Framing of conflicts, designing for systems : a pragmatic approach

I am happy to announce that on Thursday, November 14, I will be at the University of Antwerp, Faculty of Design Sciences, Product Development Research Group, to defend my PhD research titled:

Framing of conflicts, designing for systems : a pragmatic approach 

In my PhD research, I explored the concept of conflict and disagreement at the intersection of design and systems thinking. I identified a correlation between the specific needs of designers for social innovation and the relevance of a critical systems approach in intervening within higher-order systems. Specifically, my research focused on empowering antagonistic actors as essential parts of social systems and examining the extent to which ideological emancipation—such as shifts in mindsets and paradigms—becomes a prerequisite for higher-order learning. The objective was to facilitate social learning, continuous adaptation, and meaningful engagement, highlighting the mediating role of designers as facilitators and design intervention as a translational process. 

In this research, I developed a design method called Framing of conflicts, designing for systems : a pragmatic approach In the empirical chapters, I tested the second and third iterations of this method, involving the design of dialogical processes and network construction. I evaluated the method through participatory action research and co-simulations within a familiar context, focusing on six organizational archetypes. The main contribution of this PhD study is to empower both designers and strategic actors at different levels of abstraction, to intentionally drive structural change, and construct new narratives in response to social crises and power imbalances. 

The defense is open to the public and will take place from Framing of conflicts, designing for systems : a pragmatic approachThe abstract is available at the following link, and the full text (358 pages) will be accessible on November 15.