Structured Dialogic Design for Mobilizing Collective Action in Highly Complex Systems

Structured dialogic design is a methodology for integrating diverse ideas into coherent understanding through open and focused dialogue. There are two primary approaches for modeling systems. The more familiar approach is causal loop mapping. This is a powerful tool for managing a system. The less familiar approach is directed acyclic digraphs. This is a powerful tool for root cause analysis and system transformation. This chapter provides a brief, mechanical overview of a root cause approach which is appropriate for inclusively constructing a systems view of the influence flow and the aspirational structure of a complex system. The approach is both descriptive and prescriptive, because the inclusive discovery of root opportunities and root causes prescribes consideration of desired responses to these features of a complex system. The structured dialogic design methodology has a 40-year history based on the science of generic design (of John Warfield) fused to a science of dialogic design (after Alexander N. Christakis).