By Design

Two articles on the subject of design are in my thoughts.

Want Different Results? Stop Fixing and Start Designing

This first one speaks to the benefits of vision--first seeing where you want to go, and then figuring out how to get there. This method of working is what author Jan Thomas calls design thinking. The article describes the benefits of non-linear, associational thinking for solving complex problems.

The Human Future: A Problem in Design

This second one compares evolutionary design to human system design. The author Daniel Quinn argues that, in human systems, we often mistakenly try to do more of what doesn't work, whereas in evolutionary systems, what doesn't work has a tendency to remove itself.

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Both articles speak to the importance of design in structuring human systems. The thinking is, if you change the design of the structure, different behaviors become possible. And both articles emphasize a future orientation--a shift of focus away from the past and present, and focusing on the vision of what we'd like to see more of.