Artful & Disciplined Dialogue for

        Today’s Wicked Problems


Peter Jones              C2D2 2009
About me & us

  Designer / Dialogue as design perspective & tool

  Agoras Institute / Dialogic Design International

  Researcher / Educator / Practitioner




Introductions en route!
What brings you to this session?

  What do you care about that led you here?


  What concerns are reaching out for possibility?


  What might we learn together?
What are Today’s Wicked Problems?

1. Wicked problems have no stopping rules (When are we done?)
2. Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but better or
  Who works in :
   worse.              EDUCATION?
3. There is no immediate or / FOREIGNtest of a solution.
                       PEACE ultimate / DEFENSE?
                       ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY?
4. Every solution to a wicked problem is a one-shot trial.
                       URBAN PLANNING?
   Every attempt counts significantly.
                       SOCIAL/ECONOMIC POLICY?
5. You cannot identify a finite set of potential solutions.
6. Every wicked problem is essentially unique.
   Each can be considered to be a symptom of another problem.
7.What’scauses can be explained in numerous ways.
   The NOT a wicked problem?
8. The planner has no right to be wrong.




   Rittel & Webber. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences.
Principles from Rittel, Simon, Christakis …

Wicked problems require a design approach.
Not individual designers – social design.

Autonomy & authenticity conserved.
Due care to minimize impacts of power in planning.

All stakeholders of a problem system engaged.
Systems principle of (Ashby’s) Requisite Variety:
Sufficient variety of inputs that match system variety
Design as Sensemaking, not
problem solving

“A motivated, continuous effort to
understand connections (among people,
places, & events) in order to anticipate
and act effectively."


Gary Klein, Brian Moon, and Robert Hoffman. (2006). Making sense of sensemaking. IEEE
Intelligent Systems.
As a …             We make sense of …

Individual      “the situation”   My concerns
                             ?
Relationship                      Our concerns


Collaboration                     Shared situation


Collective                        Collective concern
DIALOGUE & DELIBERATION
Strategic
                                                                      Structured
                Charettes                                           Dialogic Design

                                                     Scenario building

Democratic
              Town Hall sessions             Future Search

                                             World Café

                       Open Space


Generative
                                Socratic inquiry
                                                                   User co-design
                Brainstorming


             Open                           Guided                           Structured
PROGRESSIVE DIALOGUES
       FOR SENSEMAKING WICKED PROBLEMS



Conversation       Discovering

Dialogue           Understanding

Deliberation       Wise action
Sensemaking in Conversation >
   Social design starts with a conversation for possibility.
   Open, interactive, discovering what’s available & possible.




                           How can I help?
Sensemaking in Dialogue >
What is dialogue?

Is dialogue just a collective conversation?

Buber       Dialogic encounter : I-Thou

Gadamer     As a fusion of horizons

Bohm        About the process of reflection itself & the
            willingness to change our thoughts & selves

             A committed conversation for understanding.
             From discovery to the co-creation of meaning.
ART OF HOSTING

A way of being and a set of practices & principles
that prepare us to convene strategic conversations.


Principles include:        Practices include:
Hosting Ourselves          Circle
Deep Listening             World Café
Chaordic Emergence         Open Space
The “Container”            Appreciative Inquiry
                           Five Breaths
What is Structured Dialogue?
Methodology developed to address root causes of wicked problems
    • Created in 70’s, after notables failures to solve world problems.
    • Used in Cyprus peace dialogues, WHO disease mgt, forestry, education


Consensus among very disparate stakeholders
    • All decisions are collected through inclusive “supermajority” voting

Elicits root causes AND interconnections
    • Grounded & sustained by systems science, visually describes system

Radically democratic
    • Exacting method for equality & autonomy in engagement
STRUCTURED DIALOGIC DESIGN
Dialogue Co-Laboratory
                                   Cogniscope    Screen share
Largely co-located, onsite                       Teleconference
15-30+ participants               ISM software
                                                 Wiki support
Mixed media & real-time display
                                  Facilitator-
                                  managed
Influence maps created in SDD workshop.

All stakeholders voices included & recorded.

Only by collaborative inquiry could ALL agree to
deploy energy & resources to achieve it.

The “deep drivers” show mechanisms & path to link
the “creative economy” into the city’s economic
planning process.

Using this view the city identified action options
and organized a working action plan.

