How People Harness Their Collective Wisdom and Power: To Construct the Future in Co-Laboratories of Democracy

we Have All Experienced The Benefits Of Dialogue When We Openly And Thoughtfully Confront Issues. We Have Also Experienced The Frustration Of Interminable Discussion That Does Not Lead To Progress. Co-laboratories Of Democracy Enable Large, Diverse Groups To Dialogue And Generate Positive Results. Many Group Processes Engender Enthusiasm And Good Feeling As People Share Their Concerns And Hopes With Each Other. Co-laboratories Go Beyond This Initial Euphoria To: Discover Root Causes; Adopt Consensual Action Plans; Develop Teams Dedicated To Implementing Those Plans; And Generate Lasting Bonds Of Respect, Trust, And Cooperation. Co-laboratories Achieve These Results By Respecting The Autonomy Of All Participants, And Utilizing An Array Of Consensus Tools Including Discipline, Technology And Graphics That Allow The Stakeholders To Control The Discussion. These Are Explained In Depth In A Book Authored By Alexander N. Christakis With Kenneth C. Bausch: Co-laboratories Of Democracy: How People Harness Their Collective Wisdom To Create The Future (information Age, 2006). Co-laboratories Are A Refinement Of Interactive Management, A Decision And Design Methodology Developed Over The Past 30 Years To Deal With Very Complex Situations Involving Diverse Stakeholders. It Has Been Successfully Employed All Over The World In Situations Of Uncertainty And Conflict. On Cyprus, For Example, It Has Been Used To Bridge The Divide Between The Turkish And Greek Factions On The Island. It Is Currently Being Employed On That Island To Help Palestinian Authorities Organize Their Government. Co-laboratories In One Day Can Draw Together A Diverse Group Of People On An Issue, Elicit Authentic Feelings And Respectful Listening, Generate Agreed Upon Language, And Identify Leverage Points For Effective Action. Participants Will Be Able To Generate A Consensual Action Plan. Co-laboratories Generate Real Respect, Understanding, And Cooperation Among Participants And Do It Rapidly. Dedication Contents Foreword • Enrique G. Herrscher Prologue Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Evolution of Dialogue 1. Classic Athenian Democracy: Many Thanks to Plutarch 2. The Allure of Participative Democracy 3. The Unshakeable Human Burdens of Dialogue Part II: Architecture of the Structured Design Process (SDP) 4. Six Consensus Methods 5. Seven Language Patterns 6. Three Phases and Three Key Role Distinctions 7. Four Stages of Inquiry 8. Collaborative Software and Facility 9. Six Dialogue Laws 10. Relieving the Burdens of Dialogue Part III: Co-laboratories in Action 11. Overview of the Methodology 12. Customized SDP Application 13. Designing a CAP for Good Review Practices 14. Master Plan for a New Product 15. Anticipating Alternative Futures in Energy Efficiency 16. Wisdom of the People Forum 17. International Boundary-Spanning Dialogues 18. Community-Based Co-Laboratory of Democracy Part IV: A Science of Dialogic Design 19. Context of the Science 20. A People Science 21. Conscious Evolution 22. Axioms and Definitions 23. Six Dialogue Laws 24. A Science of Dialogic Design 25. Measuring Observer Spreadthink and Situational Complexity Part V: Constructing the Future 26. Transformational Leadership 27. Being Successful in Web-World 28. Constructing Agoras of the Global Village Epilogue References Appendix A. A Hypothetical Case of Strategic Management Appendix B. The RootCause Mapping Software Appendix C. Constructing Agoras of the Global Village Appendix D. Chronic Kidney Disease Index