In her remarkable new book, Web World and the Turning of Times, Sally Goerner attempts to provide a context of understanding for a society grown beyond the metaphor of world as machine:

"Modern ideas, despite their sophistication, are not about an almost perfect picture of the world, but merely another version of how the world works - one that is about to go away. What we are facing is the unraveling of our culture's dominant philosophies, a tightly woven, mutually reinforcing web of belief that got their start 400 years ago and are highly institutionalized today."
  Sally Goerner -- Web World and the Turning of Times

Vaclav Havel, first President of the new Czech Republic observed, "there are good reasons for suggesting that the modern age has ended. Many things indicate that we are going through a transition period....it is as if something were crumbling, decaying and exhausting itself, while something else, still indistinct, were arising from the rubble."

It is the premise of this article that we live on a fault line of history...one so great that the very principles of societal organization and meaning will be transformed. Technology and spirituality will combine in a reinforcing dance of survival as we evolve society to the next level of complexity.

"Conceivably modernization and human moral development produced by greater education, awareness, and understanding of human society and its natural environment produce sustained movement toward higher and higher levels of civilization."
  Samuel P. Huntington -- The Clash of Civilizations

As is true in every time of change, new theories replace old convictions, and the impossible emerges, blasting the barriers of practicality. The vast majority of historical change is cosmetic. These changes reform old underlying assumptions, fine tuning what already exists...yet the underlying assumptions remain. (Copyright 1998 by Rick Smyre. Published by the Foundation For the Future, with permission. Released to FFF to publish in all forms)

In rare periods of history, tributaries of change in all areas of life converge into a tsunami of transformation. All underlying theories of science, social structures and human capacities have to be expanded to account for a more complex reality. A 21st century reality, though faintly mirroring the past, will reflect the emergence of a different culture. The combination of increased population and real time technologies will change the historical concept of time and space. Not only will humans have to learn how to find meaning on a more crowded planet, we will also have to develop the ability to communicate with and understand each other more quickly as the pace of life continues to increase.

Within the last century, discoveries in science have revealed a more vital and interconnected concept of reality which moves beyond simple causality used in the Newtonian clockwork era. Never again can we feel the comfort of being certain of everything. We are moving into an age which will embrace evolution as an ongoing process played out at all levels, personal and societal. Causality slowly blends with self-organization.

"Few people realize the magnitude of the change facing the scientific world. Beneath a calm, confident exterior, classical scientific images based on simple causality are crumbling. In their place, a new science based on 'web dynamics' ( interdependence ) and its organizing tendencies is emerging. In this completely understandable shift, all things change."
  Sally Goerner -- Beyond the Clockwork World

The objective of this article is to introduce a new theoretical framework laced with practical suggestions for community transformation based on the principles of ecology and Integral Science. Small webs of "cultural gardeners," planting seeds of structural transformation are at work in many places....sometimes unseen, and always under appreciated. All search for the right combination of innovative seeds which, when exposed to large amounts of human energy, will cause a new civilization to burst through the ground which previously nurtured only traditional institutions.

So what are these principles and how long will it take for a new culture to "grow?" Let's take the second question first. If the culture beginning to take form were only a face-lift of the Industrial Age, the grafting would be over within the next century. However, one senses more than a face-lift. One senses a "morphing" of an entire way of life as the society becomes faster, more interconnected and more complex.....a cultural morphing of such significance that even our basic concept of what it means to be human will evolve beyond the present concept of traditional individuality. Although not easy to anticipate the need for new structures of governance, new methods of learning, new applications of technology even as the old ways falter...it is even more difficult to predict specific ways they will transform...with many people suggesting " we just need to do a better job of what we've got."

More of the same will just create more of the same, even if it is made efficient...more damage of our ecology; increasing gaps among generations, genders, ethnic backgrounds, culture divides, and income groups; more societal dysfunction; more lack of meaning; more of the same question at the end of life.....

