More Related Content Similar to Collaborating for Complexity: SIUC Synergetics (20) More from Peter Jones (7) Collaborating for Complexity: SIUC Synergetics1. Collaborating for
Complexity
Social Design for Sustainable Innovation
Peter Jones, Ph.D.
SIUC Synergetics Symposium, April 7 2011
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
8. 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
12. Principles of Collaborative Design
1. 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
14. 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
15. 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 Stud
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
16. Rittel, H. and Weber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, Policy Sciences, 4, 155‐169
Wicked Problems
Poorly‐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
17. Hasan Ozbekhan
“We proceed from the
belief that problems have
"solutions" --although we
may not necessarily
discover these in the
case of every problem we
encounter. Christakis on Structured Dialogue:
“Given the complexity of political,
This peculiarity of our social, economic, & technological issues
perception causes us to view
of the Information age, & the strong
difficulties as things that
are 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 the
THE PREDICAMENT OF MANKIND: A Quest for
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
Structured Responses to Growing World‐wide would work today?”
Athenians
Complexities and Uncertainties
19. Principles of Collaborative Design
1. 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
21. 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 DIALOGIC
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
27. Principles of Collaborative Design
1. 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
28. Stakeholder Variety
Regional & Urban Planning Product Innovation
Business
Business owners
leadership
Land owners Current users
Design team Design team
Land
? developers ? Retailers
Retirees Hardware
Families engineering Product
Developers
Political
officers City planner Partners New users
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
30. 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
31. 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
markets
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
33. Complexity requires
understanding,
sensemaking,
problem‐framing,
not problem‐solving.
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
35. WHERE DO YOU LOCATE COLLABORATIVE DESIGN?
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
36. 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
38. 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 the
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
Athenians would work today?”
39. 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 engagement
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
41. 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 Axiom
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
42. 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
43. 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
44. 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 display
Copyright © 2011, Peter H. Jones
Facilitator-managed
46. 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
47. 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