Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
1The following three quotes by Buckminster Fuller encapsulate the role, challenge, and method of design science—and the organization of this book.
1.1 our role
2‘‘We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.’’
1.2 the challenge
3‘‘How do we make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, with the least amount of resources and ecological impact, through spontaneous cooperation, without the disadvantage of anyone?’’
1.3 the method
4‘‘You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’’
5Tools for Changing the Worldpresents a methodology for changing the world—or in more detail, it provides a set of tools that when used creatively lead to the development of innovative solutions to real-world problems that can be implemented at scale to solve the critical problems facing the world.
6 An important part of the methodology is perspective, attitude, and the role we see ourselves playing in the world.The attitude is that we are not here to be victims of apathy, trends, chance, incompetence, misinformation, or the whims of politicians and other so-called leaders, but that we have agency. We can act to impact the future. Just as war is too important to be left to generals and politicians, making the world work for everyone is too important to be left to politicians, corporate executives, bureaucracy, or chance. Empowering this attitude and perspective is a ‘‘big picture’’ or whole systems perspective that sees beyond symptoms and known options.
7 The methodology is design science. It seeks to not just ‘‘solve problems’’ but to develop and build new alternatives that transform existing problem areas into visionary designs of what we want, not what we are trying to avoid.
8 The methodology and this book deal with the above quotes by Buckminster Fuller in four stages:
9Part One—Starting Up presents frames of reference and context for our role, the challenges facing the world, and using design science to get the world what it wants.
10Part Two—Tools presents a series of conceptual tools that can be used to respond to the challenges of the world we seek to address, and which shape our use of the design science method.
1112Part Three—Methodology deals with the heart of the
13 design science process—the step-by-step approach of its design process. From picking and clarifying the problem situation we focus on to envisioning the preferred or ideal state of that situation, defining the problem and the present state within which the problem (and many of its possible solutions) resides, to determining creative alternatives and blending them into a regenerative, resilient, and affordable strategic design and implementation plan.
14Part Four —Implementation focuses on taking our design solution to the next level, making it real—by getting it implemented in the real world and positively impacting the people whom the problem situation impacts.
15 Implementation includes documenting what the design solution is, how it works, its impacts, who will implement it, and when—over what time period, its cost, and where funding and partners can be obtained. The implementation process also involves designing and developing a test case, a proof-of-concept prototype of the design solution that includes a specific site in a specific country. This functions as a key step in marshalling the support needed to bring the design solution to scale—getting it implemented so it has the impacts your ideal or preferred state envisions. Part of this process is communicating with others and forming collaborative partnerships and sponsorships. This step gains support from funders, on-site collaborators, and organizations (and government officials where needed). With positive results and the learnings we gain from the proof-of-concept, the next step is developing a strategic design and plan for scaling our solution so that it positively impacts the most people in the quickest amount of time.
16 2
17The four sections of Tools for Changing the World outline the design science process from concern or outrage at the existence of a problems situation and its human and environmental costs, to a methodology for developing and implementing a design for the elimination not of just the problem, but for reaching an ideal or preferred state that transforms the world.
1.4 in summary
18Design science is a methodology for creating desired futures. It is where values and vision are added to experience to change the world. It is a methodology for recognizing, defining, and solving complex problems.
19 Design science is a way of changing the world in preferred directions that is based on innovation, does more with less, builds resilience and thrives on transparency and collaboration. It is the comprehensive and anticipatory application of the principles of science to the creative design of solutions to the problems of society and the fulfillment of its potential. Design science is where vision, values, critical thinking, and creative imagination combine with a global, whole systems perspective and a problem solving and strategic planning methodology that leads to informed, effective action for changing the world.
20 This document presents a way of using design science that helps us see and understand the problems we are concerned with and organize our thinking in such a way that our actions are effective and lead to regenerative change and transformation. The authors hope that our efforts to present the exciting possibilities of a methodology for changing our world are useful to us and our world.