NOMBRE DEL CURSO / CLAVE: Diseño y aprendizaje Organizacional

NOMBRE DEL PROFESOR TITULAR: Dr.Alexander Laszlo / Kathia Castro Laszlo TITULO DEL LIBRO: System Research and Behavioral Science, vol.

12 TIT ULO DEL CAPÍTULO: Evolution Guided by Design: A Systems

Perspectives AUTOR/EDITOR: Bela H. Banathy EDITORIAL: Revista EDICIÓN: NÚMERO DE ISSN/ISBN: 109 270 26 FECHA DE PUBLICACIÓN: 1998 PÁGINAS: 161 a 172 TOTAL DE PÁGINAS: 12 OBSERVACIONES:

Syst.Res., Vol. 15, 000—000(1998)

Research Article

Evolution Guided by Design:A SystemsPerspective1

Bela H. Banathy*International SystemsInstitute and SaybrookGraduateSchool,Carmel, CA, USA

We are at a critical juncture of societal evolution where unprecedented human fulfill-ment as well as a loss of direction are equally possible. However, we are not at themercy of forces beyond our control but have the potential arid the opportunity to givedirection to our evolution by design and steer it toward a hoped-for future, providedwe: (1) develop evolutionary consciousness(2) engaging iii conscious evolution (3)acquire evolutionary competence by evolutionary learning (4) create evolutionaryimagesof our future, and (5) bring those images to life by design. © 1998John Wiley &Sons,Ltd.

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No. of Figures:2 No. of Tables: O No. of References:22

Keywords conscious evolution; evolution by design; evolutionary competence;evolutionaryconsciousness;evolutionary guidancesystems;evolutionary learning; guidedevolution; societalevolution; systemsperspectiveof evolution.

A SYSTEMSPERSPECTiVE OF EVOLUTION

A historicalview of societalevolution helpsus totake a systemsperspective of evolution. We canidentify severalevolutionarystages.Eventhoughthe stagesbuild on eachother,theyare discon-tinuous.A descriptionof thesestagesfollows:

• Stage one spannedpossibly a million years,during which human consciousnessevolved,coupled with the greatesthuman creation:speech.Speech made it possible to expandthe boundaries of human experience intime and space, as oral tradition embracedthe past. Magico-religiousmyth becamethe

Cor~spondc~ceto B. H. Biinathy. InternationalSy5temsInstituteand Saybrook.Graduate School. 25781 Morse Drive. Cannel.CA 93923. USA‘This articleis adaptedrn parth~mChapter7 of Banathy(19%).

all-embracing paradigm of understanding.Hunting—gatheringtribesbecamethe integrat-ing context of collective humanexperience.

• With stagetwo, about ten thousand yearsago,we enteredthe agriculturalage and createdanew mode of communication: writing. Itenabled the further extension of the bound-aries of human experience.This stagewasmarkedby the flourishing of city statesand thephilosophy and logic that emerged in theGreekculture.

• Sornefive hundredyearsago, the Renaissancebecamethe genesisof stage three. With printas the new technology of communication,the boundariesof human experience wereextended into national states. At this stage,Newtonian science, the mechanistic/deter-rninistic world view, and the science-based

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technology of the machine age emerged.culminating in the Industrial Revolution. Itsemerging technologies were often usedunwisely, resulting lit destructive influenceson our habitaL With ‘instant’ global telecom-municationsthe potentialof global conscious-nessemerged.

• Stagefour is our current evolutionarystage.Itemergedaroundthe middleof thiscentury.Itsgenesiswasmarkedby: (1) the introductionofthe greatestdestructiveforce,theatomicbomb;(2) the creation of the United Nations, as anew hopefor humanity;andmostsignificantly(3) the emergenceof anew modeof commun-ication: cybernetic technology, aided bycomputers.We often call this stagethe Post-industrial Information/knowledgeage.Whilethe machineageexplodedour physicalpower,cybernetictechnologyexplodedour cognitivepowers.Systemssciencehasémergedas thenew paradigm for knowledge production,organizationandutilization.