"Is that all there is"
  Peggy Lee, from her popular song

If more is not the answer, what is? Maybe experimentation based on completely different principles. If old ways no longer work, and most of the new ideas are really "reforming" old underlying concepts, we need to begin to rethink and retool all of our cultural institutions. My sense is that ,b>we are in the incubation stage of a shift of culture of such magnitude that most of the centuries of the next millennium will be needed for evolution to the next level of human culture. It is also my sense that one alternative scenario is destruction of our species.

Because survival is the objective of any species, and since we are the first species to integrate emotions and reason, I am optimistic that we are at the beginning of an exciting journey never before thought possible.....not because we are smart, but because we will want to survive.

So I suggest the following as a context for human evolution in the next millennium (in parallel):

·         one hundred years to dig-up and cast away obsolete roots of tradition, experimenting with new principles, and developing laboratory organizations, institutions, and communities which determine what will work and what won't

·         two hundred years to develop the "capacities for transformation" based on fundamentally new principles for a vital society

·         six hundred years for the evolution of what it means to be human in a fast- paced, interconnected and increasingly complex society integrated by a seemingly infinite number of electronic connections

There are many shifts in underlying assumptions possible for a faster and more complex 21st + century society. No one can predict what will be the retooled institutional structures. Yet, within the haze of the future, some outlines are beginning to take shape. At least two fundamental ideas seems to be emerging ... a changing concept of individuality and changing structures of organization. We will see that each of these changes reflects the fact that a society in constant change must apply the principles of ecology.

Our traditional approach to individuality appeared in its earliest form in the 1400s when the individual had no legal or actual power. It was conceived during a time of transition when the idea of individual rights was beginning to reflect the natural order of things. The new focus of individuality was based on self-sufficiency. The individual was an independent entity....tied to nothing but law, capable of controlling one's destiny by the effort and merit of one's labors.

In the scientific view rising at this time, all factors in science and life were viewed as independent of each other. In the theories underlying the first scientific revolution, change occurred by chance. There was no purpose and no underlying order other than a constant interplay of cause and effect. Evolution to higher levels of complexity was continuous, and survival was based on competition of the fittest, whether men, species or ideas.

The concept of individuality was consistent with this new scientific view. A person was independent and self-sufficient. This idea served the society well as long as there were large, open physical spaces, poor communications and primitive science and technology.

It is now totally inappropriate in an age of dense populations, ecology damage, and real time communication. People who could once escape from each other will be required to collaborate because of the needs of a more complex 21st+ century society. Networked computers and telecommunications will link individuals in such a way that human development will be interdependent. The balance between society's needs and our physical ecology will become more important as the life support of ecological systems is increasingly viewed as fragile.

In my opinion, a shift in the underlying assumption of the concept and role of individuality in our society will occur in the next century as a result of these changes in the context of our overall environment. We will move from the idea of individuality in a world of independence to individuality in a world of interdependence. A strong individual will be more important that ever. However, a strong individual in an interdependent world has different attributes compared to an independent world.

The present and traditional approach to the individual leads to:

·         competition as the method of progress and development

·         an inward focus to meet individual needs

·         self-esteem based on self-actualization, often at the expense of others . debate based on one ('s) view of reality...finding flaws in another's position

·         guarding one's turf and assuming another's guilt

A strong individual in an interdependent world is one who is able to focus on the needs of others and sees that as important. An interdependent world will value an individual's ability to help others succeed; to ask the right questions instead of making statements of truth; to listen and dialogue.

The traditional idea of individuality is about to evolve beyond the concept of self- sufficiency and independence because of the stresses on the present social and physical systems. New evidence has led to the idea that evolution is not constant as previously thought, but subject to epochs of "punctuated evolution" where multiple forces and tensions combine to form new structures and interactions at a higher level of complexity.

"Stability might reign most of the time, and change might be a rare event, usually of substantial magnitude and occurring only when stresses impact a system beyond its capacity to absorb without substantial modification."
  Steven Jay Gould -- Dinosaur in a Haystack

The beginning of the third millennium is such a time. The Newtonian "machine model" of reality based on cause and effect now fails to explain a society of complex interactions...a society no longer able to predict outcomes and control actions.

