4 Orders of Synergy

An attempt by the m21 Team to classify synergies into qualitatively different modes

There are Many Orders of Synergy

• Buckminster Fuller said that Nature is a synergy-of-synergies
• We hope to produce some (modest) synergies-of-synergies from metadesign.
• However, as Peter Corning's work shows, defining synergy is difficult.
• In its common usage - several different levels of complexity and behaviour are included in the same category.
• For pragmatic and organizational reasons we adopted four basic ‘orders’ of synergy.
• We adopted Mike Coolley's and Russell Ackoff's definitions (i.e. data, information, knowledge and wisdom)
  • Ackoff - (2007), The 8 Foundations of Effective Presenting, Back International

First Order Synergy

Some synergies emerge from the sharing of data

• e.g. smart materials, nano-scale metallurgy, as developed by Toyota (see gum metal)
• e.g. Buckminster Fuller’s floating geodesic city

Second Order Synergy

Some synergies emerge from the sharing of information

• e.g. synergies from the thermostat
• e.g. when Emperor Penguins huddle together to keep warm)

Third Order Synergy

Some synergies emerge from the sharing of knowledge

• e.g. flying geese
• e.g. collaboration systems, such as cooperation using tag-based web media)

Fourth Order Synergy

Som synergies emerge from the sharing of wisdom

• e.g. James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis
• The richness / effectiveness of grandchild-to-grandparent relationships, when compared with many parent-child relationships