Exploring Options for Enhancement of Social Dialogue Between the Turkish and Greek Communities in Cyprus Using the Structured Dialogic Design Process

Abstract

This paper summarizes results of a co-laboratory that took place 33 months after the negative outcome of the referendum on the UN's proposal for the solution of the Cyprus problem, and which was a follow-up (3 months later) of a previous co-laboratory. The earlier co-laboratory explored factors contributing to the increasing gap between the two conflicting communities. The co-laboratory reported here engaged relevant stakeholders (peace pioneers, academics, business people, activists and others representing the Turkish and Greek speaking communities of Cyprus) to come up with options aiming to enhance the social dialogue between the two communities. The Structured Dialogic Design Process was used to structure 27 proposed options and develop an influence map. The deep drivers, i.e., most influential factors, determined decisions taken by the participating peace pioneers regarding their future interventions. The results are also discussed within the framework of current (analysis reflects the political situation during the period reported here) political developments.

Systemic evaluation of actions toward developing practical broadband applications for elderly and people with disabilities

“…In sum, an SDDP Co-Laboratory provides an excellent opportunity for experts to not only expand their shared understanding of the current complex situation within a reasonable time frame, but also to develop a road map for their future work and achieve a consensus regarding how to move forward. Furthermore, the particular methodology was chosen because of the experience of the authors who have deployed it in numerous analogous forums to facilitate organizational change and social dialogue [2,[10][11][12][13]. Specifically, the SDDP aimed to facilitate the structuring of stakeholder representatives' proposals on possible actions and determine which actions would most effectively resolve the obstacles identified in the previous Problématique Co-Laboratory.…”

An Indigenous Relational Approach to Systemic Thinking and Being: Focus on Participatory Onto-Epistemology

“…For example, it was used extensively in the context of exploring prospects for generating dialogue between Turkish and Greek Cypriots (cf. Laouris et al 2009Laouris et al , 2015. Christakis and Bausch (2006), in their detailed exposition of how the SDD process is to used to harness collective wisdom, refer to many instances of using the process with participants from across a variety of cultural heritages.…”

What Is Wisdom? Can We Define or Measure It? What Is Its Significance in Our Lives?

“…Future Worlds Center (2023) in Cyprus is one of the very few centres that develop theories, methods, systems, and tools to support groups to manage and structure the plurality and complexity of opinions, perspectives, or options proposed by diverse stakeholders. Their Dialogic Design Science approach (Flanagan, 2020) claims to harness a group's collective intelligence and collective wisdom (Laouris & Michaelides, 2018;Laouris & Romm, 2022a, 2022bMichaelides & Laouris, 2023; for applications utilising lay peoples' wisdom, see also Laouris et al, 2009aLaouris et al, , 2009b. They use the emerging consensus to design more effective plans to reform the socio-technical systems the group wishes to improve.…”