It is becoming obvious that new principles are necessary to understand and create the future. The constant changes in society require us to shift our thinking of reality as based on fixed, physical concepts to ideas based on ecological systems. Moving from principles of independence to interdependence will transform the concepts of individuality and the structure of organizations.

"All members of an ecological community are interconnected in a vast and intricate network of relationships, the web of life. They derive their essential properties and, in fact, their very existence from their relationship to other things."
  Fritzjof Capra -- The Web of Life

Within several decades the idea of individuality based on collaboration and mutual support will begin to be seen as important to the survival of our society and not just altruism at work. We are presently caught in the trap of thinking we can use new ideas in old structures, that only certain underlying assumptions will need to be changed.

But that is not the case. Although we will still be caught in the "magnetic field" of reforming for several decades, all underlying assumptions of how we govern, engage in economic development, and create an environment for learning will need to be transformed. The idea of finding meaning from the continuous creation of a vital and collaborative culture will slowly take hold.

The development of technology to connect people plus the resurgence of spirituality which helps us reconnect to each other will change the relationship of individuals to teams, resulting in a blending which assures constant interaction, thus benefiting both. As individuals begin to understand that self-actualization in an interdependent society is a result of one's ability to learn from others and one's ability to help others learn, they will no longer see value in turfdoms, control and power.

As a result of the shift in the concept of individuality in an interdependent world, new forms, new patterns, and new structures will emerge as the present fissures of our Industrial Age finally crumble.

A key change occurring in the structure of our society is that of how it is organized. For the past millennium hierarchies of different sizes have supported the linkage of people and organizations as life has been lived...a very appropriate structure for societies which live according to standards and rules.

Historians in 3000 will observe that the year 2000 evidenced the move from hierarchies to webs as the pace of change and the connections allowed by technology reached a critical mass. It was at this point that the size of hierarchies grew to the point that this form of organization was no longer able to support the speed with which the society moved.

"Size is the enemy of speed. The bigger you get, the more sluggish you get. Furthermore, as a system bets bigger, the bonds holding it together get stretched thinner. They eventually reach a break point. Nature thus holds a hidden rule which I call 'the complexity catch'. Getting bigger is tricky. You can't do it in one big circle because huge circles fall apart. Nature prefers small circles because these are tighter and faster. On the other hand, energy is also pushing to go faster. To do this, small cycles have to link together. The trick to going faster is to stay small and well-linked.

The result is increasing intricacy. When a big circle reaches its breakpoint, it breaks into smaller circles which link together. Intricacy, like a lace tablecloth, involved lots of small, interlinked circles. Energy actually pushes increasing speed and intricacy at the same time."
  Sally Goerner -- Beyond the Clockwork World

This is a very important insight for understanding how to help communities prepare for the transformation which will occur in the 21st century and beyond. If the old ways no longer work, and new underlying assumptions will be required, change cannot be imposed in a traditional manner. No longer can change come from the top down. It must occur in local communities and evolve throughout the society over time. Why? Several reasons to include the fact that one change will not fit all needs in a decentralized world. Also, the need for quick responses cannot be assured using traditional top down models of change.

So, what will be key principles which undergird a society that is quickly approaching a new zone of evolution, the "edge of disorder?" And how will these principles help define the organization of how the society will operate? Why will these principles demand that "webs of intricacy" be created?

The principles for a constantly changing society will be the same principles which have supported living systems of ecology for millions of years:

·         Interdependence - The idea of co-evolution will impact all sectors of our society.

This idea is foreign to an independent world. But a connected world which is sustained by the diverse interactions of people, organizations and the physical world, evolves in webs of mutual commitment. Whether related to research and development teams integrating specialties into continuous economic innovations, or new methods of decision making focused around "public polling" of diverse citizens, the future will be one of interdependence and co-evolution. Any one person, idea, or institution will be impacted by the action and opinions of others as we interact within the framework of constant transformation.

·         Feedback Loops - In a society of constant change, local communities become experiments in progress. 

