# Requisite Variety > The *Law of Requisite Variety*, formulated by cybernetician W. Ross Ashby, states that for a system to effectively manage its environment, it must have a range of responses that is at least as varied as the range of disturbances it might encounter. In other words, the complexity of a system's control mechanisms must match the complexity of the environment in which it operates. SEE ALSO: [[Adaequatio (Adequateness)]], [[Affordances]], [[Iron Triangle]] The Law of Requisite Variety comes from the field of cybernetics, the study of control and communication systems in animals and machines. First described by W. Ross Ashby, Requisite Variety suggests that any control system must be *at least* as complex as the system it seeks to control. In Arts Management terms, the people and processes of an arts organization need to have a repertory of responses at least as complex and nuanced as the problems they face. > *Law of Requisite Variety*: Any regulating system must have internal variety that is equal to or greater than the system being regulated. So, more simple artistic endeavors can thrive with rather simple management processes and practices. And each step up in complexity will require an increasing complexity in the business and among the people within it. This idea relates to the [[_FUNCTIONS]] of Arts Management, because it suggests that the complement and complexity of those functions will depend upon the complexity of the work and the context of that work. Some arts organizations will succeed with only a basic proficiency in a few functions, while others will need high levels of mastery across all ten. The [[Moving Objects Collective]] in the *ArtsManaged Field Guide* explores this reality. As Ashby stated it in his *Introduction to Cybernetics* (Ashby 1956): > "…only variety can master variety, reducing disturbances and promoting harmonious order. Regulation is then possible only if the regulating system is as various and flexible (responsive to changes) as the system to be regulated." --- ## Sources - Ashby, W. Ross. *An Introduction to Cybernetics*. New York: J. Wiley, 1956. - [Variety (cybernetics)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_(cybernetics)#Law_of_requisite_variety) on Wikipedia - [Squire to the Giants](https://squiretothegiants.com/2016/03/18/oversimplification/) blog ## Tags (click to view related pages) #frameworks #sapling