The Conversation

The heart of the process of social systems design is disciplined, creative dialogue among stakeholders. Conversation is also the way in which ISI fellows engage in inquiry about design itself. Fellows learn from each other and create new knowledge by participating in research teams and attending either the Asilomar Conversation or other sister conversations that are organized by or in affiliation with ISI.

Click here to register and for details about the ACC 17th Annual Conference on the Comprehensive Design of Social Systems: "Moving the Unmovable, how systems thinking turns barriers into co-creation."

Guide to the Year-Round Process

Contributed by Bela H. Banathy and Sue McCormick

Phase One: Program Announcement and Team Identification/Selection

Mid- to Late March: Research Team Topics are announced in a newsletter/ bulletin. Participants respond using the accompanying registration form. This form serves two purposes: (1) It gives the Conference Planning Team information related to expressed interest in research topics so teams can begin to coalesce; and (2) It provides critical information related to reserving a block of rooms at the conference center.

Late March to Mid-April: The 2006 Conversation Planning Team, using input from conference registrants and others expressing interest, begins to clarify research teams and connect registrants with team coordinators.

April: Team Coordinators send to all interested members an elaboration of the topic/theme that includes a brief history of the team's work from previous conversations year' round inquiry, as well as a list of recommended readings. This list will include earlier topic-relevant summary reports.

Phase Two: Preparation

The preparation phase of the research conversation serves a critically important purpose. Preparation enables participants to explore topic-relevant knowledge bases, and in so doing, come to the Conversation with a rich set of core ideas. Preparation also gives team members a chance to interact with one another, sharing background experiences and current systems design research interests. This early interaction is usually electronically mediated.

From Conversation experiences of the past 19 years, we have learned that the success of the program greatly depends upon the team's generation of a substantive knowledge base prior to being together for the week. We are also learning that team interaction during the preparation phase has some positive effects on the quality of the conversation during the week we are together at the conference.

We strongly urge participants who are new to the design conversation process to identify a team early in the year, and begin the preparation phase with that team. If during the preparation phase, research interests change, it is always possible to change teams, assuming the team of interest is open to new members.

April-September: Participants (1) Explore the knowledge base of the research topic; (2) Prepare a "think paper" that (a) presents a brief personal introduction, (b) specifies personal interest in and previous work on the topic, (c) summarizes knowledge base findings, (d) states core ideas about the topic, and (e) states expectations for the learning and work of the team; (3) Mail copies of the input "think paper" to all members of their research team.

Mid September -Mid October: Team coordinators develop a preliminary, proposed agenda of their team's "theme," based on a synthesis the input papers and mail it to the members of the team. Members of the team continue to explore current knowledge sources and generate ideas that they will bring to the group work during the conversation week.

Phase Three: The Conversation

During the first sessions of the Conversation, teams review their agenda and develop triggering questions that guide the conversation. The teams are encouraged to use generative and strategic dialogue methods. Periodically throughout the week, research teams report on their progress, and those interested in inter-team learning and dialogue may pursue that experience in the evenings. Another option for inter-team learning emerged at our conference five years ago, and this is a daily Roundtable Conversation, held before breakfast at an announced location.

In the final team sessions of the week, each team decides whether members wish to continue to work on the theme, modify the topic or select a new area of focus. On the final evening of the conference, participants present their work and findings to the large group. They also announce whether or not the team plans to continue their research into another Year 'Round Conversation Cycle. On the final morning of the conference, participants engage in a preliminary design and planning session for the following year's conference and for the projects that may involve inter-team collaboration. Participants are asked during this last session to formulate their "valuations" of the Conversation experience.

Phase Four: Follow-Up

Mid November - Early March: Teams develop (1) A Summary report of their learning and substantive findings, (2) A summary description of program recommendations for the next Conversation, and (3) A final formative evaluation of the overall conversation experience.

Mid January - Mid March: Individuals develop and submit scholarly papers based on their work with the topic. The papers will be published as a compendium of proceedings and selected papers will be included in special issues of international systems journals.

Mid March on: We initiate the beginning phase of the next year's Year 'Round Conversation cycle.