Structured Dialogic Design

PAIN CONSULT Concept design workshop Tom Flanagan Chair, Board of Directors Institute for 21 st Century Agoras We must learn to work together in large groups So that we can begin solving large problems Structured Dialogic Design SM January 1, 2010

Recall you experiences within large groups The more essential it is for a group to share significant resources and work together, the harder it is to get the group to agree upon a joint action plan. We work together in large groups only when we must.

Drivers of Large Group Collaborative Planning Businesses No Longer Compete: Business strategists argue that with the decentralization of business structures and with the emergence of complex supply and distribution networks, individual businesses are not the unit of competition. Competition is now among entire supply and distribution webs. Without our business partners, we cannot sustain our competitive position within our markets. Business Cultures Converge : Many service industries are experiencing consolidation (e.g., healthcare, banking, retail, etc.). When two or more independent business cultures come together, the forced collaboration either leads to success or to failure. Innovation Occurs at the Margins : It is often the capacity to see our situation differently that leads to new ways of thinking through our barriers. Sharing different perspectives leads to creative breakthroughs. Finding the root causes of complex civic problems requires reaching across silos. No Individual Can See the Big Picture : With truly complex problems, we cannot see enough to plan with confidence and inspire confidence in others because we cannot see into the intentions of others who will be responding even as we seek to implement our response.

When we think of groups we first think of leadership
Delegate when you know the problem and are sure of the solution
Direct when you know the problem but need to discover the solution
Support “testing” solutions in hopes of discovering problem after the fact ( i.e., some antibiotic treatments )
Coach a group to discover its situation and then to devise preferred solutions when the problem and probable solutions are both unclear
As group size, diversity and unfamiliarly increases, the leadership challenge scales exponentially.

Source: Max Hardy, Twyford Consulting Leaders and large groups frequently distrust each other

" I would not give a whit for the simplicity this side of complexity ( a simple approach ), but I would give my life for the simplicity on the far side of complexity ( a simple resolution )." O. W. Holmes Large groups are OK for broadcasting. Explaining, training, motivating, and idea harvesting Large groups do not resolve complexity well. Design and decision making Leaders frequently lack skills for coaching large groups

“ Complexity” hinders democratic process Wicked complexity is characterized by large numbers of issues, large numbers of interconnections among issues, evolving issues and connections in the system, and limited transparency of both the issues and the connections The Situational Complexity Index is defined as DK (N-7) / R (R-1) where D = (V-5) / (N-5) N = Number of total observations by all observers R = Number of observations identified assembled into a map V = Number of observations with 1 or more votes K = Number of DISTINCT links among observations D = Divergence or “spread think” of importance votes _________________________________ 7 is the “Miller number” (7 ± 2) and 5 is the “Warfield spread think number”
Average Complexity of Unassisted Democracy (conjectured) = 3
Average Complexity in Wicked Problems = 30
Greatest Level of Complexity Resolved Using SDD at this time = 55

Complexity = pieces x time x boundaries
Complexity leads to “ under-conceptualization ” which puts programs and projects at risk
Multiple Moving Parts … 60 to 75 issues ( numerical complexity )
Very Long Time Frames … 5 to 25 years ( temporal complexity )
Many Boundaries Spanned … 10 to 30 perspectives ( dimensional complexity )
Distinct Perspectives
Missing Voices
Overpowering Self-Confidence of Some Individuals

“ Sponsors are rarely willing to invest adequate time in building firm foundations for their teams at the start of a project. But they are often willing to start over when the project fails .” Unknown Author How Do Groups Handle Complexity ? POORLY

Ways to Make Decisions from within Large Groups
Consensus Methods
Brainstorming
Nominal Group Technique
Trade Off Analysis
Participatory Action Research
Alternative Futures & Scenarios
Focus Groups
Structured Dialogic Design
Group Methods Design Methodology

