Offer Scenarios: G4

Tetrads

Any G3-stance may be disseminated, but unless there is a consent to the stance in its application to the particular institution, the effect will be very limited. Stances are just too partial to gain general consent. What people need are scenarios that picture the institution's development. Scenarios can only be provided by incorporating a suitable L4-narrative.

Adding an extra level to form tetrads, ensures presence of L4-alternative narratives. The diagram at right shows L4-narrative highlighted as the one common level in the 4 tetrads.

All political players are cognizant of the importance of narratives being propagated in society, and the way its quality varies with the tetrad. These tetrads reveal different approaches to G4-winning consent, with success dependent on skill.

• Politicians, business leaders or their consortia are primarily concerned to be skillful in creating a narrative that leads to their own interests being promoted.
  » This results in G4¹-populist pictures of an institution.
• Experts skillfully draw on comparative statistics, and are primarily concerned to ensure their narrative is thoughtful.
  » This results in G4²-expert assessments of an institution.
• Ideologists and intellectuals regard perspectives as primary, and skillfully use these to develop a narrative that is convincing within their preferred paradigm.
  » This results in G4³-ideological accounts of an institution.
• Finally, there are the those making skillful demands for transparency so as to be maximally realistic so as to ultimately permit the fervent propagation of a truthful narrative.
  » This results in in G4¹-idealized frameworks for an institution.

These four views will now be taken in turn.

Vehicles of Consent

Idealized Framework (G4⁴)

Idealized frameworks thoughtfully challenge popular perspectives and are skillfully driven by a demand for transparency which is fought by vested interests, commonly including the government. The framework fervently posits a narrative and convincingly highlights statistics that prove the case.

These frameworks

Problem: Idealized frameworks are typically blind to cultural custom and conventional practices.

Ideological Account (G4³)

Ideological accounts must skillfully mount a challenge to current perspectives deemed misleading and harmful. This depends on a fervent analysis of controversial issues buttressed by thoughtful use of comparative statistics and a convincing alternative narrative.

These accounts are typically used in a battle against non-ideological expert assessments which would cause disadvantage to a powerful interest-group.

Problem:  Ideological accounts are blind to inconvenient facts.

Expert Assessment(G4²)

Expert assessments are fervent about remedies that will or won't work, based on a convincing analysis of the issues. They skillfully use comparative statistics and develop thoughtful alternative narratives.

These knowledgeable and often detailed assessments are provided as an act of public service, as an academic exercise, or they may be commissioned by a government.

Problem: Experts are either manipulated by the powerful players or disconnected from them and simply ignored. Years later they may well be proved correct.

Populist Picture (G4¹)

Populist pictures are skilfully driven by a credible alternative narrative, and fervently claim to promote the public interest . They convincingly discuss remedies claimed to be practical, and thoughtfully analyse controversial issues.

These simplified pictures are used to whip up an emotional state that interferes with rational considerations.

Problem: Appears to be rational and simple, but the narrative is often self-serving and supported by analyses that are flawed, partial, biased or outright dishonest.

Schema

Function:

To provide a scenario of the future progress of the institution that is likely to command widespread consent.

Quality: Skillful i.e. by activating relevant values and beliefs in a way that is likely to have public appeal.

Integration within the Group:  Each scenario is sustained by its choice of narrative, although this is handled differently for each group.

Integration across the Groups:A common narrative can provide for the maximum possible integration.

Psychological Correlate: Preference fora particular approach to scenario-building must also tolerate limitations and imperfections.

Institutional Tension: Anger and frustration based on deficiencies or limitations of the offered scenarios.

Practical Implications: The timing and degree of urgency of needed evolution is revealed.

Transition

While all these future scenarios of an institution are devised so as to win consent, none have universal appeal. There can be both strong support and intense opposition. As a result, there is a need for these differences to be exposed and debated.

This can be provided by adding a 5th level to create pentads which are designed to expose the issues in public fora.

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• Continue with the Debate-G5 Pentads.
• Go to the review section to see the full picture in more detail.

Originally posted: 18-Mar-2024