Researchers observe that change happens through surges of development. Resources, technologies, policies, and ideologies form the core of each surge, and the direction each surge takes is altered by our society.
The Deep Transitions Lab aims to unmake and remake the rules driving today’s unsustainable systems. These rules have been built up through surges.
This tool provides a simple introduction to surges and how individual rules evolve over time, relating the concepts to our everyday lives.
By the end of this exercise, you’ll understand:
- What a great surge of development is
- The part each person plays in keeping our unsustainable systems in place
- How rules evolve over surges
Before starting this exercise, we recommend you review the Tool: Understanding rules and their application for investors.
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to Naz Costante for graphic design.
Citation
Kanger, L., Laurence, N. and Shaw, V. (2024). Tool: surges of development. Deep Transitions Lab. Available at: https://tipresourcelab.net/resource/tool-surges-of-development/
Facilitators Instructions
There are two downloads, you need both.
The first is the facilitator workbook, with additional information, guidance, notes and more to help you run a successful session.
The second is a participant workbook, for use by those taking part in a workshop.
This is designed as an introductory exercise, designed to prompt thinking and stimulate engagement with Deep Transitions thinking. It introduces core concepts (surges of development and rules) and brings these to life through discussions about our everyday lives and daily interactions with technology and society.
The tool may be suited to use in university classroom settings, as it does not require users to relate the concepts to investment decisions. For more practical application to portfolios, try Tool: Pentagonal map for system analysis (Investor version), Tool: Multi-level theory of change (Investor version), or Tool: Systems optimisation vs change.
