Pattern Languages for Systemic transformation. Connected via the systemic dynamics that underlie them, which enable to connect agencies (capacity for change) across practices and to enhance collective interpretation and navigation of systems directionality.

1. Pa#ern
Languages
for
Systemic
Transforma5on
Towards
a
4th
Genera/on
of
Pa2ern
Languages
PURPLSOC
2015
Helene
Finidori
–
Sayfan
Borghini

2. Bridging
mul+ple
paths
“On
each
con/nent
and
in
each
na/on
one
can
find
crea/ve
bubbling,
a
mul/tude
of
poli/cal
ini/a/ves
in
the
direc/on
of
economic,
social,
poli/cal,
cogni/ve,
educa/onal,
ethical
or
existen/al
regenera/on.
But
everything
that
must
be
connected
is
yet
dispersed,
compartmented,
separated.
These
ini/a/ves
are
not
aware
of
each
other,
no
ins/tu/on
enumerates
them,
and
no
one
is
familiar
with
them.
They
are
nonetheless
the
livestock
for
the
future.
It
is
now
a
ma2er
of
recognizing,
aggrega/ng,
enlis/ng
them
in
order
to
open
up
transforma/onal
paths.
These
mul/ple
paths,
jointly
developing,
will
intermesh
to
form
a
new
Path
which
will
decompose
into
the
paths
each
of
us
will
follow
and
which
will
guide
us
toward
the
s/ll
invisible
and
inconceivable
metamorphosis.”
Morin,
E.
(2011).
La
Voie:
Pour
l'avenir
de
l'Humanité.
(Paris:
Fayard).
Pp.
34.
Translated
by
H.
Finidori.

3.
From
a
big
picture,
aggregated
perspec/ve?
§ Are
we
actually
changing
something?
And
is
the
change
we
‘design’
going
in
the
‘right’
direc/on?
§ What
is
my
‘place’
my
‘posi/on’
in
the
space
of
societal
change?
And
how
can
my
own
endeavor
benefit
the
whole?
§ How
can
what
others
are
doing
benefit
my
own
endeavor?
And
how
can
my
own
endeavor
benefit
others?
The
Challenges
of
Societal
Change

4.
The
Pursuit
of
Pa2ern
Languages
for
Societal
Change
involves
1. The
development
of
domain
specific
or
project
specific
Pa2ern
Languages
towards
societal
change.
2. Looking
at
how
pa2ern
languages
can
help
coalesce
various
societal
change
efforts
to
increase
collec/ve
awareness
and
mul/ply
the
impact
of
disparate
ini/a/ves.
Pa9ern
Languages
&
Societal
Change

5. Mul+faceted
Engagement
in
Social
Change
Learning
styles
Mental
func/ons
Crea/ve
styles
Values
Beliefs
Mo/va/ons
we chose to focus
our attention, efforts and
resources on
What
Why
How
we do what
we do, what
drives
us
we function,
process information,
Interact with systems
and people
Language
Paradigm
Technologies
Telos:
the
inten/onality
through
which
the
why
becomes
a
what
Know-­‐how:
the
praxis
through
which
the
how
becomes
a
what
Paradigm:
the
thought
pa2erns
through
which
the
why
becomes
a
how

6. Shaping
the
paradigms
our
systems
arise
from
Donella
Meadows
–
12
Points
to
intervene
in
a
System

7.
This
applies
to
social
change
too:
Independently
from
their
actual
paradigm,
telos
and
know-­‐how,
change
agents
individually
or
in
groups
may
prefer
to
intervene
on
the
‘thing’
itself,
on
the
prac/ces
or
on
the
inten/ons
and
mo/va/ons
of
stakeholders
(Commons,
commoning,
commoners)…
etc…
Priori/zed
Dimension
Systems observed
& transformed
Objects of attention
What
Why
How
Paradigm
Where To
Intentions
Psycho-cognitive
Drivers
Relationships
to each-other
& the system
Practices
Social
Change
Agent
Dimensions,
priori+zed

8. Individuals
or
groups
assemble
in
clusters
around
one
or
several
shared
dimensions
of
change,
engagement
or
ac/on,
with
variable
degrees
of
cohesiveness
on
all
preferences.
Change
is
driven
from
a
whole
variety
of
clusters
that
cannot
or
do
not
necessarily
want
to
align
on
any
if
not
all
of
these
dimensions.
Note
that
a
How
or
a
Why
for
one
group
can
be
a
What
(object
of
a2en/on
and
care)
for
another,
and
that
the
development
of
a
how
or
a
what
can
be
invoked
as
a
why…
Which
makes
things
rather
complicated
when
talking
about
strategies
for
change.
Agency,
mul+faceted
and
distributed

