Extracted from a November 24th note to New England Complex Systems Insititute Forum from David E. Booher

Reply by Brian D. Josephson also to the Forum is posted at Link

We are approaching the problem of how to transform policy making into the collaborative dynamic in the face of existing models that are constructed around conflict. Our research is with specific public policy activities, particularly consensus building projects around environmental and fiscal issues.

Our research is finding that the right conditions have to exist for collaborative approaches to take hold. In particular many agents are much more comfortable to stay in their own "room" rather than to take advantage of their free transit ability. This only seems to happen when their interests are threatened enough by the environment to cause a willingness or need to look tentatively outside their "room". And they're always subject to relapse.

I've found the work of Axelrod and others using game theory to be useful. The conditions for success of cooperation do seem to require reciprocity and expectation that the structure (or game) will continue in the future. We call that "interdependence".

Beyond that we are finding that the existence of "diversity" of interests and perspectives in the dialogue is related to success. Finally, a form of communication we call "authentic dialogue" has to exist.