Have you ever wondered that we face challenges, solve problems, design something new and create opportunities every moment in our lives without explicitly realizing that we do so? Yes, we use our own internal power, capabilities and resources to achieve such miraculous feats day in and day out.  

Why then we don’t think of using this normal and probably natural process to better understand the world around us, do our jobs better, face challenges more squarely, solve problems more effectively, design things with simplicity and beauty and also create new opportunities to not only improve the world around us but also improve our personal lives?

A little thought would show us that things like problems, challenges, opportunities are all “emergences” that appear in our lives constantly as things continue to change all around us.

The purpose of using Nemes and Nemetics is coming to grips with such ‘emergences’, which I believe is well within the reach of almost everyone on the earth. It helps us better understand events in our lives to take actions that change our future to a more ‘desirable’ one.

Let us start by understanding NEME. It is an acronym that stands for:

N = Notice

E = Engage

M = Mull

E = Exchange

And how do we use this in facing emergences that crop up in our lives?

Whenever we see or feel anything be it an object or an event or a phenomenon we use NEME. Hence any entity of our observation, mental engagement and action is a NEME or more appropriately called a NEMESPHERE (Nemesphere), which we may for the sake of convenience imagine it to be some sort of a spherical body that contains many other things like Nemepoint, Nemestrings, Nemetubes and even other Nemespheres – terms which we shall explain shortly along with their significance.Such Nemespheres move dynamically through space, time and energy fields inviting us to engage in its infinitely dynamic play with entangled nemestrings, nemetubes and other nemespheres - play that never ends but continuously evolves.

We know for certain that any object or an event or a phenomenon does not exist in utter isolation. It always exists as an entity that is not only interconnected to other entities (Nemespheres) but also interdependent on the functioning of other Nemispheres. Therefore, any Nemesphere exists in a holistic network fashion in relation to other Nemespheres.

So when we observe a point, seemingly in isolation it can be called a Nemepoint. Note as we zoom in on a Nemepoint it essentially becomes a Nemesphere. Alternatively, many Nemepoints might collapse together to form a Nemesphere, which obviously depends on our degree of abstraction or granularity that we use in our observation. 

Since a Nemepoint or Nemesphere cannot survive independently it must then be connected to at least one more Nemesphere (for sake of simplicity we would treat Nemepoint and Nemesphere as equivalent terms). The connections between two or more Nemespheres are achieved by connected Nemestrings, which might be imagined as strings having certain stiffness and matter. Interesting to note that each NemeSphere is also made up on numerous entangled NemeStrings.

However, when many Nemestrings are put together or organically bundle together (since Nemestrings are also connected to each other) they form Nemetubes which are nothing but a bundle of Nemestrings from which different characteristics might emerge.

But what we understand about NEME and how is it used?

N = Notice

So when we start to Notice (N) a Nemesphere we start paying attention to many issues like:-

a) Its movement in space, time and energy fields

b) The numerous relationships it has with other Nemespheres

c) The Dialectics or continual play of interdependence that goes on between different interconnected Nemespheres. Simply put the ‘struggle’ between opposite characteristics that goes on between two or more connected Nemespheres. The dialectics is experienced in the Nemestrings that create both patterns and non-patterns.

d) The history of its evolution over time, space and energy fields and the conditions that created the present state of existence.

e) The trends, tendencies, new possibilities, new developments (however weak or small), growth

This act of paying attention is done through the help of our five senses and feelings.

E = Engage

After our ‘noticing’ is complete we automatically move towards engagement or simply we Engage (E) in the following ways:

a) We discriminate each of the issues involved to find out how things are in reality.

b) We assess the quantities and qualities involved in the interconnections and interdependences through direct or indirect observations, tests, measures, estimates, analysis or through experimentation or doing.

c) We try to determine or trace the evolutionary history of the Nemesphere(s), i.e. what were its previous states and how did it evolve to its present state.

d) We also try to determine what might be the future evolution or development stages of the present Nemesphere since in the future the existing Nemesphere would evolve into a more complex plane of existence than its present form.

e) What would be the levers or triggers that might help accelerate its movement towards a future state of existence either ‘desired’ or natural.