If there is no certainty of predictability, everything is research. The ability "to find out" will replace the ability "to know." The ability to understand new educational ideas, learn which work, and toss out those inappropriate, will undergird life long learning. We will discard linear rules which dictate actions and incorporate a search for the right questions. In the near future it will dawn on the average community leader that if everything is connected, then we can't pay attention to only one factor. The mutual, and interdependent impacts of multiple factors on each other will demand quick response and "actions of adjustment."

·         Collaboration - In ecologies, energy and resources are sustained by collaboration.

The tendency to establish links and live in mutual context is one of the hallmarks of life. In society, partnership is the basis for democracy and personal ownership as diverse people play important but distinctly different roles. As complexity increases, the demands of new and more connected solutions will require a framework of mutual support. No longer will it suffice to work alone.

"Envision yourself as being a great team player and a supportive colleague incredibly curious about who other people are and their particular perspectives, instead of envisioning yourself as an individual performer ( specialist ) who is incredibly certain and who tends to presume how others see and respond to the world." Robert Hargrove, Mastering the Art of Creative Collaboration

·         Diversity - Innovation cannot happen without diversity being present.

We see the challenges of diversity in our society from a filter of assimilation of cultures already formed. Unknowingly we ask why the other person doesn't recognize the need to change their way of thinking to our point of view....not realizing that we search for the standard answer that will give us our greatest comfort level with our own culture. A world awash in change demands a prism of thinking which incorporates aspects from all existing cultures as a new context of the future is created. Only with diversity seen as a strength and not as a problem can we work with future trends. Returning to our experience, not for standard answers, but for pieces of ideas to understand the needs of the future, diversity will help us craft a quilt of innovations appropriate to the future.

·         Flexibility - The future will require mindflex not mindset.

Adaptability and flexibility will impact governance in the quest for new approaches, not just compromises around an already existing idea. In ecological systems, lack of flexibility manifests itself as stress, leading either to evolution to new ways and new forms and new patterns, or to death. The most misunderstood challenge of our society is the need to move from a world of standard answers and inflexible rules to one which allows multiple connections and innovative ideas.

Webs of intricacy will form on their own. Local communities need to form webs of transformation around new and innovative ideas to find out what works and what doesn't. No preconceived strategic plan will suffice. Usually traditional strategic plans make assumptions based on obsolete ideas and inflexible structures. A society in constant change must apply the principles of ecology. Yet the present world is cast in a mold of standards, rules, ideology, competition, radical individuality, and inflexible strategic planning. How do we move with needed speed from old ways of machine thinking to new concepts of ecology?

It will take years. However, the first step to set the stage for evolution to a 21st + century culture is to recognize that "we don't know that we don't know." No one changes until the need for change is realized. Too many of our communities are still caught in the mistaken idea that more of the same is the change that is needed. There is little existing "capacity" to recognize the need for transformation of ideas, underlying assumptions, methods and techniques. Until we develop 21st + century capacities into the thinking and operations of our society, we will continue to "rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic" in a maelstrom of continuous reforming.

What is meant by the idea of "capacities for transformation" and how can they be integrated into the thinking and operations of institutions leading to sustainability of local communities?

There is a slowly emerging set of key ideas and framework of specific "capacities" which become applicable to all communities. Undergirded by the previously defined principles, each community will need to integrate tailored versions of the key ideas and specific capacities according to unique local requirements. Common to all communities will be the need to:

·         evolve a futures context,

·         develop processes of consensus and shared vision, and

·         emphasize the human development of attributes not presently seen as vital.

A central theme reverberating within each of the following key ideas is the need to build webs of intricacy. Those communities which begin to understand the need for fluidity and accommodation to continuous change will begin to move from strategic planning to strategic framing. Small groups or "webs" of diverse people and organizations will be required to respond to new challenges and situations. Leadership will need to develop the capacity to frame connections of diverse people and ideas, nurturing new ideas and trust throughout the body politic. Only through the development of webs of intricacy will new ideas be conceived and introduced for consideration at a speed demanded by the constant changes occurring in society. It will become an art to understand how to build processes of community innovation that develop creativity and, at the same time, insure a broad base of support as the idea evolves. Totally new skills of leadership will be needed:

1.    Every community will need to become a learning community. For learning to be broad in scope, the concept of continuous splitting and reconnecting ( bifurcation ) will become important. This concept focuses on the need to establish groups which are able to work on simultaneous ideas and capacities. This approach will assure that there can be no standard answer. Each new group or "web" will be capable of splitting into two or more groups. Ultimately, a critical mass of skills and knowledge begin to be developed in every community. With the proper feedback system ( ultimately a real time electronic one ) the skills and knowledge will tend to be generative and not fixed in one way of thinking. At any time, a "core of community competencies" will emerge to adapt the structure and methods of governance, education and business.

