sustainability/4rules.html

Four rules of managing a complex system for sustainable health

Actually, they're not rules. They're more like guidelines.

1. You can't use overwhelming power or force.

You have to use a limited amount of power otherwise you create a new system.

As Adams (1988) discusses, if you add too much energy the system becomes even more undetermined.

The appropriate level of energy that you can apply is probably about the level of internal ascendency flows. Ascendency is sometimes described as the "organized" complexity of the system (see Ulanowicz 1997),

Healthy systems have a component of overhead and ascendency.

just the right power

 

2. You should promote conditions such that native autonomous agents can pursue their livelihood.

You shouldn't introduce exotics or foreign components.

You shouldn't try to change the purpose of the overall system or the purposes and goals of the native agents in the system.

work with authentic agents

 

3. You have to address the project at multiple scales.

human scales are extremely are limiting

 

4. You have to act in a way that promotes continued diversity.

generate and conserve diversity at each level

 

Gunderson & Pritchard - Chapter 10 pg 261

3 rules

increase buffering capacity

manage processes at multiple scales

nuture sources of renewal