M = Mull

The next stage is Mull. In this stage we enter into a more complex understanding obtained by placing the Nemesphere in its own sphere and environment of activity (authentic) that would involve the following:

a) Application of our power of feelings devoid of any emotional coloring of our thoughts.

b) Application of our power of insights obtained through intuition, analysis, synthesis, dialogs etc.

c) Application of our will and intention to do something about creating a preferred desired future, accelerate or decelerate its movement, maintaining or adapting to the present reality or destroying the present reality to release self organizing capabilities of the Nemespheres.

d) Communicating our insights, intentions and vision to others (Nemespheres connected to us).

E = Exchange

Now we come to the final stage of a NEME, i.e Exchange (E). We also term an exchange as Nemex

The final stage involves the following:

a) Design additional value that would help us create or co-create (through simultaneous resonance of NemeStrings & NemeTubes) the future, accelerate or decelerate the movement, maintain the status quo, adapt to changing realities, destroy the present stage allowing for a self organizing future.

b) Implement the action plan/design to create the value in reality

c) Exchange the value in terms of money/barter, learning, understanding, helping, sharing, dialogs & creating further opportunities for others & self etc.

d) Check back on the effect of the exchange for the next engaging with the next NEME since the dynamic play is continuously evolving.

I have tried to describe the discipline and practice of Nemetics very briefly.

We may use or apply the practice of Nemetics in the following ways (not exclusive):

1) Understand complex issues as much as we might use them to the depths of the essence behind simple issues

2)  Solve problems both simple and ‘wicked’.

3) Innovate to improve existing conditions with the least effort and resources.

4) Make present reality more relevant

5) Design goods, services, experiences, policies and the like.

6) Adapt, Maintain or increase our resilience

7) Use for personal improvement

8) Improve reliability or profitability of a desired future

9) Improve our existing relationships for robustness, productivity and reliability.

10) Create social value to meet ‘unmet’ needs (e.g. jobs, work, entrepreneurship, education, health, women welfare and material well being and comfort).

We may, therefore, use Nemetics in various fields of human endeavor like (not exclusive):

1) Organizational Development & Change

2) Social Engineering and Innovation

3) Engineering Design and Implementation

4) Other Design fields –, architecture, services, experiences, policies & entrepreneurship

5) Education

6) Personal lives

7) Health care

Nemetics as a discipline can be practiced as an individual or collectively by utilizing the internal powers, capabilities and resources that are ubiquitously found in every person around the world for the collective welfare of the human society without suffering from long term damages or consequences initiated by our actions.

Nemetics simultaneously serves as a discovery or exploration tool, understanding tool and a design tool to solve complex, difficult or 'wicked' problems to create new futures. And as a evolving practice it serves as one of the most fundamental design kata tool too.

Here is a video that tries to depict the movement of a Nemesphere through space, time and energy fields since the whole of reality is movement through relationships.

(download)

Click here to download:

FORCE.SWF (917 KB)

Acknowledgement:

I acknowledge with thanks @toughloveforx, for introducing his thoughts on Nemetics to me and my other peers on twitter like @ddrrnt @graingered and having @rotkapchen as an interested & perhaps curious observer with whom the discipline and practice is being developed through Action Oriented Research.

References:

1. Emergent Nirvana – The Manifesto of a New Movement: http://dibyendu.posterous.com/emergent-nirvana-the-dialectics-of-living-wit

2. Rapidinnovation – A Case Study on Organizational Development & Change: http://dibyendu.posterous.com/rapidinnovation-a-case-study-in-organizationa

3. Nemetics Part 1 (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x60scxxspFw&feature=youtu.be

4. In Search of the Elusive Truth: http://discoverwithin.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-search-of-elusive-truth.html

5. Finite & Infinte Games - John Hagel: http://edgeperspectives.typepad.com/edge_perspectives/2012/01/finite-and-infi...