Today that plan is still collaboratively supported
with time and energy contributed by all parties who
engaged in developing the action plan.
In both (perhaps all) design practices we …
PROGRESSIVE DIALOGUES
       FOR SENSEMAKING WICKED PROBLEMS



Conversation       Discovering

Dialogue           Understanding

Deliberation       Wise action
DISCOVERY CAFÉ

A World Café process

1. Tables for groups of 4-5

2. Brainstorm your questions

3. Write on pad

4. Switch tables except a table Host

5. Dialogue & select a question for your
   table
DISCOVERY CAFÉ


WHAT QUESTIONS DRIVE YOU
TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE?


           You are sharing & writing your
           individual “big” questions

           7 min then switch
DISCOVERY CAFÉ



OF YOUR TABLE’S IDEAS, WHICH
ONE IS THE RESONANT QUESTION?

             You are converging on a single
             theme question for table.

             5 min
HARVEST



SHARE THAT QUESTION
  & YOUR PROCESS
PROGRESSIVE DIALOGUES
       FOR SENSEMAKING WICKED PROBLEMS



Conversation       Discovering

Dialogue           Understanding

Deliberation       Wise action
STRUCTURED DIALOGUE


Nominal Group Technique
Clarification
Affinity clustering

          You are sharing & writing your
          individual big questions

          7 min then switch
STRUCTURED DIALOGUE - NGT
1. Join NEW group with those who share your question.

2. Reframe the question to capture your joint concerns.

3. Respond to the question with 2-3 ideas per person.
   1 response per sticky note.

4. Be sure to Clarify your items with each other.

5. Cluster similar items. Write a title over the cluster.


                              Take 15 min. & then end at bell.
STRUCTURED DIALOGUE - Planning
1. Select one item per cluster as the most responsive.


2. For that response ask “How might we accomplish that?”


3. Brainstorm a new set of items (1 per sticky) addressing that
   question.




                                    Take 12 min. & then end at bell.
HARVEST & SHARE

What did you learn about the problem you’re interested in?


What did you discover about these practices?


What did you notice about your response to the practices?


How did these call forth different ways of engaging & listening?
Meets @ OCAD
            Strategic Innovation Lab (600)
            Dialogues.wetpaint.com