9. These
bubbles
of
agency,
or
islands
of
language
and
knowledge
are
effec/ve
in
their
own
cohesive
domain
of
focus.
They
func/on
effec/vely
and
convergently
within
their
own
boundaries,
with
new
ideas
that
permeate
through
areas
of
overlap
with
other
clusters.
For
change
to
cross
boundaries
and
be
sustainable
it
needs
to
occur
in
a
variety
of
ways
and
come
from
a
variety
of
places
in
the
system.
A
network
of
interven/ons
on
whys,
hows
and
whats
that
can
cross
pollinate
each
other.
“Social
networks
influence
how
ideas
and
beliefs
can
spread
around
a
society.
In
this
study,
the
University
of
Pennsylvania's
Damon
Centola
shows
that
networks
that
are
very
diffuse
(lej)
make
it
hard
for
ideas
to
catch
on,
while
networks
with
very
strong
group
boundaries
(right)
make
it
almost
impossible
for
ideas
to
spread.
A
network
that
was
moderately
"grouped,"
however,
was
most
conducive
to
spreading
complex
ideas.”
Credit:
University
of
Pennsylvania
Read
more
at:
h2p://phys.org/news/2015-­‐06-­‐social-­‐networks-­‐group-­‐boundaries-­‐ideas.html#jCp
Agency,
clusters
and
interconnected

10.
• Are
we
actually
changing
something?
And
is
the
change
going
in
the
‘right’
direc/on?
Ø We
must
find
ways
to
make
sure
our
designs
and
their
evolu/on
responds
to
the
intended
direc/onality
of
the
system
in
a
sustainable
way
(telos)
• What
is
my
‘place’
my
‘posi/on’
in
the
space
of
societal
change?
And
how
can
my
own
endeavor
benefit
the
whole?
Ø We
must
find
ways
to
understand
and
recognize
each
other
across
domains
and
paradigms,
and
accommodate
our
divergent
priori/es
and
inten/onali/es.
• How
can
what
others
are
doing
benefit
my
own
endeavor?
And
how
can
my
own
endeavor
benefit
others?
Ø We
must
find
ways
to
exchange
and
cross
pollinate
experience
and
know-­‐how
across
domains
• How
to
increase
collec/ve
awareness
and
make
‘agency’
more
effec/ve
at
the
collec/ve
level?
The
Challenges
of
Societal
Change

11. How
to
increase
collec/ve
awareness
and
make
‘agency’
more
effec/ve
at
the
collec/ve
level?
Understand and recognize each-other
across paradigms and leverage
the contribution of each to the whole
Accommodate divergent intentionalities…
Exchange and
cross-pollinate experience
and know-how across
domains
Systems observed
& transformed
Nexus of attention
What
Why
How
Paradigm
System
Intentionality
Psycho-cognitive
Drivers
Relationships
to each-other
& the system
Practices
Collec+ve
Awareness
&
Agency
Make sure our designs and their
evolution responds to the intended
directionality of the system in a
sustainable way
Addressing
the
challenges
of
social
change
from
a
systemic
perspec+ve

12. They
addresses
the
three
dimensions
of
change
in
each
of
their
specific
domains
Pa9erns
&
Pa9ern
Language
Pa9erns
&
Pa9ern
Languages
Vehicle for a Purpose:
QWAN, Wholeness
Aliveness, life supporting etc…
Give a directionality to the
designed objects
Organized procedure
and tool, instrument
for sense-making
and design to purpose
Systems observed
& transformed
Objects of attention
What
Why
How
Paradigm
System
Intentionality
Psycho-cognitive
Drivers
Relationships
to each-other
& the system
Practices
Pa9ern
&
Pa9ern
Languages
Lingua Franca in a domain
of practice, formalizing tacit
knowledge

13. Christopher
Alexander
was
on
a
quest
to
integrate
complexity
into
Design.
In
the
words
of
Alexander:
“The
crea/on
of
fine-­‐tuned,
well
-­‐adapted
Complexity
must
now
take
shape
as
a
major
topic
of
scien/fic
thought.
Our
ability
or
failure
to
master
this
science
is
crucial
to
our
survival”
However,
design
pa2erns
as
problem
solu/on
constructs
became
a
way
to
reduce
complexity
while
we
need
more
than
ever
pa2erns
to
support
our
understanding
of
complexity
and
that
can
help
us
expand
opportuni/es
and
alterna/ves.
The
recent
decades
achieved
a
greater
maturity
in
the
understanding
of
organized
complexity
allowing
us
to
be2er
see
the
rich
set
of
dynamics
and
effects
produced
by
systems.
We
need
to
bring
these
insights
into
pa2ern
languages.
Systemic
elements
in
Pa9ern
Languages

