12:30pm BST

Lunch
Wednesday July 1, 2026 12:30pm - 1:15pm BST

Wednesday July 1, 2026 12:30pm - 1:15pm BST

1:15pm BST

Celebrating Stafford Beer's Centenary
Wednesday July 1, 2026 1:15pm - 2:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
John will host a conversation reflecting on Stafford and how we have and are building on his work. All to contribute
Speakers
avatar for John Beckford

John Beckford

Beckford Consulting
Wednesday July 1, 2026 1:15pm - 2:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

2:00pm BST

Viable Operating Model: The Hand that Thinks
Wednesday July 1, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm BST
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough
Abdul Aziz explores his vision of a shift from the mechanistic “You or Me” operating model to one of “You AND Me”. He argues that most organisations have both an organising logic and a structural reality and almost none manage the methodological and political gap between them. The structural model embeds power, asserts ownership, and creates the illusion of control in ways the organising...
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Speakers
avatar for Abdul Aziz

Abdul Aziz

Chief Architect and Director, Requisite Variety Solutions
Abdul AzizIndependent Consultant, Systems Thinker and Builder of the Viable Operating Model
Abdul has spent twenty years helping organisations navigate the gap between what they say they are and what they actually do, the space between organising logic and structural reality.
He is... Read More →
Wednesday July 1, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm BST
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough

2:00pm BST

VSM in a hospital radiology service
Wednesday July 1, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
A large New Zealand hospital radiology service is looking to restructure and improve its functioning. I have been asked to work with them to apply the VSM to the task. I expect to have completed the diagnosis phase and would like to present the key challenges for discussion and input of ideas. Radiology is the primary service for some patients, but a support service for many, so modelling it as a...
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Speakers
avatar for Sharen Paine

Sharen Paine

Director / Consultant, Catalyst-MC Limited

Wednesday July 1, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

3:15pm BST

Tea Break
Wednesday July 1, 2026 3:15pm - 3:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Wednesday July 1, 2026 3:15pm - 3:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

3:30pm BST

Towards a metasystem for governing New Space?
Wednesday July 1, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough
New Space is primarily defined by the commercialization of space activities at scales unanticipated by the foundational treaty regime, with private actors now occupying roles in launch, Earth observation, communications, and exploration that were once the near-exclusive province of states. This paradigm shift unfolds alongside dynamics that complicate its landscape. The militarization of the...
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Speakers
avatar for Bruno Vaz
Wednesday July 1, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough

4:30pm BST

Stafford Beer's work in 2026. Reflections.
Wednesday July 1, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
A session reflecting on the discussions of the day and exploring links back to Stafford's work
Speakers
avatar for John Beckford

John Beckford

Beckford Consulting
Wednesday July 1, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

5:30pm BST

End of Day Admin - Dinner at Mr Chans
Wednesday July 1, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Wednesday July 1, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

7:00pm BST

Evening Meal in Mr Chan's Chinese Restaurant
Wednesday July 1, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm BST
Every year the first night we have gathered at Mr Chan's. We will ask you on Wednesday if you are coming to give Mr Chan the numbers. Everyone will order separately.  We did try and organise a buffet but we did not have enough numbers to plan ahead. 

Mr Chan's Loughborough's longest established Chinese restaurant, serving Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines.
Wednesday July 1, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm BST
 
Thursday, July 2
 

9:00am BST

Welcome and Agenda for the day.
Thursday July 2, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
An introduction to the process for the day
Speakers
avatar for John Beckford

John Beckford

Beckford Consulting
Thursday July 2, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

9:30am BST

The Unaccountability Machine
Thursday July 2, 2026 9:30am - 10:30am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
Dan Davies' book, "The Unaccountability Machine," published in 2024, discusses how large systems in markets, institutions, and governments often make poor decisions due to a lack of accountability. He introduces the concept of "accountability sinks," which obscure responsibility and lead to negative outcomes that no one claims to want.
Speakers
avatar for Dan Davies

Dan Davies

The Unaccountability Machine (2024) is a business book by Dan Davies, an investment bank analyst and author,[1] who also writes for The New Yorker.[2] It argues that responsibility for decision making has become diffused after World War II and represents a flaw in society.

The boo... Read More →
Thursday July 2, 2026 9:30am - 10:30am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

10:30am BST

Coffee Break
Thursday July 2, 2026 10:30am - 10:45am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Thursday July 2, 2026 10:30am - 10:45am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

10:45am BST

Unaccountability Machine Conversation
Thursday July 2, 2026 10:45am - 12:15pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Thursday July 2, 2026 10:45am - 12:15pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

12:15pm BST

Lunch
Thursday July 2, 2026 12:15pm - 1:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Thursday July 2, 2026 12:15pm - 1:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

1:00pm BST

Badlands 2026 – Welcome to a New Gamespace
Thursday July 2, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
Badlands 2025 explored the systems of technology used for malignant purposes through themes of crime, privacy intrusion and eudaemonia.    We now observe dynamic and dispersed global information circuits carrying increasingly complex human/machine data and informatic diseases.   Data varieties have accelerated and proliferated, creating new mutations for systemic absorption....
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Speakers
RB
Thursday July 2, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

1:00pm BST

The “Canary in the Coalmine”: what antisemitism can tell us about the viability of systems 4 & 5 at national recursion level
Thursday July 2, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough
There are many perspectives for analysing and measuring the viability of a society: from GDP, competitiveness, individual freedoms, military strength to demographic stability, openness, social cohesion, eudaimonia. There is also a modern heuristic crystallised from centuries of observation: societies that turn against Jews are already turning against their own internal freedoms, institutions, and...
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Speakers
DJ

Daniel Jonas

Hypercube Innovation
Thursday July 2, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough

3:00pm BST

Tea Break
Thursday July 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Thursday July 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

3:30pm BST

Quantum Life Science
Thursday July 2, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Speakers
SI
Thursday July 2, 2026 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

4:30pm BST

Reflections on the Day - Topics for Ethics and AI on Friday
Thursday July 2, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
Reflections on the day and topics for day three
Speakers
avatar for Peter Tuddenham

Peter Tuddenham

CoExplorer, College of Exploration USA, CoExploration Limited UK

Thursday July 2, 2026 4:30pm - 5:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU
 
Friday, July 3
 

9:00am BST

Day 3 Welcome
Friday July 3, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Friday July 3, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

9:30am BST

Ethics and AI
Friday July 3, 2026 9:30am - 11:00am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Speakers
PK
Friday July 3, 2026 9:30am - 11:00am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

11:00am BST

Coffee Break
Friday July 3, 2026 11:00am - 11:15am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Friday July 3, 2026 11:00am - 11:15am BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU

11:15am BST

2026 Cybernetics Conversation Reflection and Conclusion
Friday July 3, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Speakers
avatar for John Beckford

John Beckford

Beckford Consulting
PK
Friday July 3, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm BST
Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University Sir Richard Morris Loughborough University, University Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU
 

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Wednesday, July 1
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Room A Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University
Room B, Centre for Information Management, University of Loughborough