Dialogic Design Science

Dialogic Design Science (DDS) is the theoretical foundation of the Structured Dialogic Design Process Methodology. In most publications, the methodology and/or the process is often referred to simply as Structured Democratic Dialogue, or Structured Democratic Dialogue Process.

The Institute for 21st Century Agoras, holds the service mark (a collective trademark) from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the commercial use ofStructured Dialogic Design in the field of social system design. The AGORAS does not wish to restrict scientists and practitioners from across the globe in using and further developing the science and the methodology, but it is interested in maintaining high standards and ensuring that applications are implemented in strict compliance with the science. The AGORAS also certifies participation in official informational events, as well as achievement of levels of proficiency of practice through its certified SDD training and apprenticeship programs. Future Worlds Center is the first international body that has implemented an SDD Certification Scheme in collaboration with the AGORAS.

The ultimate objective of this People's Science is to support people from all walks of life for practicing authentic participative democracy by applying the Co-Laboratories of Democracy approach in designing or re-designing their social systems.

The Domain of Science Model (DOSM), proposed by Professor John N. Warfield in 1987, is being employed as the contextual typology for assigning the component artifacts of the DDS in the four distinct domains of the DOSM, namely:

Foundation

The Agoras Group, under the leadership of Aleco Christakis is credited for the development of DDS in its current format. DDS represents a much cleaner, simpler and more efficient implementation than the original John N. Warfield version. Its greatest advantage is that, along the model of science, it foresees a continuous feedback from the arena. Its original format was grounded on four Foundational Axioms of Dialogic Design Science, six Laws of Dialogic Design Science and a number Key Definitions used in Dialogic Design Science. Later, the community converged to six axioms and seven laws

Theory

The theory comprises primarily of understanding the Laws of Dialogic Design Science, the roles of various actors, and certain key scientific process and phenomena including the Interpretive Structural Modeling algorithm, Erroneous Priorities Effect, Spreadthink, Situational Complexity, Theory of Change, etc.

Methodology

The Structured Democratic Dialogue Process is grounded on the theory and expects Facilitators to fully comply with all requirements imposed by Dialogic Design Science.

Software Support

The John N. Warfield group has developed a DOS implementation of Interactive Management in which the [[Interpretive Structural Modeling] algorithm was embedded. This software is given away for free on George Mason University's page. When Aleco Christakis founded CWA Ltd. in 1989, his team developed Cogniscope v.1 and later Cogniscope v.2, which run on Windows 95/XP computers. In 2010 Christakis donated the source code of Cogniscope v.2 to Future Worlds Center with the agreement that its technology associate Ekkotek Ltd. upgrades it to Cogniscope v.3, which was released a few years later. Future Worlds Center has developed IdeaPrism and Concertina and the Ministry of Education in Michigan has developed Logosofia.

Applications

The first applications of DDS were conducted by the John N. Warfield group in the late 80s, early 90s. The methodology was then referred to as Interactive Management (IM). His Handbook of Interactive Management summarizes a few dozen of applications upon which the science was grounded, as well as individuals who at the time were certified to conduct IM workshops. Aleco Christakis, an associate of both John N. Warfield and Hasan Özbekhan is credited for spreading the science and the methodology. The two books co-authored by him Ken Bausch and Tom Flanagan also catalogue more than 100 applications conducted world-wide. Benjamin Broome also an associate of Warfield has introduced IM to the Cyprus Conflict Resolution Trainers Group, or which several Future Worlds Center associates were members (i.e., Yiannis Laouris, Harry Anastasiou, Marios Michaelides). The Cyprus Conflict Resolution Trainers Group conducted at least 50 IM applications between 1995-2002. Future Worlds Center introduced the methodology in many of its projects in 2005.

This is a comprehensive list of all Co-Laboratories organized by Future Worlds Center.