In an earlier paper, I provided an overview of value networks in organization theory. In this paper, I create a virtual interview with Gregory Bateson (1904 – 1980), to learn what he would say about value networks. I did this because the opportunity for doing this presented itself in multiple, interrelated ways.

Bateson was a multidisciplinary thinker in fields ranging from anthropology, psychology, and family therapy, to biology, communication theory, and cybernetics. I became acquainted with his work in a telephone interview with Fred Steier during the enrollment for Fielding Graduate University. Fred has been intensively engaged with Bateson's work during his career. As a result he co-edited a special double issue of the journal Cybernetics and Human Knowing for Bateson’s centennial. While I was reading Bateson myself, I became impressed by the range, the depth, and the beauty of his thought. So when Fred agreed to work with me on this paper, I obtained the opportunity to learn about value networks through Bateson’s lens, supported by an expert in his work.