ASVSA
Associazione per la Ricerca sui Sistemi Vitali
Associazione per la Ricerca sui Sistemi Vitali
Some years ago, during a time when the Italian university system, broadly speaking, was experiencing that ideal moment where, after a long ascent in the social sphere, the conditions for an inevitable decline began to take shape, a small group of enthusiastic researchers, relaxed in that pleasant state of suspension and lightness that marks the end of the rise and the beginning of the fall, started to become interested in a systemic view of reality.
The compelling works of authors such as Korzybski, Bogdanov, von Bertalanffy, von Foerster, and later Beer, Varela, Flores, and many others sparked a growing interest in systemic concepts, leading to the development of an innovative conception of systemic thinking in the social sciences: the Vital Systems Approach (VSA).
With the publication in English of the work by Professor Gaetano Maria Golinelli in 2010, which formalized the foundational concepts of the VSA, the approach was introduced to an international and multidisciplinary audience of scholars. Acknowledgment of the validity of this approach in representing and understanding organizations and their behaviors came from researchers and scholars engaged in studying both individuals and collectives in any kind of social organism. Works based on the VSA can be found in studies related to management, marketing, organization, as well as in anthropology, psychology, sociology, and even physics and neurology.
With the aim of facilitating the dissemination of the work accomplished and fostering the interest and participation of an ever-growing number of researchers attracted or intrigued by the conceptual evolution of the Viable Systems Approach (VSA), the Association for Research on Viable Systems (ASVSA) was founded.
ASVSA is governed by several organizational bodies, including an Assembly composed of all its members, which holds the authority for major decisions such as elections, budget approvals, and statutory amendments. The Board of Directors oversees the implementation of the Assembly’s directives and manages the organization’s operational activities. The President serves as the legal representative of the organization and leads its strategic vision, while a Scientific Committee provides expertise and guidance for its research and educational endeavors. Membership is open to individuals and entities that align with the organization’s mission and contribute through active participation, knowledge, or expertise.
The Association is open to those who, interested in achieving its objectives, share its spirit and ideals. To offer participation options suited to individual needs and preferences, there are three categories of members:
Those who have achieved particular merits or distinguished themselves in line with the objectives of the Association can be granted the status of honorary members by the Board of Directors upon the proposal of members. In special cases, under the same conditions, an honorary member may also be granted the title of Honorary President;
secretariat@asvsa.org
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