The Social Synergetics Model

Social Synergetics is the application of whole systems thinking to social structures, organizations and relationships.

It is a structure for solving any and all problems and doing more with less. It provides a framework in which any content can work better, with less expenditure of resources.

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What is whole systems thinking?

Whole systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. It provides an approach to problem solving that views a 'problem' as part of an overall system, rather than in isolation from other factors in the environment.

R. Buckminster Fuller coined the term "Synergetics" to refer to the geometrical study of whole systems – how they operate, how they maintain stability even in times of chaos and how they can produce synergy and synergistic results.

Fuller told us repeatedly that the "minimum in Universe is two". What this means is that nothing exists outside of its relationship with something else.

In Synergetics, this concept is expressed as a "system" – a system being defined as anything where there is an inside and outside, a "me-and-you", or anything that, by definition, is differentiated from something else.

Fuller explains that the minimum "system" in Universe is the tetrahedron, a four-faced triangular shape, with six connecting vectors.

It is the smallest mathematical structure comprising an "inside" and an "outside", thereby making it the minimum, and most stable, system that exists.

If any one of the six vectors is removed, the tetrahedron (the tetrahedral system) collapses. And, under pressure, all other systems collapse into a tetrahedron.

Geometrically, the tetrahedron also represents the most efficient use of resources, because additional vectors or points are not required for stability.

Understanding this, our models for building better social structures in organizations are based on the tetrahedron. It's the first time that mathematical science and social dynamic have been integrated to form a new understanding of how social dynamic works.

It also clearly and elegantly explains why so many other models don't work.

The evolution of Social Synergetics.

In thousands of lectures, Fuller urged his audiences to study Synergetics, saying, "I am confident that humanity's survival depends on all of our willingness to comprehend ... the way nature works and how it affects our human experience."

With Social Synergetics, we have studied how components of social structures – including individuals, their thought processes and emotions, and their communications styles – interact and influence each other based on this model.

In the initial development of Social Synergetics™, Fuller's principles were applied to business education and programs developed for the criminal justice system.

We now have over 30 years of working with the models in our development programs and have continued, at all times and in all settings, to get extraordinary results for our clients.

A foundation for clear thinking.

We believe that Social Synergetics provides a solid scientific foundation for clear thinking, unlike any other model or discipline.

The principles are relevant and applicable to all levels of organizational and individual relationships: business, collegial, associative, community, family, intimate. etc.

It provides a context for understanding and generating relationships in which individuals communicate clearly, operate with respect and take responsibility for themselves and their results.

Amy Edmonson, a leading expert in the work of Dr. Fuller, says: "Experience with synergetics encourages a new way of approaching and solving problems. Its emphasis on visual and spatial phenomena combined with Fuller's holistic approach fosters the kind of lateral thinking which so often leads to creative breakthroughs."

At it's simplest, the Social Synergetics model allows people to approach complex human problems with fresh insight and to develop dynamic systems that support all human beings.

Scalable. Stable. Simple.

We're not interested in making things complex. Quite the opposite. It has been our life work to develop simple, elegant models that  produce maximum results with minimum resources.

The scalability of the Synergetics model is beautiful. It supports consistent thinking, planning and action as a project builds out into sub-projects and committees. Each team or project group established works through the model for their task, goal, or initiative.

The result is a streamlined approach to all levels and components of the project and consistency in languaging, systems development, continuous improvement systems, etc.

New thinking for a new type of results.

This is the first time that geometric principles have been linked to social dynamics. The Synergetics model offers a framework based on the physical laws of Universe, the same laws that govern change and evolution of all aspects of existence on this planet.

Fuller said, "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."

In the Social Synergetics model, we have done just this. Individuals are guided through an understanding and practical application of what is essential for them, their family, group, team or organization to be stable, even in the midst of accelerating change and chaos.