Appreciative Regulating

"If the threads come from climate change, .... then very much change will be required of humans. The danger is that as deterioration increases and interacts, more will be required than what humans are capable of."

The content of these words strikes deeply, particularly because they are written in 1979 by David Hawk. David finished his research on human-environment relationships and concluded at the time that the only way forward was in negotiated legislation. Inspired by his teachers Ackoff, Trist, Emery and Churchman he layed out the path for in-time corrections in degrading social, economic and ecological processes. Over the next decades he became a much-appreciated mentor and consultant in rising global firms and large administrations. But at the core he always remained a famers son and a supporter of his sister at the family farm in Fairfield Iowa.

David became an active writer in the field where management, design, environment and change meet. Nowadays many people see what David saw early on. These sensitive souls are aware how difficult the task is to divert the course of the human project. It is now all-hands-on-deck. The beauty of the concept of negotiated order is that it allows exactly for that: large corporations, public agencies, knowledge organizations and individuals are enabled to join forces and cocreate for the common good.

We need a robuust framework that stands up in harsh conditions and invites helping hands from all directions. In The Netherlands the Green Circles approach was developed some ten years ago. It is an attempt of such a strong process framework, which meets the requirements of Davids proposition.

It's about time we bundle up. Where are the examples of negotiated order in practice? Is it possible to create a concise way of working, which is applied everywhere? Of course everywhere a little different. This way we would lower the threshold for people and organizations ready to act but have no idea where and how to begin!

I would love it, if you would share examples and suggestions.