Slides or questions: Peter Jones peter@designforcare.com

C2D2 Artful & Disciplined Dialogue for Wicked Problems

  • 1.
    Artful & DisciplinedDialogue for Today’s Wicked Problems Peter Jones C2D2 2009
  • 2.
    About me &us Designer / Dialogue as design perspective & tool Agoras Institute / Dialogic Design International Researcher / Educator / Practitioner Introductions en route!
  • 3.
    What brings youto this session? What do you care about that led you here? What concerns are reaching out for possibility? What might we learn together?
  • 4.
    What are Today’sWicked Problems? 1. Wicked problems have no stopping rules (When are we done?) 2. Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but better or Who works in : worse. EDUCATION? 3. There is no immediate or / FOREIGNtest of a solution. PEACE ultimate / DEFENSE? ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY? 4. Every solution to a wicked problem is a one-shot trial. URBAN PLANNING? Every attempt counts significantly. SOCIAL/ECONOMIC POLICY? 5. You cannot identify a finite set of potential solutions. 6. Every wicked problem is essentially unique. Each can be considered to be a symptom of another problem. 7.What’scauses can be explained in numerous ways. The NOT a wicked problem? 8. The planner has no right to be wrong. Rittel & Webber. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences.
  • 5.
    Principles from Rittel,Simon, Christakis … Wicked problems require a design approach. Not individual designers – social design. Autonomy & authenticity conserved. Due care to minimize impacts of power in planning. All stakeholders of a problem system engaged. Systems principle of (Ashby’s) Requisite Variety: Sufficient variety of inputs that match system variety
  • 6.
    Design as Sensemaking,not problem solving “A motivated, continuous effort to understand connections (among people, places, & events) in order to anticipate and act effectively." Gary Klein, Brian Moon, and Robert Hoffman. (2006). Making sense of sensemaking. IEEE Intelligent Systems.
  • 7.
    As a … We make sense of … Individual “the situation” My concerns ? Relationship Our concerns Collaboration Shared situation Collective Collective concern
  • 8.
    DIALOGUE & DELIBERATION Strategic Structured Charettes Dialogic Design Scenario building Democratic Town Hall sessions Future Search World Café Open Space Generative Socratic inquiry User co-design Brainstorming Open Guided Structured
  • 9.
    PROGRESSIVE DIALOGUES FOR SENSEMAKING WICKED PROBLEMS Conversation Discovering Dialogue Understanding Deliberation Wise action
  • 10.
    Sensemaking in Conversation> Social design starts with a conversation for possibility. Open, interactive, discovering what’s available & possible. How can I help?
  • 11.
  • 12.
    What is dialogue? Isdialogue just a collective conversation? Buber Dialogic encounter : I-Thou Gadamer As a fusion of horizons Bohm About the process of reflection itself & the willingness to change our thoughts & selves A committed conversation for understanding. From discovery to the co-creation of meaning.
  • 13.
    ART OF HOSTING Away of being and a set of practices & principles that prepare us to convene strategic conversations. Principles include: Practices include: Hosting Ourselves Circle Deep Listening World Café Chaordic Emergence Open Space The “Container” Appreciative Inquiry Five Breaths
  • 14.
    What is StructuredDialogue? Methodology developed to address root causes of wicked problems • Created in 70’s, after notables failures to solve world problems. • Used in Cyprus peace dialogues, WHO disease mgt, forestry, education Consensus among very disparate stakeholders • All decisions are collected through inclusive “supermajority” voting Elicits root causes AND interconnections • Grounded & sustained by systems science, visually describes system Radically democratic • Exacting method for equality & autonomy in engagement
  • 15.
  • 16.
    Dialogue Co-Laboratory Cogniscope Screen share Largely co-located, onsite Teleconference 15-30+ participants ISM software Wiki support Mixed media & real-time display Facilitator- managed
  • 17.
    Influence maps createdin SDD workshop. All stakeholders voices included & recorded. Only by collaborative inquiry could ALL agree to deploy energy & resources to achieve it. The “deep drivers” show mechanisms & path to link the “creative economy” into the city’s economic planning process. Using this view the city identified action options and organized a working action plan. Today that plan is still collaboratively supported with time and energy contributed by all parties who engaged in developing the action plan.
  • 18.
    In both (perhapsall) design practices we …
  • 19.
    PROGRESSIVE DIALOGUES FOR SENSEMAKING WICKED PROBLEMS Conversation Discovering Dialogue Understanding Deliberation Wise action
  • 20.
    DISCOVERY CAFÉ A WorldCafé process 1. Tables for groups of 4-5 2. Brainstorm your questions 3. Write on pad 4. Switch tables except a table Host 5. Dialogue & select a question for your table
  • 21.
    DISCOVERY CAFÉ WHAT QUESTIONSDRIVE YOU TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE? You are sharing & writing your individual “big” questions 7 min then switch
  • 22.
    DISCOVERY CAFÉ OF YOURTABLE’S IDEAS, WHICH ONE IS THE RESONANT QUESTION? You are converging on a single theme question for table. 5 min
  • 23.
  • 24.
    PROGRESSIVE DIALOGUES FOR SENSEMAKING WICKED PROBLEMS Conversation Discovering Dialogue Understanding Deliberation Wise action
  • 25.
    STRUCTURED DIALOGUE Nominal GroupTechnique Clarification Affinity clustering You are sharing & writing your individual big questions 7 min then switch
  • 26.
    STRUCTURED DIALOGUE -NGT 1. Join NEW group with those who share your question. 2. Reframe the question to capture your joint concerns. 3. Respond to the question with 2-3 ideas per person. 1 response per sticky note. 4. Be sure to Clarify your items with each other. 5. Cluster similar items. Write a title over the cluster. Take 15 min. & then end at bell.
  • 27.
    STRUCTURED DIALOGUE -Planning 1. Select one item per cluster as the most responsive. 2. For that response ask “How might we accomplish that?” 3. Brainstorm a new set of items (1 per sticky) addressing that question. Take 12 min. & then end at bell.
  • 28.
    HARVEST & SHARE Whatdid you learn about the problem you’re interested in? What did you discover about these practices? What did you notice about your response to the practices? How did these call forth different ways of engaging & listening?
  • 29.
    Meets @ OCAD Strategic Innovation Lab (600) Dialogues.wetpaint.com Slides or questions: Peter Jones [email protected]