The cybernetician Frank George discussed the variety of teams competing in games like football or rugby to produce goals or tries. A winning chess player might be said to have more variety than his losing opponent. Here a simple ordering is implied. The attenuation and amplification of variety were major themes in Stafford Beer's work in management (the profession of control, as he called it). The number of staff needed to answer telephones, control crowds or tend to patients are clear examples.