5 Axioms that require the SDD methodology
COMPLEXITY: We live in a world that is very complex. Most observers are confused. Social systems design issues are strongly interconnected (Warfield).
ENGAGEMENT: Disregarding the participation of the full range of stakeholders in designing social systems is unethical, and the resulting human system designs are bound to fail (Ozbekhan).
SALIENCY: Because the field of options in designing social systems is multidimensional , salient synthesis is difficult (Boulding).
PARSIMONY: Human cognition & attention is limited. Human beings are usually overloaded in group design work leading to bad designs (Simon).
CONTINUITY OF MEANING: Group action requires respect of authorship of ideas by stakeholders. When Stakeholders’ ideas become distorted and misattributed in group design work stakeholders lose their individual commitment to implementing the plan ().

7 empirical laws governing richness of group learning
Requisite VARIETY (Ashby)
Requisite PARSIMONY (Miller, Warfield)
Requisite SALIENCY (Boulding)
Requisite AUTHENTICITY & AUTONOMY (Tsivacou)
Requisite MEANING & WISDOM (Peirce)
Requisite EVOLUTIONARY LEARNING (Dye)
Requisite ACTION (Laouris)

“ Suppose we were able to make progress in
addressing Factor X ,
will this SIGNIFICANTLY enhance our capacity to
address Factor Y ? ”
Software exists to support group work based on this simple structuring algorithm to generate a directional map of influence propagated across the entire SYSTEM of issues
( Efficiency gains of a factor of 4 or more )
Interpretative Structural Modeling: the Systems View in SDD Collectively “ vote ” on the significance of a specified logical linkage between each pair of issues

Example of part of an ISM map

A 30 person SDD session

Commit time to fully discuss a well-selected question – 1 to 2 days ( Focus on the Trigger Question )
Jointly name observations that need to be collectively understood ( Nominal Group Technique )
Listen and ask questions as individuals explain their observations ( Clarification )
Identify systemic connections among observations ( Clustering: ISM )
Reflect on their shared systemic understanding ( Pathway Narration )
Nominate actions for inclusion into an action plan ( Action Planning )
What groups must agree to do to use SDD Begin at the beginning and unpack complexity. Stakeholders often leap into solving problems before they have fully defined the problem to be resolved. A. Christakis

The Talking Point: Creating Environments for Exploring Complex Meaning Thomas R. Flanagan & Alexander N. Christakis Information Age / January 2010 The Talking Point

How People Harness their Collective Wisdom & Power to Construct the Future in Co-Laboratories of Democracy Alexander N. Christakis & Kenneth C Bausch Information Age / February 2006 Co-Laboratories of Democracy

Graphic by KMC Dye Global sites where SDD has been used

The Graphic Language of SDD
Challenges & Trees
Clusters & Votes
Action Options & Trees
Scenarios & Superposition
Criteria & Trade-off
Implementation Plan
  Groups must learn and agree to use a graphic language to deal with complex nonlinear systems Type A Type C Type B Type A Type C Type B Type A Type C Type B Type A Type C Type B Criteria ( 1) ( 2) ( 3)

Level I Level II Level III Level IV Deep Driver Trend No-influence Trend The example shown above is an INFLUENCE structure demonstrates the direction of plausible influence demonstrates a contingent pathway Trends & Contingencies (red) Contingency An SDD Influence Map

Complex Situation Articulate Observations Cluster Inductively Frame and Focus on a Triggering Question ? Develop Shared Language Vote & Rank Structure Abductively Evaluate Cross-Impact Interpret Learning Class Label Type A Type C Type B Influence Steps in Each Stage of SDD Inquiry Clarify Meaning

AN EXAMPLE __ Participation in the Broadband Society A systemic evaluation of obstacles preventing the wider public benefiting from and participating in the broadband society Yiannis LAOURIS 1 , Marios MICHAELIDES 2 , Bartolomeo SAPIO 3 1 Cyprus Neuroscience & Technology Institute, Cyprus [email_address] 2 Cyprus Intercultural Training Initiative, Cyprus [email_address] 3 Fondazione Ugo Bordoni , Italy [email_address] THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNEXPECTED The user and the future of information and communication technologies A trans-disciplinary conference organised by COST Action 298 Moscow, Russian Federation 23 rd -25 th May 2007

