Dr Jon Walker

Jon Walker has over thirty five years experience working in the co-operative business sector. He has established and co-managed a range of businesses including retail outlets, a small-scale manufacturing plant, a warehouse and a chain of supermarkets dealing mainly with whole-food, organic and fairly-traded products. Concurrently, Jon has lectured, published, consulted and provided training courses in both private and public sectors, on complexity theory and organisational structures.

In particular Jon has pioneered the use of innovative organisational techniques known as the Viable Systems Model, in both large cooperatives and an eco-community. The resulting organisational changes have resulted in working practices which are both efficient whilst at the same time being based on principles of participation and individual creativity and autonomy. His book A Complexity Approach to Sustainability, co-authored with Angela Espinosa. Is now on the second edition

Jon is based in Yorkshire, UK, where he continues to have direct involvement with the co-operative food sector there, in particular in developing food networks that serve local communities. Nationally, he is working with the Transition Network, the Permaculture Association and the Cooperative Group. Internationally he has consulted and run workshops for 4 Universities in Colombia, in Cuba, in Spain, Oman, Romania and for the Government of Victoria, Australia. He is currently working with the UK Health Service to apply the Viable Systems Model in the context of the Covid epidemic.