What is a Cybernetic Control System?
Discovering Cybernetic Control Systems: The Key to Understanding Lean, Six Sigma, BSC, and More
I was reading the book Flow Engineering recently, and I came across the term Cybernetic Control Systems. I didn’t recognize the term at first, but now I’m completely obsessed with it! As I dug deeper, I realized this concept explains many of the systems that drive improvement methodologies, such as Lean, Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, OKRs, TPS, TQM, Scrum, and more.
The simple definition of a Cybernetic Control System is: a self regulating system.
Cybernetic control systems are essentially feedback-driven systems designed to regulate themselves and achieve specific goals — whether it’s improving efficiency, achieving strategic objectives, or maintaining operational stability. Once I understood this, it was like a light bulb went off. These feedback loops are the core of how continuous improvement works in so many different areas.
What Exactly is a Cybernetic Control System?
A cybernetic control system is a self-regulating system that operates based on feedback loops. Here’s how it works:
- Goal or Set Point: Every system has a desired goal or state it wants to maintain or reach. For example, a business might aim to improve efficiency, or a machine might regulate temperature.
- Sensors (Input): These sensors gather data on how the system is currently performing. In a business context, this could be metrics like customer satisfaction or production time.
- Controller: The controller compares the current state of the system with the desired goal. If there’s a discrepancy, it calculates what needs to be done to bring the system back on track.
- Actuators (Output): These mechanisms take action based on the controller’s decisions. This might be employees implementing a change in process, or a machine adjusting its settings.
- Feedback Loop: This is the critical part — the system constantly monitors its output to ensure it’s moving towards the goal, adjusting as needed. This loop is what makes cybernetic control systems so powerful in areas like Lean or Six Sigma.
Why Does This Matter?
Understanding cybernetic control systems helps explain why so many improvement methodologies are structured in similar ways. The underlying concept of setting goals, measuring progress, taking corrective action, and monitoring feedback is at the heart of Lean, Six Sigma, OKRs, and even the Balanced Scorecard framework.
Whether you’re refining a manufacturing process, executing a business strategy, or improving team performance, you’re essentially tapping into a cybernetic control system. This realization ties together many popular methodologies and makes it easier to see how they’re connected.
The Connection Between Improvement Methodologies
To help clarify this, I’ve included a table adapted from Table 2.1 from the book Flow Engineering that lays out how various methodologies, like Lean, Six Sigma, OKRs, and Balanced Scorecard, all fit within the concept of a cybernetic control system:
By seeing the feedback loops and self-regulation principles embedded in these systems, we can better understand how they work and how to apply them effectively.
Next time you’re deep into an improvement initiative or managing a project, think about how you’re utilizing feedback and control loops. It’s amazing how much this seemingly technical concept applies to everyday business strategies.
This version creates a personal narrative, introduces the concept clearly, and ties it back to the popular improvement methodologies in a way that will resonate with your readers.
By seeing the feedback loops and self-regulation principles embedded in these systems, we can better understand how they work and how to apply them effectively.
This may also help you next time you find yourself trying to communicate with someone who was trained in one of the other methodologies.
Book : Flow Engineering Authors: Pereira, Davis, Ruiz (2024)
KPIFire.com is a tool that can be used for many of these control systems.