The social labs revolution : a new approach to solving our most complex challenges / Zaid Hassan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hassan, Zaid, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social problems--Research--Methodology.

Social problems.

Problem solving.

Social problems--Research.

Methodology.

Physical Description:

xvi, 185 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

San Francisco, CA : Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., [2014]

Summary:

Challenges such as poverty, ethnic conflict, and climate change are incredibly complex, involving an ever-shifting array of factors, actors, and circumstances. They demand a highly fluid and adaptive approach, yet we attempt to address them by devising rigid, long-term, centralized plans. Social labs, says Zaid Hassan, are a dramatically more effective response. Social labs bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to develop a portfolio of prototype solutions, test those solutions in the real world, use the data to further refine them, and test them again. Hassan builds on a decade of experience-as well as drawing from cutting-edge research in complexity science, networking theory, and sociology-to explain the core principles and daily functioning of social labs, using examples from around the world. He offers a new generation of problem solvers an effective, practical, and exciting new vision and guide. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The Perfect Storm of Complexity 17

The Perfect Challenge 18

What Is a Complex Social Challenge? 19

The Futile Optimism of Optimization 21

Yemen as a Natural Experiment 25

Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Jail 28

2 The Strategic Vacuum 31

Business as Usual 31

The Expert-Planning Paradigm 37

Flying Autopilot in the Perfect Storm 39

A Lack of Genuine Strategic Intent 41

3 The Sustainable Food Lab: From Farm to Fork 45

The Race to the Bottom 47

The Multiple and Conflicting Logics of Food 49

What Is Sustainable? 52

Systemic Spread Betting 56

4 The Bhavishya Lab: The Silent Emergency 61

The Bhavishya Alliance 64

The Moon Shot 66

Movement Requires Friction 71

Fail Early, Fail Often 74

Business as Usual and Its Radical Refusals 76

5 The New Ecologies of Capital 79

The End of the Beginning 81

Emerging Forms of Capital and Preventing Collapse 83

The Dumbest Idea in the World 87

More Rainforests, Fewer Plantations 90

6 The Rise of the Agilistas 93

The Practical Wisdom of Social Labs 95

Starting with Current Realities 97

Events Rupture Dispositions 98

The Right Stuff 104

7 Steps Toward a Theory of Systemic Action 111

First Requirement: Constitute a Diverse Team 113

Second Requirement: Design an Iterative Process 117

Third Requirement: Actively Create Systemic Spaces 121

8 Starting a Social Lab: Seven How-Tos 125

Strategic versus Tactical Thinking 125

#1 Clarify Intention 129

#2 Broadcast an Invitation 130

#3 Work Your Networks 132

#4 Recruit Willing People 133

#5 Set Direction 135

#6 Design in Stacks 136

#7 Find Cadence 137

Conclusion: Next-Generation Social Labs 139

Averting the Zombie Apocalypse 140

State Collapse: A Stabilization Strategy 141

Climate Change: A Mitigation Strategy 143

Community Resilience: An Adaptation Strategy 145

Battle of the Parts versus the Whole 146.

Notes:

"a Reos publication"

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781626560734

1626560730

OCLC:

844728907