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The purpose of this paper is to clarify the concept of organizational closure as developed by Stafford Beer in his viable systems model, defined as System 5.

The author refers to his experiences of multi‐stakeholder platforms and confronts them with the original texts of Stafford Beer. He takes the stance of a reflective practitioner.

The identity function, defined as organizational closure, only can be embodied at the boundary of a system, defined by an observer. Identities are not essential characteristics but changing attributions by different observers. Multiple identities are the norm.

The author develops the required characteristics of representatives participating in the organizational closure or System 5 activities.

The author gives an alternative way of thinking about identity different from the mainstream essentialist way of defining identity. He explores the consequences of this way of thinking for governance and governing bodies. He clarifies in this way the fundamental tension between participative and representative democracy.

The purpose of this paper is to address the effects of a unique leadership programme, four years after its delivery: in a Dutch penitentiary organisation. This intervention was initiated because of a felt lack of safety in an organisation that was characterised by steep hierarchy, forceful authority, constant employee cynicism and indifference. The focus of the intervention lies on actually assuming responsibility and producing the intended, strategically relevant results.

First we sketch Hoebeke's ideas on “responsibility in one's own work system” (Hoebeke, 2004). We show how these ideas are related to the leadership programme. Next we illustrate the programme's effect with quotes from three in‐depth group interviews with the penitentiary's governor, unit manager, four department heads and six employees.

The interviews show that acting responsibly has become a living concept in the sense that is now being explicitly used among employees in all layers of the organisation. Employees and managers have learned to translate responsibility into concrete and relevant results. A new strategy for the continuity of the organisation has been co‐created with all management levels and the Workers Council and it has been implemented successfully. The intervention also defeated the cynicism and lack of integrity in the organisation.

This case shows that being trained in the ability “to be present with reality” and actually assuming responsibility for the relationship between one's own “way of being” and the results one produces had a lasting, positive impact on an organisation and its people.

Acting in complex and paradoxical situations cannot be taught through recipes. This article rereads a seminal Biblical text, the Decalogue, and seeks to place it in the actual context for people confronted with difficult decisions and actions. If foundational texts are not actualised, they lose their meaning. This is the base of the Judaic exegetic tradition. Practical wisdom can use the Decalogue to act in a relevant way in uncharted territory.

A method combining the reading of an old text with a dialoguing commentary in a group is how this actualisation has been elaborated. Oral and written traditions jointly are essential in making the seminal texts of practical wisdom relevant for our times. This commentary has been elaborated as a result of a dialogue with three different groups of more than ten members. This is the way the author uses the term “validation”.

In the Judaic language verbs are the most important grammatical components. The First Testament texts have their origin in the wisdom to act in a social context. The Decalogue is the central tenet of this practical wisdom. The author has been introduced to this wisdom through the research of communities to create an art of living away from the mainstream individualistic ideology. Currently in management discourse, the use of the words, social networks, stakeholder focus, community development and the attention to systemic and ecological relationships is increasing and this experience can provide an alternative discourse helping them in their endeavours.

Actualising an ancient tradition, the article makes it relevant for issues with which decision makers are struggling today.

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate changes to the way performance data is used to improve performance taking the government’s use of project data as an example.

This paper uses systems theory to review the way the government’s major projects portfolio should be analysed.

This paper concludes that broader engagement in the analytics process should be considered as a way of improving insights and learning from reviews. The paper suggests that report alone has limited value.

By taking a systems approach, this study raises questions about the methods used to manage data analysis and system improvements. Systems thinking is a useful tool to consider applications such as the performance of the government’s project portfolio, but there are many other approaches that can be applied.

This study makes very specific recommendations around the roles and responsibilities of people and teams at different levels in the system. Roles and activities are described together with recommendations about interfering in and overreaching these roles and activities.

This paper synthesises a number of systems approaches together with a view of why “we measure” to create a framework for analysing approaches to performance improvement. The practical application provided here gives insights into how these approaches can be used in real-life contexts.