Tools for Dialogue and Deliberation on Wicked Problems

Just thinking outloud

I created the idea for a university devoted solely to the science and enterprise of sensemaking when I started to wonder how one might "think different" (think outside the box). The box, in this case, is that of funding sources. I am surrounded by people (myself included) who typically rely on funding agencies that are branches of some government. There are, of course, other funding sources, some even governmental in nature. Still, how to think outside the box?

The "what if" went like this: what if there were to exist or come into existence a federation of entities (financially capable, of course) that recognizes, in a very big way, the need to federate human thinking in service of, um, saving the planet?

I have a few ideas along such lines. Before I launch my ideas, I want to hear those of others. I have disclosed my ideas in various places with some positive results. I'd like to hear from others. I'd like to think that just the funding aspect of a global sensemaking university is itself a topic for IBIS.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Szpakowski on May 26, 2008 at 17:29

Jack, and David, one task I see as possibly doable is to bring together this project, which I understand to be about making Sensemaking tools available to help deal with critical issues, with two other categories of actors:

- the users of such tools, in situations where they can make a difference to existing, and maybe also new, efforts;

- policy-making and funding groups, who are trying to mobilize decision making and action (maybe these are usually two distinct groups)

Re the latter, I am in touch with a Canadian group, informally called the Triple-E group (for Energy, Economics, Environment) which is already having an impact on Canadian policy, is in process of formation, and has money. I think putting Triple-E and Global Sensemaking (GS), in a concrete way, could be a WIN-WIN. This Tripe-E group could be a participant in the federation you talk about. Some of the other connections are obvious.

There's other things in the works. I will be attending Tom Hurley's module at Shambhala Institute late this month, which will include a number of people very interested in exactly such collaborations, and am already in talks with some of them about furthering such things, including GS.

Permalink Reply by David Price on June 1, 2008 at 1:01