2.    A 21st+ century community will need to become oriented as if it functioned like our brain. "Webs" of citizens will need to be coached in 21st+ century thinking. All will need to understand the elemental aspects of the impact of trends of the future. Whether in governance, business, civic or nonprofit sectors, small initial webs of diverse people can reach out and touch all areas of a community's citizenry over several years. This reflects the way the brain learns and expands its knowledge. These webs or nodes would operate like a brain's neurons, synapses, and dendrites, and transfer knowledge over an area of the community without anyone or any organization being in control. Within a reasonable period of time, any community would be able to reflect a change of mindset to "mindflex" if the initial conditions are established effectively and if interconnections are reinforced by the creation of a positive environment for transformation.

"The brain learns and remembers throughout life by using the same processes it uses to shape itself in the first place: constantly changing its network of trillions of connections between cells as a result of stimuli from its environment."
  Ronald Kotulak -- Inside the Brain

3.    Algorithms for 21st+ century communities can establish principles by which people operate as collaborative group. As individuals learn how to listen, grow in patience and compassion, and become concerned again about the common good, they need to have guidance in how to lubricate the concept of true collaboration. Otherwise, the ability to connect with diverse people is not possible. The following algorithms for 21st+ century community interaction ( webbing ) lay the basis for a self-organizing and self-sustaining society:

o        Focus on the positive - look for ways to make others successful.

o        Synthesize Talents - look for ways to evolve mosaics of diverse people working for the common good.

o        Use Dialogue, Not Debate - debate assumes you know the truth already, dialogue allows new ideas to be generated.

o        Insure feedback to adapt - always think how another's idea can be used to rethink an existing approach.

o        Structure person contact - organize a list of those who need to be connected with on a regular basis (both electronically and face to face).

4.    Diverse people, organizations and ideas need to be brought together without a specific outcome in mind. This will allow self-organization to occur, and lead to a creative environment. One of the key concepts of self-organization is to provide a framework for coaching, decision making, or innovation, and to let those involved use their creativity. Often the focus of direction will change, but never will the creativity lack for originality. Of course old concepts of leadership need to shift. With effective facilitation, people will synthesize and bring together their differences into sustainable systems without the discord found in non-collaborative systems. A key evolution of human capacity will occur. Many humans, when given an open environment, will change their attitudes and behavior. If the dialogue is set within a futures context, innovations will spew forth.

5.    All biological systems start from simple organisms and evolve to more complex patterns. Today's democratic society is no different. In a world of complexity and interconnectedness, where trust is lacking, there is a need to evolve to a new approach for making decisions based on new leadership concepts and techniques to build shared vision.

If the previous assumptions are accepted as to why we need to develop new capacities for transformation in local communities through the creation of many interconnected "webs of intricacy," then what do we do and how do we do it? There are no models, and never will be in the traditional sense of the word. There are promising experiments which reflect an understanding of these new principles, but it will be years before truly common ideas evolve, and more years before they become part of a community's core competencies. With this said, the following are five specific capacities which are being developed by the Center for Communities of the Future as a part of the evolving network of people, organizations and communities in different parts of the country. In every case, a capacity is introduce as a part of dialogue among diverse groups of 10-20 people. As these people come to agreement, they tend to want to develop other groups and networks of people who can respond and add to the ideas previously developed. As with any structure ( hierarchical or web ) there is a need for continuous coordination and information flow. How that is done will be up to each local group and community.

