Collaborating for Complexity: SIUC Synergetics

“Only our minds are able to discover the generalized principles operating without exception in each & every special‐experience case which if detected & mastered will give knowledgeable advantage in all instances.” Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Fuller’s technology foresight? “You may very appropriately want to ask me how we are going to resolve the ever‐acceleratingly dangerous impasse of world‐opposed politicians and ideological dogmas. I answer, it will be resolved by the computer.”His socio‐political foresight? Spot on.Yet his principles‐based design approaches did not account for social complexity.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Why I’m herePeter Jones, Ph.D.Senior Fellow, Strategic Innovation LabFaculty, Strategic Foresight & InnovationOCAD University, TorontoPublications designdialogues.com Transformation Dialogic Design International Design Research Redesign, Inc.Democratic process Globalagoras.orgCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones designforcare.com

The Chaos of Decision MakingTechnology is the easy part. Now that we can do anything, why aren’t we doing the right things?Large projects – institutions, governments, corporations – increasingly fail, big, & recover up.Why do so many large projects fail?We first fail to understand social complexity. Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Fuller’s Fundamental Optimism “Humanity will overcome complexity through design science.”But we will never overcome complexity.We will navigate it by collaborative design.Our problem is, we compete. We do not (yet) collaborate well.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Principles of Collaborative DesignCollaboration requires cohesive collective communication processes Which (in new collaborations) evolve in a progression from:Cooperation > Coordination > Collaboration > ConvergenceCollaboration necessary for problem types beyond Simple / Tame:Complicated > Complex > Wicked > Chaotic Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Principles of Collaborative Design1. Complex problems are irreducible: are not resolved by analytical processes. 2. Socio‐technical complexity requires collaborative design. Collaborative design is both a science & a design language.3. Collaboration skills differ from design skills, and both are needed. 4. Collaboration is dialogic, entailing human biases & group dynamics.5. Multiple perspectives are critical to ensure requisite variety in the system to be designed.6. Dialogic collaboration is democratic, separates process & content.7. Complexity requires understanding, sensemaking, not problem‐solving.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Complexity & ProblematizingAs problem complexity increases, increased demand for requisite variety. 4 systems thinkers reinvented problematics:Ozbekhan Problematique 1968Beer Viable systems model 1972Rittel Wicked problems 1973Warfield Managing complexity 1974Problem understanding, not problem solvingCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Ross Ashby “The quantity of regulation that can be achieved is bounded by the quantity of information that can be transmitted in a certain channel.” Requisite variety in group process requires engaging participants whose variety of knowledge is equal or greater than the elements in the system to be regulated.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Design Science Stafford Beer’s Syntegrity process Synergetics + Requisite Variety for viable organizations. Cybersyn center in Allende’s think tank, 19 Chilean Center of Public StudCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Rittel, H. and Weber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, Policy Sciences, 4, 155‐169 Wicked ProblemsPoorly‐defined, evolving, multi‐factored situations. At least 10 properties, 7 of which require collaboration:1. There is no definite formulation of a wicked problem.2. Wicked problems have no stopping rules (you don’t know when you’re done).3. Solutions are not True/False but Good/Bad (value judgments)5. Every solution attempt is a one‐shot trial. Every attempt counts significantly.7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique. (Nobody can claim expertise).8. Each can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.10. The designer has no right to be wrong.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Hasan Ozbekhan“We proceed from thebelief that problems have"solutions" --although wemay not necessarilydiscover these in thecase of every problem weencounter. Christakis on Structured Dialogue: “Given the complexity of political,This peculiarity of our social, economic, & technological issuesperception causes us to view of the Information age, & the strongdifficulties as things thatare clearly linkages among those issues, is it defined &discrete in reasonable to expect that the approach themselves.” for engaging people in dialogue 2500 years ago during the Golden Age of theTHE PREDICAMENT OF MANKIND: A Quest for Copyright © 2011, Peter H. JonesStructured Responses to Growing World‐wide would work today?” AtheniansComplexities and Uncertainties

Multiple perspectives are critical Social design requires eliciting, understanding, & negotiating differing values, perspectives, goals How might we reenergize our How might we downtown and reenergize our Good question! bring employers downtown and Where do we Recent grad back to the city? bring employers start? back to the city? Conversations for Possibility Business owner ? Land developers Retiree Families Political officers City planner CONVERSATIONAL DIALOGICCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Finding common ground Social design organizes multiple stakeholder perspectives in a complex situation by relational structuring of commitment. How do we organize our Let’s prepare an projects so this offer to the city. I’m in. Who else happens? do we need on the team? Conversations for Action ? What steps can What actions can we take as we take that will individuals and make the most groups? difference? Management of Divergence (possibility) & Convergence (action) Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Stakeholder Variety Regional & Urban Planning Product Innovation Business Business owners leadership Land owners Current usersDesign team Design team Land ? developers ? RetailersRetirees Hardware Families engineering Product Developers Political officers City planner Partners New users Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Insufficient conceptual focus An organization attempting to establish new financial products quickly in a very competitive environment, but encountering a high percentage of failures.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Insufficient generation! A typical group of managers from a large aerospace company serving the aircraft, airline, and aerospace industries and having trouble expanding into new products and new marketsCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

