In the last couple of weeks, one of the areas of focus has been to learn about power play - in any complex system that we’re hoping to understand, influence or change - we must understand the relationship between all the entities and the direction of the flow of power

Now once we recognize the imbalance of power in our system - what’s the next step? There are many useful resources to help generate ideas and guide the design process.

One such tool is Equalizer Cards which can help create strategies for many possible equalizing techniques. It also helps identify pitfalls when we take up complex goal like that.

It makes me think of how as an individual it can be helpful to learn about cognitive biases - because that’s such a hardwired part of our how our brains function that it’s not something we can change simply by having better values and intentions. One has to train oneself to recognize what that looks like, accept that because of the complexities and evolutionary advantages our brains some with these ‘systemic errors’. Having a systematic approach to identifying these is the first step in avoiding them.

Something this section has left me curious about which I hope to dive into in the coming weeks:

I want to understand how some of the well-intentioned and ‘progressive’ service designs in the Austin Arts community might have led to further harm in some of our communities.

References:

Power Mapping

Power Play! Equalizer Cards