Complexity and Decision Making
Merle,
I read you e-mail with great interest. As you are well aware, we are in full accord on the issue you raise. You articulate the issue both in broad, general terms and also specifically with regard to technology and the power it confers to destructive fringe elements of global society, and the tendency of politicians, when faced with a daunting problem, to retreat into familiar although dysfunctional behaviors. The question you are leading to, I'm sure, is what can responsible people do about it? An aspect of the answer to that involves making the bridge between the broad worldview and specific timely actions that an individual can undertake.
When I had the opportunity to address your Forum last year, I presented the issue this way.
1. The contemporary world challenges us with a myriad of complex, contentious issues. The complexity is, in a certain sense, beyond human comprehension.
2. Our typical solution-discovery method for such challenges, politics-as-we-know-it, is fundamentally and incorrigibly incompetent as a methodology for addressing complexity.
The necessary conclusion one may draw from this dual premise is that we need to shift to a different paradigm. I would identify that paradigm as being essentially collaborative (as opposed to the adversarial nature of the current paradigm) and based on a systemically oriented worldview.
The collaborative aspect reflects the conviction that people of good will, regardless of how far apart their individual interest may be, can work together to find an acceptable solution. The attitude is "I can get a better deal by collaborating than I can by fighting, resisting, or walking away."
The systemic viewpoint can take two forms.
1. If the solution calls for the creation or modification of a purpose-built system (such as National Health Care), there are well-proven methodologies whereby a team can undertake a top-down system design and construction project.
2. If the problem presents as need for a change agent to operate within the context of a larger, self-organizing complex adaptive system, there are ways of understanding that situation that lead to effective strategies for the change agent.
Subsequent to the Forum, I've noted some progress in the direction of emerging the new paradigm.
1. The National Policy Consensus Center at the University of Portland has developed considerable detail for implementing a collaborative approach. You can see their material at www.policyconsensus.org.
2. I've become involved in the project to develop a new relicensing agreement under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Lake Murray dam. This project is being lead by the utility that owns the dam, South Carolina Electric and Gas, in a collaborative manner. They've chosen the collaborative mode because they realize it is in their interest to develop community support for the relicensing agreement. The community and environmental stakeholders have engaged a consultant in Interest-based negotiations, Vicki Taylor, vetaylor@adelphia.net, who advises us on collaborative methods and who has conducted training for participants in the interest-based negotiations process.
3. Our local town, Chapin, recently engaged consultants connected with Clemson University to lead a visioning process for the town and surrounding region. My hope is that this will initiate a sustained effort to generate a series of coordinated projects that will coalesce the community and create the kind of outcome we'd like.
I'm sure that a little research would turn up many other examples of the collaborative approach.
I see this as the beginnings of a paradigm shift. So far it is happening in small ways in many places, more or less below the radar of those who are in thrall of the old, adversarial paradigm. The job that needs doing, as I see it, is to encourage and assist these examples of the new paradigm, and then to evangelize for the new paradigm, raising it into the collective consciousness so it becomes the default approach. For my part I'm doi9ng this by participating in these examples where and when I can, and continuing with my book, which someday I intend to publish.
Regards,
Bill Cutler
Bigbillcutler@aol.com
I read you e-mail with great interest. As you are well aware, we are in full accord on the issue you raise. You articulate the issue both in broad, general terms and also specifically with regard to technology and the power it confers to destructive fringe elements of global society, and the tendency of politicians, when faced with a daunting problem, to retreat into familiar although dysfunctional behaviors. The question you are leading to, I'm sure, is what can responsible people do about it? An aspect of the answer to that involves making the bridge between the broad worldview and specific timely actions that an individual can undertake.
When I had the opportunity to address your Forum last year, I presented the issue this way.
1. The contemporary world challenges us with a myriad of complex, contentious issues. The complexity is, in a certain sense, beyond human comprehension.
2. Our typical solution-discovery method for such challenges, politics-as-we-know-it, is fundamentally and incorrigibly incompetent as a methodology for addressing complexity.
The necessary conclusion one may draw from this dual premise is that we need to shift to a different paradigm. I would identify that paradigm as being essentially collaborative (as opposed to the adversarial nature of the current paradigm) and based on a systemically oriented worldview.
The collaborative aspect reflects the conviction that people of good will, regardless of how far apart their individual interest may be, can work together to find an acceptable solution. The attitude is "I can get a better deal by collaborating than I can by fighting, resisting, or walking away."
The systemic viewpoint can take two forms.
1. If the solution calls for the creation or modification of a purpose-built system (such as National Health Care), there are well-proven methodologies whereby a team can undertake a top-down system design and construction project.
2. If the problem presents as need for a change agent to operate within the context of a larger, self-organizing complex adaptive system, there are ways of understanding that situation that lead to effective strategies for the change agent.
Subsequent to the Forum, I've noted some progress in the direction of emerging the new paradigm.
1. The National Policy Consensus Center at the University of Portland has developed considerable detail for implementing a collaborative approach. You can see their material at www.policyconsensus.org.
2. I've become involved in the project to develop a new relicensing agreement under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Lake Murray dam. This project is being lead by the utility that owns the dam, South Carolina Electric and Gas, in a collaborative manner. They've chosen the collaborative mode because they realize it is in their interest to develop community support for the relicensing agreement. The community and environmental stakeholders have engaged a consultant in Interest-based negotiations, Vicki Taylor, vetaylor@adelphia.net, who advises us on collaborative methods and who has conducted training for participants in the interest-based negotiations process.
3. Our local town, Chapin, recently engaged consultants connected with Clemson University to lead a visioning process for the town and surrounding region. My hope is that this will initiate a sustained effort to generate a series of coordinated projects that will coalesce the community and create the kind of outcome we'd like.
I'm sure that a little research would turn up many other examples of the collaborative approach.
I see this as the beginnings of a paradigm shift. So far it is happening in small ways in many places, more or less below the radar of those who are in thrall of the old, adversarial paradigm. The job that needs doing, as I see it, is to encourage and assist these examples of the new paradigm, and then to evangelize for the new paradigm, raising it into the collective consciousness so it becomes the default approach. For my part I'm doi9ng this by participating in these examples where and when I can, and continuing with my book, which someday I intend to publish.
Regards,
Bill Cutler
Bigbillcutler@aol.com
posted by Merle F. Allshouse at 6:21 PM
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