Larnaca, Cyprus September 29-30, 2006 26 expert participants of the Cost298 community

“ What are the obstacles to the wider public benefiting from and participating in the broadband society ? ” Triggering Question AN EXAMPLE __ Participation in the Broadband Society

# Factor
1 INADEQUATE DEFINITION OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE
2 LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE
3 LACK OF CONSISTENT BROAD BAND KNOWLEDGE
4 LOW LEVEL OF DIGITAL LITERACY
5 NO ATTENTION ON MICROBARRIERS
6 LACK OF EASE TO USE
7 ABSENCE OF SPECIFIC SERVICES ORIENTED TO USER NEEDS
8 LACK OF TIME TO ADOPT NEW TECHNOLOGIES
9 EXISTENCE OF SOCIAL INEQUALITIES
10 LOW EDUCATIONAL LEVEL
11 HIGH COST OF SERVICE
12 LACK OF DIGITAL CONTENT IN THE MOTHER LANGUAGE
13 GENERAL NEGATIVE ATTITUTE AGAINST COMPUTERS
14 LACK OF ACCESS IN THE PERSONAL FORMATION PROCESS
15 LACK OF COMPETENCE TOWARDS ICT
16 SOCIAL RESISTANCE TO PAY THE COSTS OF BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY
THE OBSTACLES FOR THE NEW EASTERN AND CENTRAL EU MEMBERS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF
THE OLD MEMBERS
18 LACK OF INTEREST
19 FEAR OF INTRUSION AND RISK OF FALSIFICATION OF PERSONAL DATA
20 LACK OF AWARENESS AMONG POLITICIANS
21 SLOW UBIQUITOUS ADOPTION ON MOBILE PHONES
22 UNDERDEVOLPMENT OF THE ISP MARKET IN EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
23 FLAWS OF TECHNOLOGY IN TERMS OF HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND CONTENT
24 LACK OF USER PARTICIPATION IN ICT DESIGN
25 LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN DATA SECURITY
26 FEAR OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
27 BADLY DESIGNED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SYSTEMS
28 LOW PERCEPTION OF USER RELEVANCE
29 INABILITY TO PREDICT BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUALS
30 INADEQUATE PUBLIC PROMOTION OF ITS IMPORTANCE
31 WEAKNESS OF EUROPEAN COORDINATION
32 LACK OF LEGAL FRAMEWORK ON BROADBAND ISSUES
33 WEAKNESS OF REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
34 OVERESTIMATION OF THE POTENTIAL RISKS OF THE INTERNET
35 INADEQUATE GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC
36 LOW INDIVIDUAL INTEREST ABOUT THE CONTENT AVAILABLE ON BROADBAND
37 BAD PRIORITISATION: FIRST TECHNOLOGY, THEN CONTENT
38 LACK OF POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF USERS AND NON USERS
39 RESISTANCE TO LEARN NEW PRACTICES
40 TECHNOPHOBIA, THE FEAR OF TECHNOLOGY
41 THE TOO BIG POWER OF TECHNOLOGISTS

