ABOUT THIS POSITION

TNO is an independent research and technology organization. We are a team specializing in semantic interoperability between organizations, particularly within Collaborative Network Organisations (CNOs) – networks of legally independent organisations collaborating towards common goals. We advise CNOs, contribute to the development of standards for effective data exchange, and build specialized tooling to support the governance of shared semantic assets.

In complex sectors (e.g., healthcare, construction), Collaborative Network Organisations (CNOs) face initiatives pushing for ‘more interoperability’, often driven by strong ideals for collaboration. Yet, successful networks must balance shared goals with vital member autonomy and local adaptation. Current governance frameworks like BOMOS help structure collaboration but lack tools to assess the feasible limits of alignment – the extent to which members can, or are willing to, align their goals, processes, and data semantics. Governance often involves members managing assets collectively (’by the people, for the people’), frequently supported by an independent facilitating body (as suggested in BOMOS). This facilitator requires its own capacity (’variety’) to effectively manage the network’s inherent diversity (’variety’). Cybernetics concepts like Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety, and frameworks such as Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM), offer ways to analyze the fit between the facilitator’s capacity and the network’s complexity. Can this lens help evaluate the viability of interoperability programs by understanding these limits and the required governance capacity?