A review of the evolutionarystagesreveals agreatdisproportionof their timespan.Stageoneevolved about a million years, stage two tenthousand,stage three five hundred, and ourcurrent stagefifty years.The synergiceffect ofthe speedand intensity of the developmentofthe current stage has resulted in a perilousevolutionary,imbalance.While global communi-cation at stagethreebrought forth the potentialof a global human community, our collectiveconsciousnessis still lockedwithin ethno-centric,racial andnationalboundaries;thus creatinganevolutionary consciousnessgap. Furthermore,duringthe lastseveraldecades,the technologicalrevolution, while giving us earlier urtimaginedandunprecedentedpower,hasacceleratedto thepointwherewe havelost controloverit. Wehavefailed to matchthe advancementof our techno-logical intelligencewith an advancementin oursocio-cultural intelligence, and advancementinhumanquality and wisdom.This situationhascreatedthe secondevolutionarygap,an imbal-ance between our technological and socio-cultural intelligence.

A systemsperspectiveof societal evolutionhelpsusto drawsomegeneralconclusionsfrom

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the historical review depictedabove.It providesus with a lens through which we can viewsocietalevolution andcapturea comprehensivesystemicvision of evolution. We may cometounderstandevolution as: (a) a phenomenonoftheconstantlyexpandingboundariesof the spaceand time dimensionsof thehumanexperience;(b) the consciousdesign of new systemsoftechnologiesof communicationwhich enhancesuch expansion;(c) the continuousunfolding ofnew relationshipsamonghumansystems,lead-ing to their reorganizationateverhigher levelsofcomplexity;(d) theemergenceof new paradigmsof knowledgeorganizationand utilization andnew ways of beliefs and thinking; and, fromthe systemicintegration of all the above(e) theemergenceof new imagesof mankindat higherlevels of collective consciousness.Such emer-genceis the ultimate hallmark of a particularevolutionarystage.» However,at the currentevolutionarystage,asI pointed out earlier, we have yet to createcollective consciousness.Thus, today we areconfronted with an evolutionarycrisis, a crisisof consciousness.This crisis is a major sourceofthe currentsocietalpredicament.This is a crisisthatwecreated,andweareresponsiblefor actingupon it. We can face the challenge of thisresponsibilityby attainingthewill andcapabilityof consciousandpurposefulevolution.

FROM EVOLUTIONARY CONSCIOUSNESSTOCONSCIOUSEVOLI.TrION

The human race has profoundly changed theevolutionaryprocess.Ourunlimited capacityforlearning and the explosive rate at which weproduce knowledge and artifacts and createsystemshave had an extraordinaryimpact onevolution.The questionthatnow confrontsusis:for what purposeare we going to use thisunlimited capacity and our collective creativepower?We canmobilize thiscapacityandpowerto create a better future and give a hopefuldirection to our evolution. This, however, isdependentupon the developmentof evolution-ary consciousnessandtheattainmentof a will ofconsciousevolution.

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In evolution the mostadvancedstateof exist-ence is human consciousness.It is best mani-festedin thosewho aremostdevelopedin termsof their relationshipto others andin theirabilityto interact harmoniouslywith all else in theirsphereof life. Its highest form is ‘consciousevolution’ which enables us to collaborateactively with the evolutionary process. Salk(1983) saysthatevolutionaryconsciousnesscanmotivateaction toward‘consciousevolution’,bywhich we can guide our future. Consciousevolution enablesus to use the creativepowerto guideour systemsandoursocietytowardthefulfillment of their potential. Laszlo(1987)high-lights our evolutionaryresponsibilityashe says:‘The evolutionof our societies,andtherewiththefuture of ourspecies,is now in our hands.Onlyby becoming consciousof evolution can wemake evolution conscious’ (p.122). Consciousevolutionis enabledby ‘self-reflectiveconscious-ness’ and it is activatedby ‘creating conscious-ness’ (Banathy,1993a).

Self-reflective consciousnessis a processbywhich individuals, groups, organizationsandsocietiescontemplateandmakepresentationsoftheir perceptionsof theworld, and their under-standing of their place in the world, in theirindividual and collective minds. These repres-entationsaredevelopedon theb.asisof valuesweholdandtheideaswehaveabouthow theworldworks,leading to thecreationof a cognitivemapof ‘what is’. Cognitive maps are developed,confirmed, elaborated, tested, disconfirmed,changed, and are redrawn. They are ‘alive’.Thesemapsaffectourbehaviorandourbehavioraffects themaps.

CreatingConsciousness

The genesisof creating consciousnessis self-reflectionthat bringsforth aspirationsandchangeof consciousness.It is a processby whichindividuals,groups,organizationsand societiesenvision images of ‘what should be’. Thiscreatingthrust is basedon the belief, thatwhilethe futureis influencedby the pastandpresent.it is not determinedby what wasor what is. Itremains open to conscious and purposeful

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interventionthatcanbe guidedby an evolution-.ary imageof the future. A representationof thatimage is the normative cognitive map of adesiredfuture, which we cancreateindividuallyandcollectively by design.

