Can you suggest a way of depicting which author is 'hot' in the conversation and who has little to add on the topic we seem to focus on just a few authors unless i specifically prompt for their contribution by name if the system is going to pilot the systems thinking practice it needs to maintain the contributions of all authors.
To ensure your systems thinking practice remains robust and avoids the “imperialism” of a few dominant voices[1][2], you need a way to visualize the epistemic landscape of your conversation. Drawing on the sources, I suggest four ways to depict which authors are “hot” (driving the current logic) and which are “weak signals” (dormant but potentially high-leverage).
1. The Topographic Fitness Landscape (Dave Snowden)
Snowden uses fitness landscapes to visualize the “attractor states” of human systems[3][4].
• The Depiction: Imagine a 3D contour map.
◦ High Peaks: Represent the “hot” authors (e.g., Hoverstadt or Alexander) who currently dominate the conversation. These are the strong attractors[3][5]. ◦ Distant Outliers: Represent the “cold” authors who haven’t been mentioned. • The Systems Advice: Complexity science warns that high peaks can lead to “inattentional blindness”[6]. You should explicitly look for the “outliers” (the lone voices in the valleys) to find the “weak signals” of a coming crisis or a new innovation opportunity[7][8].
2. The “v-Filter” Vantage Point Map (Max Boisot / Harold Nelson)
Boisot utilizes vantage points (v) to triangulate truth, while Nelson uses the metaphor of “station points” around a building[9][10].
• The Depiction: A radar chart or “P-Circle” where each author is a fixed station point[11][12].
◦ Bright/Active Sensors: Authors currently contributing are highlighted as active “human sensors”[13][14]. ◦ Dimmed Sensors: Authors who have “little to add” on a specific technical topic are dimmed, but their presence remains visible on the perimeter to ensure requisite diversity[6]. • The Systems Advice: If only a few sensors are active, your “resolution” of the problem is low. You must “sweep in” the dimmed authors to increase the variety of your model[15][16].
3. The “Italian Flag” Knowledge Assessment (The Other Group)
The “Other Group” (TOG) uses the Italian Flag model to move from ignorance to settled evidence[17].
• The Depiction:
◦ Green Zone: Authors whose ideas are currently being applied successfully to your “How-to” recipe. ◦ Red Zone: Authors whose ideas have been explicitly rejected or act as hard constraints. ◦ White Zone (The Muddle): Authors who remain in the “White space” of the unknown[20][21]. • The Systems Advice: The goal of the practice is to “do work” to move authors from the White Zone into the conversation to see if they provide a “strategic nudge” that the dominant Green Zone authors missed[22][23].
4. The “Witness” Boundary Check (Werner Ulrich / C. West Churchman)
Using Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH), you can identify the “witnesses”—those who are affected by the conversation but have no voice in it[24].
• The Depiction: A list of “Involved” authors vs. “Affected but Silent” authors.
• The Systems Advice: Use the 12 Boundary Questions to ask: “Who ought to be involved as an expert but is currently ignored?”[27][28]. This prevents the “imperialism” of a single methodology and ensures epistemic justice[1][29].
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Summary Table for Monitoring Authors
| Feature | ”Hot” Authors (Strong Signals) | “Dormant” Authors (Weak Signals) |
|---|---|---|
| Snowden Logic | Strong Attractor Peak[3] | Weak Signal Outlier[7] |
| Boisot Logic | High Diffusion / High Codification[30] | Uncodified / Concrete Wisdom[31] |
| TOG Logic | Green (Settled Evidence)[17] | White (Entropy/Uncertainty)[20] |
| Ulrich Logic | The “Involved” (Decision Makers)[26] | The “Witnesses” (The Marginalized)[32] |
Which of these depictions feels most useful for your current group? Should we try to map the “station points” of the silent authors to see which ones are most relevant to the current “muddle”?
References
[1] 💬Gists.md [2] 💬Gists.md [3] 💬People Dynamics.md [4] 💬What is Complexity.md [5] 💬Nutshell (Process).md [6] 💬People Dynamics.md [7] 💬How To Guides.md [8] 💬Perspectives.md [9] 💬Perspectives.md [10] 💬Perspectives.md [11] 💬People Dynamics.md [12] 💬Perspectives.md [13] 💬People Dynamics.md [14] 💬Perspectives.md [15] 💬Environment.md [16] 💬Perspectives.md [17] 💬Gists.md [20] 💬Gists.md [21] 💬How To Guides.md [22] 💬Nutshell (Process).md [23] 💬Questions.md [24] 💬How To Guides.md [26] 💬Perspectives.md [27] 💬Environment.md [28] 💬Questions.md [29] 💬People Dynamics.md [30] 💬Keywords + Jargon.md [31] 💬How To Guides.md [32] 💬Questions.md