Applicative Context: 6. Plan of action and 7. Intervention
Action Realm (Interaction Dictionary): Change Realm


Therapeutics

In medicine, therapeutics is the branch that deals with the treatment and cure of diseases; therapy.

In most other disciplines the transition from the diagnostic realm to the therapeutic realm has not developed into a branch of the discipline itself. Often it is considered to be part of the discipline's applications.

In the context of growth diagnostics, diagnostic stories that fit the facts, are internally consistent and fit further evidence, make it easier and safer to move from diagnostics to therapeutics [1]: good diagnostics facilitate better therapeutics.

Collaborative Therapeutics

In a collaborative diagnosis actors from the various socio-technical levels contribute and verify facts, indicate which constraints they consider binding, and recite their share of the diagnostic story. That story will provide a mapping of the mechanisms that sustain resource-eroding effects, or otherwise hamper growth.

The subsequent question of interest for all stakeholders is what each of them can do about it.

Each stakeholder may see options, and it may have benefit-cost expectations for such options. By reasoning the stakeholder may translate such options to elements of an intervention.

As multiple stakeholders express their options, negotiations will be needed to balance many stakeholders' opinions on what is effective and fair, what is comprehensive and balanced.

Critical issues will emerge where the expectations of different stakeholders are translated into conflicting elements of an intervention design. In the negotiation arena we pursue an open, transparent and participative approach to yield the following effects:

  • Rapid access to content and clarity on their relation to benefit-cost expectations of the stakeholders will facilitate thorough discussion;
  • Back and forth expansion, in-depth, and in-context, of justifications for either option or alternative, builds trust and awareness, while exposing stakeholder assumptions, as well as resource and mechanism attributes and factor-dependencies that may harm the intended outcome for either party or constituency.
  • Working with a wiki for the detailed documenting of stakeholder viewpoints, questions and answers may open up new solution directions and new choice options for addressing critical issues. It will ensure traceability of therapy elements to the benefit-cost expectations of the various stakeholders.

Web-based instruments such as wikis, and systematized knowledge commons, support both the expression of concerns by multiple stakeholders, and the traceability of intervention designs to such concerns.

The experimental nature of collaborative therapies obtained in this way implies a need for close monitoring and evaluation: stakeholders must promptly learn which interventions work and which fail[2].

Where intervention designs must be adapted following intermediate evaluations, web-based instruments support the efficient communication on change with those affected.


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