DEVELOPING EVOLUTiONARYCOMPETENCETHROUGHEVOLUTIONARYLEARNING

Consciousevolution is activated as we acquireevolutionarycompetencethrough evolutionarylearning.EVolutionary competenceenablesustogive direction to our individual and collectiveevolution throughpurposeful design,providedwe individually and collectively learn specificknowledge,waysof thinking, skills anddisposi-tions that jointly andinteractivelyconstitutethedomain of evolutionary learning.The greatestsourceof changein socialsystemsis the processof learning. It is this source that we have toactivate in order to attain consciousevolutionand acquire evolutionary competencethroughevolutionary learning.Evolutionary learning isfirst explored here in the context of currentpracticesin education.It will be shownthat wefacea majorevolutionarytaskin educationitself,namely, the redesignof the educationalagendaso that it can engender the acquisition ofevolutionary competencethrough evolutionarylearning (Banathy,1987).

ContrastingMaintenanceLearningwithEvolutionaryLearning

A major hindrance to the development ofevolutionary competenceis inherent in ourcurrent practiceof education,which focuseson‘maintenancelearning’ (Botnik, 1979).It involvesthe acquisitionof fixed outlooks, methodsandrules of dealing with known eventsand recur-ring situations.Facingmassivesocietalchangesand transformations,today we still promotealreadyestablishedwaysof working and living.Maintenancelearning is indispensablefor thefunctioningof a society;but it is far from beingadequateat tiznes of turbulence,rapid change,

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discontinuity and massive transformations—characteristicsof our current era.

Ourpresentlearningagendashould focus onanother type of learning which is even moreessential at the current evolutionary stage,namely, ‘evolutionary learning’. Evolutionarylearning enablesus to cope with change andcomplexity, renew our perspectives,and re-designour systems,often reorganizingthem athigher levels of complexity. Evolutionary learn-ing empowersus to anticipateand face unex-pectedsituations.It will helpusto progressfromunconsciousadaptationto our environmenttoconsciousinnovation and coevolutionwith theenvironmentandthe developmentof the abilityto direct andmanagechange.

While maintenancelearningreinforcesalreadylearnedways, it leads to reluctanceto change.Evolutionary learning enablesus to engageinpurposefulchangeas we developthe will andcapability to shape change rather than justcoping with it or becoming its victims. Evo]

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utionarylearningcalls upon our creativepoten-tials as it empowersusto envision imagesof thefuture andbring thoseimagesto life by design.

The LearningAgenda of EvolutionaryCompetence

The acquisition of evolutionary competenceenablesindividuals, families, groups,organiz-ations, communities, and society to createpositive images of the future and based onthose.imagessteertheir evolutionby purposefuldesign.A programof evolutionary learning willincludesuchdomains as:

• The nurturingof evolutionaryvalues, such ascooperation,trust, benevolence,altruism, loveandharmony;andthe articulationof a sharedset of values that generatean ever-maturingvisionof the future.

• The fostering of evolutionary ethics thatinclude self-realizationethics, social and eco-logical ethics.

• The attainment of cooperative group inter-action skills by which we can increase ourcapacities for entering into ever-widening

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humanrelationshipsand managingconflictsin a non-violentmanner.The acquisition of competencein systemsthinking, a systemsview andsystemspractice;required for understandingand managingcomplexity, graspingconnectednessand inter-dependence, and perceiving the notion ofwholeness.The developmentof competencethat enablesthe creationof desirableimagesof the futureand the learningof the skills to generateandevaluate alternatives by which to bring thoseimagesto life by design.

CreatingConditionsfor EvolutionaryLearning

Conditions that enhanceevolutionary learninginclude providing for. a climate of nurturing,multiple learning types, providing functionalcontexts relevant to the learner, broad-basedlearningresources,opportunitiesfor generatingself-creating meaning, and applying what islearned in the context of real-life situations,which are interesting and important to thelearner.

Creating a Climate of NurturingEvolutionary learning can flourish only in aclimate in which nurturingand caring relation-ships are created,and supportand trust flowsbothways betweenthosewho learn and thosewho foster learning.As Elise Boulding (1981)noted, our current educationalpracticesexpectcompliance,which often engendersinsecurity,resistance and even fear. Nurturing buildsconfidence,encouragesexploration,andsecuresconditionsfor creativity and evolutionary learn-ing.

