Complexity, citizen engagement in a Post-Social Media time | David Snowden | TEDxUniversityofNicosia

Summary

This talk explores the dichotomy between ordered and chaotic systems, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of complex adaptive systems in nature. The speaker critiques the overemphasis on outcome-based measurements in society, which stifle intrinsic motivation, particularly in health and education. They propose a shift towards managing these systems by understanding connectivity and emergence, rather than strict control, using the metaphor of organizing a children's party to illustrate different management approaches. The speaker also discusses the importance of engaging people directly with their own narratives for genuine societal change.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker contrasts ordered systems and chaotic systems, highlighting the value of order in providing legal structure and reliability, but also noting the negative impacts of imposing order unnecessarily.
• 🔍 Over the past 40-50 years, society has adopted an engineering focus, emphasizing outcome-based measurement which has led to a reliance on targets and numbers, potentially stifling creativity and freedom.
• 🧠 Scientific evidence suggests that explicit targets can destroy intrinsic motivation, which is crucial in fields like health and education, yet these are the areas where targets are most heavily imposed.
• 🌐 The speaker introduces the concept of complex adaptive systems, which are defined by their connectivity rather than structure, and emphasizes the importance of understanding and managing these systems differently from ordered or chaotic systems.
• 🎉 Using the metaphor of organizing a party for children, the speaker illustrates the differences in managing an ordered system versus a complex system, highlighting the need for flexibility and understanding of the system's nature.
• 🚫 In complex systems, management involves setting boundary conditions, introducing catalytic probes, and managing the emergence of beneficial coherence, rather than trying to control every aspect.
• 🌟 The speaker advocates for engaging people directly in understanding and managing complex systems, arguing that their own voices and interpretations are crucial, rather than relying on external experts or AI interpretations.
• 📚 The importance of abstraction and increasing cognitive load is emphasized, suggesting that art and reflection can play a significant role in scientific invention and understanding complex systems.
• 🔄 The speaker discusses the need for a new theory of change, focusing on making small, incremental changes in the present to nudge systems in the right direction, rather than setting unrealistic future goals.
• 🌱 The concept of fractal engagement is introduced, suggesting that engaging people at all levels of society and across generations can lead to sustainable change, by focusing on creating more beneficial narratives and patterns of behavior.
• 🌐 The speaker concludes by emphasizing the need for a scientific approach to managing complex ecosystems, rather than treating them as engineering problems, and invites governments and countries to engage in this open program for global change.

Q & A

What are the two types of systems traditionally contrasted in human history according to the speaker?

The two types of systems traditionally contrasted in human history are ordered systems and chaotic systems.

Why are ordered systems valuable to human beings?

Ordered systems are valuable to human beings because they provide legal structure and reliability, such as in operating theatres where surgical instruments are counted to prevent the need for a second operation.

What negative impact does the fear of chaos have on society as mentioned in the script?

The fear of chaos is being used to impose order unnecessarily, which can destroy creativity and freedom.

How has the engineering focus on society over the last 40 to 50 years affected human motivation?

The engineering focus on society has compounded order with excessive outcome-based measurement, which according to scientific evidence, destroys intrinsic motivation when human beings are pursuing explicit targets.

In which two fields is the negative impact of imposed targets most evident and potentially harmful?

The negative impact of imposed targets is most evident and potentially harmful in health and education.

What is a complex adaptive system and how does it differ from ordered and chaotic systems?

A complex adaptive system is a type of system defined not by its structure but by its connectivity, where everything is connected with everything else, but many of the connections cannot be known. It differs from ordered systems by its lack of a fixed structure and from chaotic systems by the presence of underlying connections and patterns.

What is an example of a complex system mentioned in the script?

The Internet and humanity itself are examples of complex systems.

How does the speaker suggest organizing a party for nine-year-old children under the assumption of a chaotic system?

Under the assumption of a chaotic system, the speaker humorously suggests that the children would act without constraints and their behavior would be random, possibly leading to destructive outcomes like discovering drugs and alcohol or even burning down the house.

What is the main difference between the management approach of an ordered system and a complex system when organizing a party?

The ordered system approach involves setting clear learning objectives, creating a project plan, and conducting an after-action review, while the complex system approach focuses on setting boundary conditions, introducing catalytic probes, and managing the emergence of beneficial coherence within attractors.

What is the importance of understanding the nature of a system before attempting to manage it according to the speaker?

Understanding the nature of a system is critical for effective management because it allows for the appropriate application of strategies and techniques that align with the system's inherent characteristics, rather than trying to force an engineering solution onto an ecological problem.

How does the speaker propose to engage people in understanding and managing complex systems?

The speaker proposes engaging people by allowing them to be ethnographers of their own condition, capturing and interpreting their own stories and experiences within a quantitative framework, and using these insights for small, actionable changes in the present.

What is the concept of 'adjacent possible' in the context of making changes in complex systems?

The 'adjacent possible' refers to a cluster of narratives or stories that are near the current state but moving in the desired direction. It is used to identify areas where small changes can be made to nudge the system towards the desired state.

How does the speaker suggest scaling the process of capturing and interpreting personal narratives for societal change?

The speaker suggests scaling the process by using abstraction, increasing cognitive load, encouraging reflection, and avoiding the overemphasis on STEM education that could stifle creativity. They also propose using technology and training to empower individuals to capture, interpret, and enact changes based on their own narratives.

What is the significance of fractal engagement in the speaker's approach to societal change?

Fractal engagement is significant as it involves multiple levels of society working together to create small, local changes that can lead to larger, sustainable societal change. It is based on the understanding that change should be context-appropriate and not subject to a one-size-fits-all approach.