This exercise is drawing from both Idealized Design (Russell Ackoff) and Syntegration (Stafford Beer). This little note focuses on syntegration because it is much more complicated and participants often talk about it in an almost mystical way. We do not expect that the online version will generate any of the mystical experience that the face to face version often does. However, for those of you who want an overivew of where we are going, the following references should help. Google returns hundreds of references for "Syntegration" and it is difficult for the new person to know where to start.

Syntegration is a group process, based on Buckminster Fuller's work with the icosahedron. Stafford Beer developed the process to allow a group to quickly and effectively deal with very complex situations.

The following URL has a good introductory paper on syntegration There is also a very nice short video which shows how the icosahedron is used to structure the process. Both of these are by the Malik group, the leading European consulting group for management cybernetics and, according to Peter Drucker, Malik is the leading management theorist in Europe. Malik worked extensively with Stafford to refine the syntegration process.

For the Malik references, go to this site (and click on the item listed below):

http://www.syntegration.com/

Click "What is Syntegration? (Article)" for the paper
click "Discover the Syntegration Process" for the video

A somewhat longer paper by Allenna Leonard, Stafford's long time partner, is here:

http://files.uniteddiversity.com/Effective_Organising/Team_Syntegrity/Team%20Syntegrity%20Background.pdf

Again, you do not need to understand this process in advance ... we will be issuing specific instructions for each new step. For those who want to understand the process, there are many many good articles on syntegration.