Offering Multiple Learning TypesLearningtypes that areconduciveto evolution-ary learning include: socially supportedindi-vidual learningin which thelearneris guidedbyothers;learningby discovery,self-directedlearn-ing in which the learnerhasaccessto a variety oflearning resourcesavailable in the communityand the larger society; team-learningarrange-ments in which learnerscooperateand share

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experiencesin joint mastery of learning tasks,and learning by travelling on and exploring thevastresourcesof the information super-highway.

ProvidingLearner-relevantFunctional ContextsTo becomemeaningful to the learner, evolution-ary learningshould be providedin thecontextofsocial systems, such as the learning group,family, youth groups, organizations, the corn-muriity, etc.; systems in which the learner is aparticipant and which offer actionable taskenvironmentsfor applications of what hasbeenlearned. Only in such contextscanwe expectthedevelopmentof knowledge,understanding.dis-positions and skills which enablethe emergenceof evolutionary values and competencies bywhich to guide one’s own evolution and makecontribution to the purposeful evolution ofsystemsin which one livesand works.

AccessingBroad-basedLearningResourcesEducation is much more than schooling, andlearningis muchmore than education (Banathy,1991). The development of children and youthand continuing development through life meshesintricately with learning opportunitiesavailablein all facets of life. Beyond the boundariesofschoolingand formal educationalsettings,learn-ing opportunitiesand resourcesareofferedin thehome, in religious organizations,in youth andcivic groups, in cultural and communityagencies,through various media, in high-technetworks, in the world of work, and in a hostofeverydaysituations.A powerful potentialresidesin the notion of creating an alliance of all thesocietal sectors that have the capability tosupport learning. Evolutionary learning canbecome the focus for creating such an alliancethat cart tapinto avastreservoirof resourcesfornurturingevolutionary learning and developingand applyingevolutionarycompetence.

GeneratingSelf-createdMeaningsWhatever learning task is attended to by thelearner,it can be ‘owned’ by the learner only ifthe learner canself-reflecton it, if the learner canmake senseof it and createmeaningfrom thecontent of the learning experienceThe learnercan internalize and integrate into his or her

© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ud.

cognitivemap what is beinglearnedonly if he orshe can ‘construct’ from it his or her ownmeaning and understanding.

Reflections

In the course of our evolutionary journey weadvancedfrom evolutionary consciousnessto thepotential of engagingin consciousevolution. Wecan activate this potentialonly oncewe developevolutionary competence that enables us toguide our own evolution individually andcollectively. We recognize,however, that evolu-tionary competence has to be acquired byevolutionary learning. In taking a systemicperspectiveon evolution, I suggestedthat weare faced with art evolutionary consciousnessgap and a gap betweenour technological andsocio-cultural intelligence. I also proposedthatthese gaps can be bridged by consciousandpurposeful evolution which is enabledby evol-utionary learning and the attainment of evol-utionary competence,Developing evolutionarycompetence will enable us individually andcollectivelyto engagein the designof evolution-ary guidancesystems.

EVOLUTIONARY GUIDANCE

Csikszentmihalyi (1993)setsforth the imperativeof directing evolution. Up to now, he says, oursocietal way of life has been the result of arandomchain of changingevents.

• And now we suddenly realizethatunlesswetake thingsin hand, this processof changewillcontinueunder the sway of relentlesschange,entirelyblind to humandreamsand desiresIf there is a central task for humankindin thenextmillennium, it is to start on the right trackin its efforts to control the direction ofevolution. (p. 149)

Conscious evolution provides a sense ofdirection for cultural and societal processesbyilluminating those processes with guidingimages.And the fasterwe go, as we do at our

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currentevolutionary stage,the further wehave tolook for signsand images to guide our journey(Jantsch, 1980). The core idea of evolutionaryguidance is that evolution, is not the resultof one-sidedadaptation and a desperatequestfor survival, but is an expression of self-transcendence;the creativereaching out beyondthe system’sown boundaries. ‘We humans arethe integral agentsof evolution we spear-headiton our planet and perhaps in our entire solarsystem.We are evolution and we are, to theextent of our power, responsiblefor it’ (p. 4).Evolutionary guidance implies arrangementsand operations that are built into varioushuman activity systemsat all levelsof the societyby which thesesystemsareempoweredto givedirection to their own evolution arid movetoward the realization of their evolutionaryvision.

