Design Considerations

Obviously, I want to be the best designer I can.  For my Capstone cycle, my goal is to develop a consistent and adaptable methodology and to be able to demonstrate my aptitude.  Throughout my pre-Capstone cycle I explored a variety of methodologies.  For the purposes of my Capstone, I have assembled a narrower suite of them that work well together. Each has weaknesses, but together they create a holistic package that I believe will fill all of my needs.  These methodologies are: Theory U, as developed by Otto Scharmer and the Presencing Institute; Disruptive Design, as developed by Leyla Acaroglu; and Permaculture Design, as developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and refined by thousands of practitioners over time.  

In my thematic proposal I postulate that the three topic areas of Regenerative Economics, Conscious Leadership, and Transformative Education are deeply interrelated and must be worked on holistically for maximum effect.  In fact, I suspect that none can succeed without the others. This is challenging, for not only is each topic extremely complex, but so is the relationship between them. The Disruptive Design method calls us to:

This sequence will define my strategic approach to each of the topics and to the meta topic of how they’re related.  However, DD leaves a bit to be desired in its integration of ecological literacy.  Likewise, while it articulates ethical intentions, the framework is not explicit. These are two things that Permaculture design does well.  When followed, the Ethical Pillars and Twelve Principles of Permaculture come as close as we can get to guaranteeing healthful designs with a low incidence of unintended consequences.

Finally, it is by now well recognized in the design community community that you cannot manifest outward what you do not practice inward.  Our blind spots, biases, and ego pose the biggest threat to successful interventions. Theory U addresses these issues head-on through practices that cultivate deep listening skills, and open mind, open heart, and open will, and attention to self-awareness and personal development all from a leadership lens.  

By combining these methodologies to exploit the strengths of each in order to mitigate the weaknesses of the other, I plan to develop a design practice up to the task of tackling the complex and complicated challenges of my thematic.

Our current economic, leadership, and education models are embodied in well-entrenched systems.  Moving away from them is a delicate operation, particularly if we wish to do so without inducing collapse (and we do!).  To begin this process we must have a clear vision of where we want to go, and this vision must be collective and ideally consensus based.  As implausible as consensus that may seem in the current socio-political climate, we risk losing our morals and ethical foundation if we do not at least strive for it.  And collective effort by a majority is a bare requirement for success, thus identifying a clear vision and being able to communicate it is essential.  I am reminded of a filmmaker's joke: what is the difference between making a good movie and making a great one?  In a great movie we're all making the same movie!  Okay, not so funny as a joke, but true nonetheless.

It is also critical that any transition designs consider the hospice of the old system.  Pulling the rug out from existing systems is a sure way to guarantee unpleasant collapses, and also resistance.  Humans have a cognitive bias against change in the first place.  A strong example of this in the current clime is the support that the moribund coal industry have given to the current U.S. president as a result of this promises to revive that industry:  Even though it is obvious to the most casual observer that there is no future in this path, workers in that industry would rather cling to fantasies of its resurgence than invest in new ways of being.  The same will be true as we shift our leadership and education models, not to mention our entire economy.

The Three Horizons Model illustrated above (and credited to the International Futures Forum by Daniel Christian Wahl) provides a useful framework for checking our designs. The first horizon represents the system we are transitioning away from, consider gasoline powered vehicles as an example.  The third horizon represents our vision for a viable future, imagine all-electric transportation as a response to gasoline vehicles.  The second horizon is the bridge between the two.  In our example, hybrid drive vehicles, which gradually reduced our reliance on gasoline while providing a platform for automakers to improve their electric technology.  Inherent in this second horizon is a Janus-like effect of keeping sight of the future while caring for the hospice of the old.

From an equity and justice perspective, this Three Horizons model gives attention to the needs of frontline communities that will be most vulnerable to the effects of the demise of the old and have the most to gain from a well-designed future.