Developmental evaluation is an emerging area of practice that builds evaluation methods on the science of complexity and fits with the realities of social and health programs, rather than trying to fit the wrong type of model on to the wrong type of program.
Developmental Evaluation: Problems and Opportunities with a Complex Concept Read More »
Knowledge translation is a field with lots of great ideas about how to get messages out, but until the issue of the system in which that KT takes place is addressed, it might not matter.
Knowledge Translation & the Systems Problem Read More »
John Maeda’s 4th Law of Simplicity states: “knowledge makes everything simpler”. In this post I lay out why this might be only partly correct, suggest that there are problems where this works better than other and illustrate how knowledge can also make things more complex, rather than simple.
Rethinking the Relationship Between Simplicity, Complexity and Knowledge Read More »
John Maeda has taken on the task of exploring simplicity as a means of making sense of a complex world. In this post I explore his 10 laws and introduce an argument that challenges three of these laws.
Is Simplicity the Antidote to Complexity? Read More »
Complexity science provides many tempting explanations for human behaviour, but often based on rhetoric rather than evidence. If the a social science of complexity is to move ahead, more attention to the science than theory is necessary.
(Not) Following the Rules in Complex Social Systems Read More »
Finding our way in a complex system is tricky. Social network maps can provide a way forward, but only if viewed as tools for complicated problems and not as true wayfinding solutions for complex ones.
Wayfinding in Complex Systems Read More »
The environmental problems of today require new ways of thinking says a recent Worldchanging post on environmental sustainability and increasingly this looks more like four pillars coming together: design, systems, integration and resilience.
Designing for Resilience Read More »
Can the dream of knowledge translation be achieved by better marketing, or is focusing on message delivery processes missing the larger point?
Knowledge Translation or Just Better Marketing? Read More »
Our ability to change can be tied to the degree of embeddedness we have within larger systems and how tight the fit between the layers or levels are. Barack Obama’s electoral success and governance frustrations are used to illustrate.
When Change Potential is Embedded in Bigger Systems Read More »
Does putting sick people together in one place (like a hospital) seem all that smart? We don’t consider alternatives. Systems and design thinking can offer some ways around this problem and get us back to questing the structures we’ve created and encouraging greater diversity in our conversations about health and healthcare.
Diversity and Structure Meets Systems and Design Thinking Read More »