In what follows, I define evolutionary guid-ance, propose an example of an image of ageneric Evolutionary Guidance System, exploreits potential, and explain the role of systemsdesignin guided evolution.

Evolutionary Guidance: DefinitionandPurpose

Evolutionary guidanceis the processof givingdirection to the consciousevolution of humansystemsand developing in thesesystems theorganizatiorial capacity and human capability to:(1) nurture the physical, mental,emotional andspiritual developmentandself-realizationethicsof individuals and their systems;(2) extend theboundariesof social and economic justice andgenuine political participation; (3) increasecooperation and integration among societalsystemsand manage conflicts in a non-violentmanner; and (4) engagein thecreation of societalsystemsthat can guide their own evolution bypurposeful design.

By attainingthesecapacitiesand capabilities,we can re-create and empower our socialsystems as Evolutionary Guidance Systems(EGS). This re-creation requires a fundamentalshift in consciousnessand a new way ofthinking about perceiving ourselves, our rolein the world, and our relationship with others. It

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requires the creation of shared imagesof ourcollective future while maintaining respect forthe diversity of our many culturesand societalsystems.

As a néwevolutionary stageemerges,the useof old images createsmore problems than itsolves.On the other hand, when a new imageleads socio-cultural evolution, it can exert a‘magnetic pull’ toward the future. As a societymovestoward the realization of that image, ‘thecongruenceincreasesbetweenthe imageand thedevelopmentof man arid society’ (Markley andHarmnan, 1982,p.5) and internalconsistencyandharmonywill prevail. Today we are still extra-polating from the old image of an industrialsociety.But it is not working for us any more. Itcauseswidespread frustration, alienation andsocial upheavals. We desperately need a newimage. This image shall spring forth from ashared evolutionary vision.

EVOLUTIONARY GUIDANCE SYSTEMS

Evolution means ‘unrolling’. It is a processbywhich successive forms arid content unfoldcreatively. This processunfolds our multidimen-sional life (Bohm, 1983). Such multi-dimensionalunfolding is the agendaof consciousevolutionand its realization is the task of evolutionaryguidance. If guided evolution is possible, as Isuggest it is, we face three critical questions:(1) What kind of systemscan enhance thecreative purposeful unfolding of human evol-ution, from the family on to the global humancommunity, along the multi-dimensions ofhuman experience?(2) What are those dimen-sions that represent the wholenessof human•experience?(3) How do we go about designingthosesystems?

A possible answer to these questions is pro-posedhere as I introducea generic image of anEGS as an arrangement of a set of interactingdimensionsthatenablespurposeful evolutionaryunfolding and proposean approach to designingit.

The set of dimensions is contemplative.Although it hasbeenimplemented in a varietyof systems,by no means is it prescriptive. It

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servesas an example. This contemplative EGShas the following dimensions:

• a socio-cultural dimension, ensuring socialjustice and an increase in cooperation amongand integration of our societalsystemsat everhigher levels of complexity;

• a socio-economicdimension with a focus oneconomicjustice and integrated and indigen-.•ous development;

• a moral dimensionof our lives which is mani-fested in actions guided by self-realization,social, and ecologicalethics;

• a welinessdimensionthatnurtures the physical,mental, emotional and spiritual health andwell-being of the individual and society;

• a learning and humandee~elopmentdimensionofnurturing the full developmentof individualsand social groupsand enabling them to attainevolutionary competence.

• a scientific/technologicaldimension,mobilized forenhancing societal evolution and promotinghuman and social betterment;

• an aestheticdimensionin the pursuit of beauty,culturaland spiritual values, the various formsof arts, all for the enrichmentof our innerquality of life;

• a societal/politydimensionof self-deterrnirtation,genuineparticipation in self-governance,peacedevelopment, and continuous action forhuman bettermentand the improvement ofthe humancondition.

The purposefuldesignof thesedimensions,asinteractiveand integratedcomponentsof EGS ofour societal systems, will provide a powerfulagenda for the self-directed evolution of ourhumansystems.Figure 1 portrays an image oforganizing the dimensions into a first systemicrepresentationof an EGS.

Organizing Perspectives

In the centerof Figure 1 I have placed a set oforganizingperspectivesthat guide in the design ofthe EGS and have an integrating, systems-creating effect.Theseareas follows:

• Purpose-~the (generic) set of purposes alreadyidentified above coupled with purposes

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that are unique to the specific EGS to bedesigned.

