**Pattern Name:**
N-Syn or Neighborhood-Syntegration
**Introduction:**
Syntegration is a multi-day facilitated non-hierarchical group process invented by Stafford Beer, and published in Beyond Dispute: The Invention of TeamSyntegrity.(1994 )
The protocol enables people with common, but significantly different positions, & perspectives, to collaborate in creating a collective answer to the Opening Question.
**Illustration:**
Icosahedron (transpose "edges" and "nodes")
**CONTEXT:**
We all find ourselves involved in ongoing complex social situations that require participation. The more people involved, the more potential choices involved, the longer the duration, the greater the impacts--the more difficult agreement becomes. Passively or actively delegating authority to others is a common strategy in such common situations. This is understandable.
**Initial Situation:**
There is a particular local complex situation of high interest to a group of people with sufficient agency to make relevant choices and affect the situation.
**PROBLEM:**
Local social situations too complex for easy agreement.
**Forces:**
Disputed facts. Disputed strategies. Disputed tactics. Misunderstandings.
**THEREFORE (SOLUTION):**
Organize and convene ongoing conversations in such a way that understanding grows, shared models emerge, strategies are agreed upon, actions are taken, learning occurs. Repeat the cycle until it becomes a local cultural norm.
Complex problems (systems) can be explored from an initial question (Opening Question).
A limited number of subtopics (subsystems) can be identified and agreed upon. (Up to twelve)
Groups of five people can explore each subsystem in conversation.
Each discussant participates in at least two subsystem explorations.
Each discussion group produces at least one Causal Loop Model and one summary of their answers to the Six Questions Exercise. These are shared among all sets of subgroup participants.
**Actions:**
**Consequences:**
**Known Uses:**
**Examples:**
**Important Know-How:**
**Notes:**
See N-Syn Model
**CONNECTED PATTERNS:** **Supported Patterns:** **Supporting Patterns:**
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DOT strict digraph rankdir=LR node [shape=box style="solid,rounded,filled" fillcolor=lightyellow penwidth=3 color=red] HERE NODE node [style="solid,rounded,filled" fillcolor=white penwidth=3 color=blue] edge [style=solid penwidth=1 color=black] BACKLINKS NODE -> HERE node [style="dotted,rounded,filled" penwidth=6 fillcolor=white color=grey] edge [style=dotted penwidth=4 color=grey] HERE BACKLINKS NODE -> HERE STATIC strict digraph {rankdir=LR node [shape=box style="solid,rounded,filled" fillcolor=lightyellow penwidth=3 color=red] "Welcome Visitors" node [style="solid,rounded,filled" fillcolor=white penwidth=3 color=blue] edge [style=solid penwidth=1 color=black] "Knowledge" -> "Welcome Visitors" "Search for 'neighborhood'" -> "Welcome Visitors" node [style="dotted,rounded,filled" penwidth=6 fillcolor=white color=grey] edge [style=dotted penwidth=4 color=grey] "Truth (Ecology)" -> "Knowledge" node [style="dotted,rounded,filled" penwidth=6 fillcolor=white color=grey] edge [style=dotted penwidth=4 color=grey]}