A Daunting Challenge
Necessary though it may be, launching the new collaborative paradigm is still a daunting challenge. The old familiar meme that says that adversarial power politics paradigm is the only way to go, that it is the accepted standard, and anyway, it is somehow baked into human nature, will be very hard to dislodge. Nevertheless, sticking with that old paradigm condemns us to limp along in the all-too-familiar fumbling, muddling, wrangling and bungling mode. At best, we the human race will make slow progress in a two-steps forward, one-and-9/10-back pace. At the plausible worst, we face existential crisis from climate disruption, overpopulation, and other serious crises.
So what can we do? While change at the top, at the national and global levels, must be the ultimate goal, that’s not the place to start. If you want to master mountaineering, don’t start with an expedition to the summit of Everest. Start with a weekend excursion to a nearby peak that you can accomplish with current capabilities, and work up from there.
Strategies
The new paradigm can be launched by employing three strategies, beginning at the local level.
- Educating the public
- Demonstrating the use of CSD on real-world issues
- Finding a champion to support the change who enjoys respect among the public
Education
This website is offered as an educational tool for developing public awareness of the collaborative paradigm and how to apply that paradigm in real situations. Initially, individuals discover and see the potential in collaborative process. Gradually, a community of such individuals forms. How will this be facilitated? What if an energized individual contacts like-minded people in the local area and they initiate a project to make collaborative process the default choice for local issues?. What if a small core of such people discover one another through this web site, and take on the challenge of promoting collaborative process as a problem to be addressed by CSD itself?
Demonstrations
Wherever an issue arises that provides an opportunity to employ the collaborative paradigm, a small group with the vision can self-educate in the mechanics of collaborative process and take on leadership in discovering a good solution to that opportunity issue.
Spinnoffs from successful demonstrations can spread the word. People not content with living in a single success can peel off and tackle a neighboring challenge. Or people concerned with a challenge and witnessing the nearby success can adopt the successful methods to their own problem. View this as a merging of the education and demonstration modes.
A Champion
Respected and well-known opinion leaders in the community, from local to national level, can serve an important function in launching the collaborative paradigm. Their support can make it OK, make it safe, for ordinary folk to release their dependence on the old, incompetent adversarial paradigm and take a chance with collaboration.
Feedback Please
It’s easy to see that, in this branch of the website, The Muddlebuster is engaging in speculative thought. There is very little in the way of actual examples of success with discovering solutions to complex issues through collaborative process as described here. So, if you have any fresh ideas to contribute, or better, if you have an example to point to, let us know by submitting a comment on the Comments branch.
References and Examples
William H. Cutler, “A Proposal for Collaborative Solution-Discovery”, 19th International Conference of the System Dynamics Society, Atlanta, GA, 23 – 27 July 2001 (Available on the web)
NCHRP Report 480, pages 11 through 22, describing Context Sensitive Solutions, available on line at http://www.trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_480.pdf. The poster project for Context Sensitive Solutions is I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. This project resolved conflicts between environmentalists and highway advocates that had delayed the project for many years. It allowed a four-lane highway to be built, replacing the old two-lane road, and at the same time enhancing the scenic and environmental features of the spectacular canyon.
William H. Cutler, “Collaborative Solution-Discovery: Beyond fumbling, muddling, wrangling and bungling in the new millennium,” an unpublished manuscript consisting of two parts and 27 chapters in pdf format. Part I is about why adversarial process fails and why collaborative process is the remedy. Part II is a how-to manual and handbook of complexity-surmounting methodologies for carrying out Collaborative Solution-Discovery. Available on request to the author.
Math Leadership Corps (MLC), based at Loyola Marymount University, is working with a school district in the LA area, using CSD with grassroots engagement as the methodology for improving math education in the school district. The methodology is based on grassroots solution-discovery applied to the local problem, rather than importing a one-size-fits all solution from outside. The result is a solution that fits local needs, and enthusiastic local ownership of the product. For more information, contact MLC through their website: www.mathleadershipcorps.org/.