Systemic Design

As we have noted previously, CHRIIS is an example of a tool from the emerging field of systemic design. There are very good sources that describe this field and its theories, tools, and practices (e.g., Nelson & Stolterman, 2012; Sevaldson & Jones, 2013; van Ael, Ryan, Jones & Vandenbroek, n.d.; van der Bijl-Brouwer & Malcomb, 2020). To give a brief sense, systemic design was founded from the recognition that (1) single disciplinary perspectives are insufficient to solve the complex problems we face in organizations and society, and (2) relating systems thinking and designing affords a multi- and trans-disciplinary approach to resolving these problems that is powerful in both theory and practice.

Systemic design involves looking holistically or systemically not only at a problematic situation (organization, context, circumstances, etc.) but at the process by which that situation might be resolved. In other words, we think systemically about that which is designed as well as the design process—we design the design as a system. This recognizes that systems are our representations of interdependencies in the world; they are not themselves entities in that world. Further, this recognizes that we are a part of the systems we construct. For example, we observe system behavior, gain feedback, take actions to guide systems’ direction, and so on (see what is called second-order cybernetics).

CHRIIS is thus an example of a systemic design tool. It helps us see a problematic situation and take action to resolve that situation through a systems lens, hopefully creating a better future. It has been used effectively in multiple contexts, but it is certainly a work in progress.

As you have seen, CHRIIS integrates multiple disciplines and, as the table in The CHRIIS Model and the verses illustrated, it can be expanded/adapted to include multi-sensory, perhaps indigenous elements. For example, we can imagine practices and ritual versions that incorporate things such as Qi Gong movements associated with elements (e.g., wood, fire, earth, metal, water) (Platt & Platt, 2020).

Consistent with such practices, we also see CHRIIS as an attempt to foster design with and within, not design for others (Banathy, 1996).