1.    Develop a futures context - Without a futures context, no one will be able to understand a need for transformative change. It is important to try to develop an interest in the impact of future trends and to show how trends interact with each other to create a new context within which issues are to be considered. Without such an approach, ineffective decisions will be made due to obsolete ideas. Use webs of interested people to begin to talk about the future:

o        Create groups of teachers - Develop and test out new approaches to learning based on individualized instruction, peer coaching, learning leader, thinking based on multimedia systems, and a curricula based on future trends.

o        Recruit interested citizens - Have dialogue about the future within the scope of a local 21st century think tank.

o        Hold one day seminars - Discuss on the impact of future trends for small webs of interested people.

2.    Develop Electronic Infrastructure - Within ten years, any community which does not have an electronic infrastructure will begin to fall behind in ways reflective of the experiences of small farm communities in the Midwest. The accessibility and transfer of information will be of utmost importance for community issues related to governance, education and business. The emergence of the Knowledge Economy will change the very nature of how economic activity occurs. The Electronic Republic will transform the concept of local decision making. Individualized instruction will be done with virtual electronic tutors.

"There will be a worldwide, broadband network of networks based on fiber optics. Throughout the advanced nations and the middle class and prosperous crust of the developing world, face-to-face, voice-to-voice, person-to-data, and data-to-data communication will be available to any place at any time from anywhere."
  Coates, Mahaffie, Hines 2025

3.    Councils for the Common Good - Although difficult to accept in an epoch of radical individualism where the marketplace is king, a 21st+ century concept of the common good will emerge as central to the success of any community. It is expected that the level of complexity and speed of change will be such that no one individual or small group will be able to have enough knowledge or skill to respond to issues in a traditional manner. The concept of self-interest, rightly understood will need to expand to the idea of "helping each other succeed." In order to lay the seed for this type of thinking, a "web of intricacy" can be initiated around an idea or issue which needs full collaboration among diverse people. A "council for the common good" is, therefore, no one body, but any small group or web whose members use the principle of "helping each other succeed" as its guiding motto. Such an approach will ensure that the dialogue goes beyond self- interest and special interest, stretching to an ecological concept of the common good.

4.    Develop Process Leadership Skills - You'll need leadership skills to nurture "capacities for transformation" are different from traditional leadership concepts. Each community needs to develop a way to introduce small networks of people to these ideas. Whether structured or unstructured, process leadership "coaching" works within the framework of providing participants with an understanding of:

o        a futures context

o        a system of processes to develop shared vision

o        personal attributes appropriate to facilitate transformation

Most local leadership programs only focus on introducing the participants to the sectors of their community. Without rethinking how to develop 21st+ century process leaders, old ideas will be continued. Process leadership emphasizes the ability to have diverse people work together to think about issues within a futures context.

5.    Develop 21st+ Century Skills for Neighborhood Leaders - With the development of computer networking, fewer people network face to face. Connections within and between diverse neighborhoods will become more and more important to sustain a sense of community. One way to evolve this approach to neighborhood webbing is to build diverse groups of neighborhood leaders and have them be coached in key skills areas for the 21st+ centuries:

o        knowing how to access the Internet

o        facilitating small groups of diverse people

o        knowing how to network diverse people

o        creating process projects for introducing ideas of transformation

No community will be able to evolve a 21st+ century society without developing "capacities for transformation." Key leaders of this effort will need to become knowledgeable and comfortable with the principles of ecology. The extent to which local communities will have a vibrant future will depend on the way changes are made in the processes of preparation. No longer will only one approach make sense. The 21st century will open a new era of human evolution, demanding epochal changes of how we think and behave. Our very ability to survive the shock of the tsunami of cultural and technical change crashing over use like a tidal wave will be based on how well we modify the way we create capacities for transformation in education, governance and economic development, and how well we work together to allow all of our citizens to regain ownership of local decisions.

We are moving from an age in which the laws of calculus helped us understand a reality that could be predicted to an age in which the principles of ecology will help us understand how to make connections in order to be sustainable in a world of uncertainty and constant evolution. A historical divide happens once a millennium. What a wonderful feeling to know that we have the capacity to help frame the ideas undergirding a thousand years.