It’s comforting to think that with the right data, model, or dashboard we can finally see the world as it is. But as Heinz von Foerster reminded us, the map is the territory — because we have nothing else but maps. In other words, we live entirely within our own framings. We never compare a map to the world; only one map to another. Join the conversation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_leadership-systemsthinking-complexity-activity-7383388580032696320-oRRA
It’s comforting to think that with the right data, model, or dashboard we can finally see the world as it is. But as Heinz von Foerster reminded us, the map is the territory — because we have nothing else but maps. In other words, we live entirely within our own framings. We never compare a map to the world; only one map to another.
That’s where leadership gets interesting. In Cybernetics is not the Banana (Part 2) from the Cyb3rSyn Labs podcast, Laksh and I explored what this means for how we manage, decide, and act. The real work isn’t about finding the “true” model of an organisation or system, but learning which framings are useful now — and how to move between them without getting trapped.
This humility about knowledge connects directly to practice. Work, as I see it, is effort to a purpose — using judgment and discretion within agreed boundaries over time. Too little freedom and people become robots; too much and coherence dissolves. The craft of management is to hold that tension consciously, creating structure that enables discretion.
Sometimes the most cybernetic act is simply to name the thing. “We seem to be stuck.” “This process is eating our purpose.” Making a dynamic visible changes it; it turns noise into information. That’s not discovering reality — it’s offering a better map for the moment.
As we rush to automate judgment with AI and data dashboards, it’s worth asking: what maps are we already living inside? Which ones serve us — and which ones have quietly started using us?
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chosen path 