# Factor 42 POVERTY IN THE NEW CENTRAL AND EASTERN EU COUNTRIES 43 LACK OF SELF CONFIDENCE IN MASTERING THE TECHNOLOGY 44 TOO MUCH TIME CONSUMING AND RISK OF ADDICTION 45 MORAL PANIC REGARDING THE INTERNET 46 INERTIA 47 LACK OF USER FRIENDLINESS 48 POOR INTERFACE DESIGN 49 FEAR OF TECHNOMAFIA 50 LACK OF SOFTWARE DESIGN CAPACITY 51 DIFICULTIES TO CHOOSE BETWEEN SERVICE PACKAGES 52 FEAR OF BEING WATCHED BY THE BIG EYE 53 SHORTERM NATIONAL POLITICAL DECISIONS 54 FRUSTRATION BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF RELIABILITY OF THE CONTENT 55 SNOBISM 56 NOT HAVING A COMPUTER 57 TELECOM FOCUSING ON 3G, WHEREAS PEOPLE ON WIFI 58 NON USE AS A DELIBERATE LIFESTYLE 59 AGE 60 LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF ADVANTAGES 61 PREDICTABLE MALE DOMINATION AMONG USERS 62 FRAGILITY OF IT SYSTEMS 63 TECHNOLOGICAL DETERMINISM 64 LACK OF CONSENSUS TO FIGHT AGAINST TECHNOLOGICAL DOMINATION 65 BAD SOFTWARE DESIGN 66 LACK OF ORGANIZATION OF PROMOTION ACTIVITIES 67 SPAM 68 TECHNOLOGY PUSHED SERVICES 69 SLOW ABSORBTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS 70 VIRUSES 71 INTERFERENCE OF HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS 72 LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEED TO DEFINE THE DIGITAL CITIZENS RIGHTS 73 VIABILITY OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES 74 LACK OF STANDARTIZATION OF QUALITY ISSUES 75 IVORY TOWER OF HUMANIST SOCIOLOGISTS 76 LACK OF INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN SYSTEMS 77 OTHER PREFERENCES EG. SPORTS, TV, ETC 78 LACK OF OPEN DESIGN INTERFACES 79 NEOPHOBIA, THE FEAR OF THE NEW 80 BAD SPAM FILTERS 81 FEAR OF GLOBALIZATION 82 ETHICS

Clustering of the 82 factors in 11 categories AN EXAMPLE __ Participation in the Broadband Society

5 votes per participant: 5x26 for 82 factors AN EXAMPLE __ Participation in the Broadband Society

11 highly preferred factors were structured AN EXAMPLE __ Participation in the Broadband Society

Factors 30: The inadequate public promotion of its importance Factor 47: The lack of user friendliness These are the obstacles, which must be addressed with priority. Their resolution will significantly help address all other obstacles. The group focused efforts on the 2 deepest drivers AN EXAMPLE __ Participation in the Broadband Society

EQUANIMITY: Engage Stakeholders in Democratic Design which Respects their Cultural Autonomy through a Formal System Founded in Process Science
SPEED: Rapidly Harvest and Share a Comprehensive Set of Problem Definitions and Solution Options
UTILITY: Democratically Converge on an Action Plan with Strong Commitment to Support Implementation
WISDOM: Harness Collective Wisdom by retaining a Strong Image of the Context of the Design Situation and the Leverage of the Action Plan
COMFORT: Capture Egalitarian Skill in Boundary-Spanning Dialogue for Problem Solving and Design
What does SDD Guarantee

SDD is not “just” for large groups Keep meetings focused Stop recycling issues Clearly identify objectives Confidently explain our decisions Quantify risk Prioritize objectives Encourage consensus Collect and organize ideas Collaborate effectively Hold fewer meetings Capture our knowledge Slide from Steve Mack, Decision Management Group

To get more information on this topic http://www.globalagoras.com/

Tom Flanagan, Ph.D., MBA Director, South Coast Community Collaborative Design Studio ><((((º>·..¸¸·´¯`·.><(((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·..¸¸><((((º> .·´¯`·..><(((º>.·´¯`·..><(((º> "Discussions as usual can lead to no more than business as usual" South Coast Community Collaborative Design Studio is a project of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. Our mission is to build community capacity through the use of advanced collaborative design practices. We are a resource for multi-organization planning and not a direct source of funds. VOICE: 508-264-0066 EMAIL: TRFlanagan@aol.com WEBSITE: http://socodesign.wetpaint.com/ SKYPE: SoCoDesign THE TALKING POINT http://www.infoagepub.com/products/The-Talking-Point Thank You !!

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Structured Dialogic Design

by SoCoDesign on Jun 15, 2009

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