To take a deeper dive into the work of incorporating feedback and new information, let us turn again to the brilliant work of Donella Meadows. While she does not talk explicitly about how to incorporate stakeholder feedback per se, Meadows' writing on leverage points gives us insights into how we can look back at a systems problem and potential solutions to identify powerful sites for intervention. Understanding Donella Meadows' "Places to Intervene in a System", in combination with your knowledge of the Stenitz geodesign framework may allow you to more deftly incorporate new information or insights in more impactful ways.
PLACES TO INTERVENE IN A SYSTEM
(in increasing order of effectiveness)
12. Constants, parameters, numbers (such as subsidies, taxes, standards).
11. The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows.
10. The structure of material stocks and flows (such as transport networks, population age structures).
9. The lengths of delays, relative to the rate of system change.
8. The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against.
7. The gain around driving positive feedback loops.
6. The structure of information flows (who does and does not have access to information).
5. The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishments, constraints).
4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure.
3. The goals of the system.
2. The mindset or paradigm out of which the system — its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters — arises.
1. The power to transcend paradigms.
Please be sure to read the entire chapter "Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in the System" to gain a solid understanding of each point. This critical writing is best understood when preceded by "System Traps and Opportunities".
It may seem like quite a leap, but can you translate these concepts into action in your AOI? What is the most effective place for intervention in your study? How might stakeholder feedback be funneled into one or more of these leverage points?