In the early eighties, members of the systems science community discovered that at their conferences more was being accomplished in the breaks than in the sessions. Led by Dr. Bela H. Banathy, they cancelled the sessions and created a conversation methodology that has proven far more effective.
The team I worked with, at the 2014 IFSR Conversations, devoted its inquiry to the Banathy Conversation Methodology (BCM) itself, asking in particular, how to further develop and spread the methodology beyond the systems science community. During the process the team captured key features and benefits of BCM and developed new tools.
Once the Conversation finished, some team members continued to work together writing an article for the “Constructivist Magazine”:
Described herein are the development of the methodology; theoretical underpinnings; the methodology itself; heuristics for successful conversations; and an example of how the methodology is spreading. Ultimately, the hope is to develop the methodology in ways that communities could apply it to meet significant challenges and co-create their futures.
The article is available at https://constructivist.info/11/1/042.dyer
Here a related entry:
