This is the second edition of a book which has already become a management standard both in universities and on the bookshelves of managers and their advisers. Brain of the Firm develops an account of the firm based upon insights derived from the study of the human nervous system, and is a basic text from the author's theory of viable systems. Despite the neurophysiology, the book is written for managers to understand. The companion volume to this book is The Heart of Enterprise, which is intended to support and complement this text. This revised edition of a business management textbook develops an account of a company based upon insights derived from the study of the human nervous system. It outlines the author's theory of viable systems practice. CONCEPTUAL COMPONENTS. Let s Think Again. Concepts and Terms. The Dimensions of the Problem. The Organization of Unthinkable Systems. Hierarchies of Control. THE FORMS OF THE MODEL. The Anatomy of Management. Control Physiology. Autonomy. Autonomic Management. The Biggest Switch. THE USE OF THE MODEL. Corporate Structure and its Quantification. Autonomics Systems One, Two, Three. Environments of Decision System Four. The Multinode System Five. The Higher Management. THE COURSE OF HISTORY. A Flying Start. Into its Stride. The October Watershed. The End of the Beginning. Prospectus. References explicit to these five chapters. Appendix. Glossary of Cybernatic Terms Used in this Book. Select Bibliography. Index.