14. Alexander
asked
“what
is
the
criteria
of
success
for
a
complex
system?”
We
design
systems,
over
/me
they
take
their
own
dynamics,
and
we
have
li2le
means
to
monitor
the
evolu/on
of
systems
in
rela/on
to
their
intended
direc/onality.
We
do
need
to
introduce
and
build
a
transversal
knowledge
for
the
naviga+on
and
orienta+on
of
systems
along
their
evolu+on
in
+me.
Pa2erns
are
a
cri/cal
tool
in
this,
in
the
possibility
they
embody
to
connect
general
abstract
theory
to
the
local
prac/ce
across
contexts
and
cultures.
Pa2erns
can
be
connected
through
systemic
elements,
which
also
establish
a
seman/c
connec/on
across
pa2ern
languages
and
domains
of
prac/ce.
Systemic
elements
in
Pa9ern
Languages

15. There
is
a
correla/on
between
structural
aspects
of
a
system,
the
behavior
of
it,
and
the
possible
ways
in
which
it
evolves
its
ini/al
behavior
over
/me,
that
pa2ern
languages
can
encode
and
decode
in
order
to
orient
and
evolve
our
designs.
Forms and systems people
build or that arise from social
interaction
Structure
Evolu+on
Behavior
The way the system
transforms,
adapting over time
(generating, depleting,
changing)
Func/on
Of
the
System
The way the system
operates over time
Poten+ality
Systems
adapt
and
evolve
in
+me

16. Orientation
Dynamic Systemic Forms
(Structures & Systemic
behaviors, Relationships &
Effects)
Design is emergent in the
system, stigmergetic and self-
organizing over time
Connecting agencies across
domains and praxis
Collective interpretation and
navigation of system
directionality
Collaborative discovery, sense-
making and learning
in action
Efficiency and accuracy of
development
Practice of design
Pattern Language
4.0
Adapted
from
Takashi
Iba
–
Comparison
among
genera/ons
of
Pa2ern
Language
Towards
a
4th
Genera+on
of
Pa9ern
Languages

17. How
can
this
be
put
to
work
so
that
these
various
pa2ern
languages
interconnect,
‘serve’
and
complement
each
other?
Systems observed
& transformed
Objects of attention
What
Why
How
Paradigm
System
directionality
Intentions
Psycho-cognitive
Drivers
Relationships
to each-other
& the system
Practices
Pa9ern
&
Pa9ern
Languages
Pa9erns
&
Pa9ern
Languages
as
a
response

18. Systems observed
& transformed
Objects of attention
What
Why
How
Paradigm
System
Intentionality
Psycho-cognitive
Drivers
Relationships
to each-other
& the system
Practices
Explore
Probe
Know-­‐how
Repository
Systemic
Pa9ern
Language
Assess
Evolve
Learn
Share
Dis/nguish
Understand
Appreciate
Federate
Hermeneu+c
Inquiry
Collec+ve
Interpreta+on
Media+on
Orienta+on
Decode
Encode
PLAST:
a
collec+ve
interpreta+on
and
systemic
orienta+on
System

19. ‘Hacking’ & Sense-making
Systemic Interpretation Elements as units of structure and
behavior enable the recognition, sense making and ‘re-
elaboration’ of observed or known systemic phenomena,
identified issues, alternative possibilities and models.
Systemic Inquiry
These elements are combined into systemic
patterns as building blocks to describe and
interpret (encode, decode) interacting forces
and dynamics in domain patterns, operating on
a meta-level to assess, compare and evolve
models and practices.
Semantic Inquiry
Semantic Connections are established
through primitives and systemic patterns
used as tags to connect patterns across
pattern languages and domains, and
across levels.
Mutual Discovery
Semantic connections enable collective
exploration of possibilities across pattern
languages, domain and levels in the
system.
Searchable and navigable repository
The Pattern as knowledge format enables
the recording and sharing of know-how in
an interoperable format.
Collaborative Learning & Design
The Pattern as ‘object’ of collaborative
discussions is used as learning tool on the
field for deeper understanding and collective
problem solving.
Collective Hermeneutic Approach
The Pattern as unit of research through a
hermeneutic process and the recording of
controversies and evolution of thought,
enables to better address wicked and
almost impossible challenges involving
multiple domains and patterns.
Assessing Fitness to Purpose
The Pattern as tool to cast “intention” or
desired effect can help monitor course of
action and readjust structures, models
and practice.
Orientation heuristics
An orientation engine based on angles of
approach, action logics, cognitive preferences,
helps navigate adjacent possibles and create
multiple personas and scenarios.
How
PLAST
Operates