• Focus, that is specific to the functional cori-textual nature of the system for which wedesignthe EGS. For example,a health preven-tion/maintenance systemwill have the well-nessand educational dimensionsas its focus.The other dimensions are built around thistwo-dimensional focus.

• Underlying values and assumptions,such as the(generic) set of evolutionary values alreadyintroduced earlier as well as values that aresought to be realizedin the systemsfor whichwe design the EGS. In designing the EGS,values are transformed into observablequalities of the EGS. Examples of underlyingassumptions include: each and every individ-ual has the right to, and is expected to takeresponsibility for, involvement in decisionsaffecting his or her life, and no one has theright to design a social system for someoneelse.

• Integratives have the power to integrate thevarious dimensions into the EGS. Examples:being guided by an ethical stance, seekingbalance among, the dimensions, ensuringharmony, mutual reinforcement, compatibility,arid internal consistency among the dimen-sions,and ensuring wholeness.

Underconceptuali.zation

In considering the design of theEGS we shouldbe particularly concernedabout avoiding under-conceptualization(UC). The mostsignificant UCis compromising on the ideal and not seekingand defining the most promising, the truly idealimage of the EGS. On the other hand, the mostfrequent manifestationof UC is that wework outfrom a ‘dimension-poor’ image. Most of oursocialsystemssuffer from this.

In exploring dimensions, consciously andpurposefully attended by families, I found that,as a rule, families limit attention to considera-tion of the economic dimension while alsopaying attention to some aspectsof weilness.Most systems of science/technology seldomgo beyond their own domains, with some

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attention to economic and political issues.Most health service systems focus on diseasecontrol (rather than education and weilness)and are concerned with economics and makeuse of the technological/scientificdomains, butneglect the others. Our business/productionsystems, even our governance systems, aredriven by economics,mostly disregarding socialjustice, the moral/ethical, the spiritual and theaesthetics.

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Shortcomings

In addition to the kind of UCsmentionedabove,there are several potential shortcomings thatthreaten an adequate creation of images ofEGSs. Theseinclude the following: (1) The lackof having internal consistencyamongthe dimen-sionsof the imageof the EGS. This happens,forexample, when the definition of the variousdimensionsarenot grounded in a sharedvalue

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Figure1. An imageof an evolutionaryguidancesystem

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systemor in stated underlying assumptions.(2)The characterization of dimensions are made atvarious levels of resolution: thus, they areincompatible. (3) The disciplined nature of theinquiry, the use of a knowledge base toformulate the image, and the time required tocreate the image are underestimated. (4) Theinvolvement of ‘stakeholders’ is limited. Theseare just a few examplesof shortcomings.

WHAT IF?

Whatwould happenif the idea of EGS becomesreality? What would happen if our humanactivity systemswere to engage in purposefulintegrationof the (generic)dimensionsproposedabove and redesign themselvesas evolutionaryguidance systems? Earlier (Banathy, 1988) Ianswered this ‘if’ question in the context of themost basic human activity system: the family.I explored the creation of a dimension-richevolutionaryguidancesystemthat would enablethefamily to shapeits future and develop alongthe lines of the dimensions describedabove.What would happenif our organizations,ourcommunities,our social and societal systemswere to purposefully engage in the design ofthe EGS? Such an engagement is the onlyapproach if we are to take chargeof our futureand take part in shapingdecisionsthat affectourlives.

The designof EGS was already introduced,tested,andwas found to be usefulin the contextof a variety of types. In a specialissueof WorldFutures (Banathy, 1993b) we reported on thedesignof EGS in a variety of contexts. Includedwere: thedesignof an EGS for the retirementof acouple (Gougen Frantz,1993); the designof anEGS for ISSS (Bach, 1993): medical practice forevolutionary learning and the use of EGS(McGee, 1993); EGS for evolutionary systemsmanagement of organizations (Wailand, 1993);and amediationapproach that fosters evolution-ary consciousnessand competence(Pastoririo,1993). Furthermore,Biach (1995) demonstratedthe useof EGS in guiding the evolution of asynagoguecommunity, Blais (1995) createdanevolutionaryjourneyfrom work life to life work,

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and Dills (1995) developed an idealized designfor a senior support group.