A science & design language for collaboration.Structured Dialogic Design • Complex system / product planning • Strategic management / uncertainty • Foresight & futures scenarios • Coordinating ideas, power & action on complex social & ecological issues • Understanding root forces & constraints in social systems • Democratic resolution of wicked problems Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Generic Design ScienceJohn Warfield1974 The first group process using computersBattelle used Warfield’s Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) software (over phone lines, Dayton & Columbus) Became process of Interactive ManagementAleco ChristakisDesign science is democratic.Information Age requires collaborative designto navigate increasing complexity of situationsCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Christakis on Structured Dialogic Design: “Given the complexity of political, social, economic, & technological issues of the Information age, & the strong linkages among those issues, is it reasonable to expect that the approach for engaging people in dialogue 2500 years ago during the Golden Age of theCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones Athenians would work today?”

Dialogic Design Methodology for addressing root causes of wicked problems • Based on scientific & design principles Consensus among very disparate stakeholders • All decisions are collected through inclusive voting Elicits root causes AND interconnections • Grounded in systems science, visually describes system Strategic AND Democratic • Exacting method for equality & autonomy in engagementCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Dialogic Design Science: 7 Axioms 1. Complexity Axiom: Observational variety is respected when engaging stakeholders, ensuring cognitive limitations are not violated while striving for comprehensiveness (John Warfield). (Magical number 3, +/‐ 0) 2. Engagement Axiom: Designing social systems without the authentic engagement of the stakeholders is unethical, and results in inferior plans that are not implementable (Hasan Ozbekhan). (Normative planning) 3. Investment Axiom: Stakeholders must make personal investments of trust & commitment to be effective in discovering shared understanding & collaborative solutions (Tom Flanagan). (Dialogic principle) 4. Plus four others, including: Reconciliation of Power AxiomCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Dialogic Design Principles: 7 Laws 1. Requisite Variety an appreciation of the diversity of perspectives and stakeholders is essential in managing complex situations. (Ashby) 2. Requisite Parsimony Structured dialogue is needed to avoid the cognitive overload of stakeholder/designers. (Warfield) 3. Requisite Saliency … observations can only be understood by comparisons in an organized set of observations. (Boulding)Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

7 Laws 4. Requisite Meaning … & wisdom are produced in a dialogue only when observers search for relationships of similarity, priority, influence, etc, within a set of observations. (Peirce) 5. Requisite Autonomy & Authenticity … protect the autonomy and authenticity of each observer in drawing distinctions. (Tsivacou) 6. Requisite Evolution of Observations … learning occurs in dialogue as people search for relationships in a set of observations. (Dye) 7. Requisite Action … action plans must be designed in authentic engagement of those whose futures influenced by the change (Laouris)Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Collaboration is a human process. Co-Laboratory Webscope Co-located, onsite Screen share Cogniscope Teleconference Mixed locations 12-30+ participants ISM method software Wiki support Wiki + teleconference Print media & real-time display Mixed media & online displayCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones Facilitator-managed

Democratic across power & stakeholders. • Cyprus Reunification Dialogues (2001 – 2011) EU project for Israeli‐Palestinian dialogues (2011) • Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Initiative: 48 stakeholders & 10 observers from 38 organizations on CKD outcomes, resulting in action plan. • Transnational indigenous Leaders Dialogue on Globalization: 40 Indigenous leaders from Americas and New Zealand & experts (2004) • FDA Good Practices Review dialogues (1995‐1999) • Schering‐Plough Drug Development Action Planning (1992‐1994). • Alternative Energy Future Planning, Northwest Energy Alliance (2001).Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Collaborative Design ‐ not just teamwork • Collective sensemaking Collaboration is necessary to resolve any complex situation as multiple perspectives are critical. • Complexity navigation methods We need better methods. The same tools – Facilitation, Brainstorming ‐ yield only the same results. • Collaborative design skills Must be developed for a new generation of social design of systems, organizations, communities. • Social design is cultural & human. Unlike tech skills, we do not change quickly. Requires diffusion into culture to change habits.Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Thank you“I am not a political revolutionary, I am design science revolutionary.”“The self‐sufficient enterprise is becoming anachronistic. Each organization is part of a matrix of merging and evolving ideas and opportunities. … Leading companies focus less on positioning and more on patterns of people and institutions they work with ‐ or against.” James Brian Quinn, 2002Peter Jones, Ph.D.Senior Fellow, Strategic Innovation LabFaculty, Strategic Foresight and Innovation, OCAD Universitydesigndialogues.com dialogicdesignllc.com globalagoras.orgCopyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones

Collaborating for Complexity: SIUC Synergetics

by Peter Jones on Apr 09, 2011

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