Mapping Network Consciousness: syncretizing difference to co-create a synergy-of-synergies

The paper describes a new approach to ‘ecological design’ that uses metadesign practices to enhance the potential of humanity, nature, techné and language. This cultivates mutually beneficial ‘synergies’ to avoid the parsimonious image of some ‘sustainability’ discourse. Synergy naturally pervades across all levels, including the interactions within collaboration. Our research has shown that, in order to achieve a high level of creative synergy within teams of specialist designers, it is important to select members who represent a sufficient diversity of cognitive styles, linguistic structures, knowledge bases, viewpoints and experiences (cf. Belbin, 1993). This is because ‘difference’ is the fundamental basis from which new ideas are generated, bisociatively. But because heterogeneous teams are highly complex and emergent they are extremely volatile and sensitive, and thus are averse to hierarchical, top-down modes of management. Ideal creative teams would probably conform to Arthur Koestler’s (1967) definition of ‘holarchy’, in which a given ‘whole’ is governed by its parts. The paper outlines some mathematical tools that were designed to encourage, map or sustain (albeit on a temporary basis) what we call ‘network consciousness’, which seems important for creating holarchic teams.