DESIGNINGEVOLUTiONARYGUIDANCE SYSTEMS

The key proposition advanced here is thatsocietal systems are purposeful systems inwhich design cart guide evolution. With theemergenceof the process-oriented,sel.f-organiz-ation paradigm in human systems (Jantsch,1980), evolution becamethe integral aspectofself-organization,in which the system reachesout beyondits boundariesand designbecomesthe core processof evolution. Thus, in theevolution of societalsystems,designis the centralactivity and competencein designis a commod-ity of the highest value.

Design is a creative, decision-oriented, disci-plined inquiry that aims to: formulate expec-tations, aspirations and requirements of thesystemto be designed;clarify ideasand imagesof alternative representationsof the futuresystem; devise criteria by which to evaluatethose alternatives; select and describe or‘model’ the most promising alternative; andprepare a plan for the development of theselectedmodel. The design and description ofalternative EGS enable their conceptual andempirical testing, and the selectionof the mostpromising ‘ideal’ modeL

Design inquiry operatesin several arenas ordesignspaces.The integration of thesespacesprovidesuswith a designarchitecture.I describenext theuseof this architecturefor the creationofEGS (Figure 2).

The Explorationfimage Creation Space(EICS)

In the spaceof EJCS, a socialsystemcreatesanevolutionaryvision for itself, exploresinquiryboundaries and designoptions, articulates itscollectivevaluesand core ideasabout its desiredfuture, and developsthefirst systemicrepresenta-tion of that desiredfuture as the image of itsevolutionary guidance system in all of thedimensions of the EGS. The design tasks of

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exploration and image creation are integratedwith evolutionary learningaimed at thedevelop-ment of evolutionarycompetence.This learningisaccomplishedlit thefunctionalcontextof attend-ing to the exploration/image-creation tasks.

The Design Solution Space(DSS)

In the DSS we formulate the systemicrepres-entation, or systems model of the particularevolutionaryguidancesystem.It is in this spacewhere we transform the imageof the EGS into

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the designof the EGS. Primary tasks that weundertake in this space include formulation ofalternativessolutions to (1) the core definitionand the purposesof the EGS (2) the descriptionof specificationsof the evolutionary dimensionsof the EGS (3) the selection and systeliticarrangement of functionsthat enableus to attainthe purposesand meet specifications, (4) thedesign of the enablingsystemsof the EGS thatwill have the human capability and organ-izational capacity to carry out the functions,and the systemicenvironmentthat providesthenecessaryresourcesfor the EGS.

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Figure 2. A genericdesignarchitecture

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The OrganizidKnowledge Space(OKS)

in the OKS we display the informationwe generated in the exploration/image-creationspace as well as collect and organizeinforma-tion and knowledge we generate pertinent tothe various evolutionary dimensions previ-ously described. We also continuously seekinformation knowledge required as we carryout the various designtasks.

The Evaluation/Experimentation Space(EES)

This spaceis created to enable us to test theemergingsolution alternatives both conceptuallyand empirically. Such evaluation (1) collectsevidencefor the qualities we seek to realize inthe EGS we design (2) guards against errors,such as urtderconceptualization,and (3) ensuresthe operational/practical implementable qualityof the particular EGS.

The Spaceof the Futuxe System(SFS)

it is in this space where we finally, display adescription9T systemsmodel of the evolutionaryguidance sys.tem we designed.Here we alsodescribethe systemic environment of the EGSthat provides the necessarysupport of the EGSand formulate a plan for the developmentandimplementation of the EGS.

The Dynamicsof Design

Design is not accomplished in a step-by-step,linear fashion. It is carried out through recurringcycles of several design spirals as we explore,and re-explore, the various spacesof the designarchitecture and integrate aspiration and pur-pose, information and knowledge, insight andvision in order to create a design that bestenhancesand canbestguidethe evolution of thesocietal systemof our interest.

(!) 1998 John Wiley & Sons,Ltd.

REFLECTIONS

It is the power of design which enablesus toshare in the continuing processof creation. Ourunique gift of creativity enables us to formimages of the future, create designs thatrepresent thoseimages, and then developthosedesignsin our experiential world. It is the uniquechallenge and responsibility of each of uspersonally and collectively to engage in thepurposeful evolution of o’.ir societal systems.There is no more noble and no more importanttask than meetingthis challenge and assumingthis responsibility. Creation continues and wecan become instrumentsas co-workers of theCreator in designingand building a better futurefor the common good.

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12 Bela H. Banathy