The Long Introduction
The four sections of this page (see links below this paragraph) are a long introduction to the Growth Model.
Introduction | Concept | Main Processes | Related Areas
Introduction
Shorter Version: A shorter and more compact introduction to the Growth Model can be found in our Intro Area at Brief Intro - Growth Model. (This link takes you out of the User Area. You can move between areas with the Go to User Area and Go to Intro Area links in the upper right of pages.)
Note on Sustainability: This Growth Model is one of the three ProxThink Innovations related to sustainability. Our Proxri Deal is based on the Growth Model. The other two innovations include a sustainable structure for thinking and relating, and sustainable patterns and tools for generating ideas and relating to situations.
Boosting Collaboration and Encouraging Growth
This growth model can be useful for people who share a proximity, by making it easier to relate to the proximity. It provides ways to collaborate and manage resources while encouraging growth. It can encourage growth in a variety of ways and of various kinds (not only economic growth), for resources as well as people. It contains aspects of ideas found in areas such as sustainability, open source development, competition, systems thinking, innovation, and cooperation, without being any of those exactly. It’s a synthesis, and results from taking a ProxPatterns perspective. This growth model has the potential to be sustainable, flexible, healthy, fun and efficient for people in the proximity of situations in which it is used. In turn, these qualities can help people grow, change, survive and thrive.
What might this be like?
The Growth Model approach might be sort of like the give and take of a neighborhood, relationship, friendship or perhaps being a considerate traveler. You may want the neighborhood, relationship, friendship or location you're visiting to survive, thrive, and take care of you as you take care of it. You may also want it to persist, adapt and change as needed, which is how proximities stay sustainable and life stays interesting.
Shift in Emphasis to Proximities
Often when we think about growth, we think about the growth of an element, such as a person, business, idea, organization or group. This Growth Model is a shift in emphasis that focuses more on the proximity, by making it easier to relate to proximities.
Sustainability is Rarely Straightforward
The sustainability and growth of individuals, groups, enterprises, situations and proximities is rarely straightforward. Paradoxically perhaps, this seems to be how things actually get accomplished. The ProxThink Growth Model attempts to acknowledge and leverage this complexity.
Sustainable Proximities Approach
The Growth Model is the core around which the sustainable proximities approach is built.
Climate Change
With the advance of climate change and global warming, ways to create sustainable proximities are needed. We hope the ProxThink Growth Model, a part of Action Steps, will prove valuable in dealing with climate change. Also, see our climate change project.
The Model
The growth model starts with the concept of using ProxPatterns and includes four main processes: RelatePoints, ProxMonitors, Vadi Agreements, and ProxRewards (proxri). These processes are introduced in the Main Processes section below.
Key Related Ideas and Arguments
Other key associated ideas and arguments for the Growth Model can be found in the Related Areas section below, and on other pages at PPs & Rewards, PPs: Site Project, Some People and Other Arguments.
Why a Growth Orientation?
In some sense, almost everything can be understood in terms of relationships. However, at some point we need to make distinctions, provide some names for elements or ProxSets, and define some relationships. To better relate to a variety of contemporary conditions, the concept of growth allows us to leverage ProxPatterns effectively. The idea of growth relates to business, markets, and change, as well as individuals, communities, organizations and cultures. ProxPatterns encourage flexibility and growth while acknowledging limits and honoring some current conditions.
Growth Model and Technology
The Growth Model can work well with many existing technologies. The combination of some technologies and the Growth Model perhaps presents some ways to fundamentally change how we can coordinate, collaborate and manage resources. Consider the network technologies enabling communication (such as mobile phones, satellites, GPS and the Internet), sensing technologies (such as for heat, light, vision, motion, chemicals, etc.), and database technologies. These sorts of technologies especially serve some processes of the Growth Model, to be introduced below, such as RelatePoints, ProxMonitors, and ProxRewards (proxri), which will in turn support the creation and improvement of Vadi Agreements. Further, add the ongoing evolution of online collaboration, from open source software, to wikis, to social media and sharing and collaboration. For more, see the sustainable proximities approach.
An Instance of ProxGrowth
The Growth Model fits into the concept of ProxGrowth. Put another way, the Growth Model is an instance of ProxGrowth. For a more complete explanation, click here.
Possible Standards
The four main processes of the Growth Model are an integrated set, and are designed to be standards, for both online and offline use. The four main processes, described below, are: RelatePoints, ProxMonitors, Vadi Agreements, and ProxRewards (proxri). The RelatePoint symbol (r] is also designed to be a standard, which is described on the RelatePoint page.
Adopt and Reward
This Growth Model can be adopted and/or adapted to many kinds of situations, so it has applicability beyond the proximity of this site. If you use or adapt this Growth Model, we ask you to ProxReward us as a part of our IP Deal. We are developing, pioneering and promoting some new ways of growing and relating. Thank you.
Introduction | Concept | Main Processes | Related Areas
Concept
Using ProxPatterns
The concept behind the Growth Model is to apply ProxPatterns to collaboration and managing resources. Doing so will encourage growth in a variety of ways, not only economic, for resources as well as people.
How the Processes Help Relationships
As a simple example of encouraging ProxPatterns and helping relationships, consider the four main processes of the growth model: RelatePoints create links and starting points for better relationships. ProxMonitors enhance ProxAwareness for better relationships. Vadi Agreements relate a variety of parties and elements in the proximity, while honoring their integrity and allowing uncertainty. ProxRewards can be an essential part of Vadi Agreements, and allow people to use ProxPatterns to improve relationships, proximities and situations with the Core Idea in mind.
Introduction | Concept | Main Processes | Related Areas
Main Processes
The four Main Processes of the Growth Model are: RelatePoints, ProxMonitors, Vadi Agreements and ProxRewards (proxri). They coordinate as a team. Each makes important contributions, but they work even better together. When implemented together, these four processes have the effect of transforming a proximity into something more like an element, thus making it easier to relate to the proximity. It may also make the proximity seem more like it has a life of its own!
RelatePoints
Process: A RelatePoint is a primary starting point or place for coordinating relationships in the proximity. The symbol (r] stands for a RelatePoint. A RelatePoint provides ways for people to relate to a resource or each other, such as communicating, collaborating, joining, rewarding, etc. Since a RelatePoint is part of the Growth Model, the symbol (r] also indicates the Growth Model is likely in use.
Examples and Adaptability: On a website, a RelatePoint can be a page or set of pages. However, the concept can adapt to a variety of situations. A RelatePoint can be any place or way of coordinating relationships. At a convention, seminar or meeting, it might be a table and a sign. A phone or mobile app can be a RelatePoint. For groups who meet on a regular basis, their meeting place can be a RelatePoint. An internet chat interface can be a RelatePoint.
This Site: The RelatePoint for this site is at (r].
ProxMonitors
Process: A Proximity Monitor, or ProxMonitor, increases ProxAwareness. A ProxMonitor helps us monitor the status, progress, and other dimensions we want to keep track of, in the proximity of a situation. A ProxMonitor may also include the perceived quality of relationships in a proximity.
Examples and Adaptability: On a website, a ProxMonitor can be a page or set of pages that track various things. However, the concept can adapt to a variety of situations. A ProxMonitor can be any kind of information sharing method that increases ProxAwareness by tracking the status of various elements. ProxMonitors can range from scoreboards to electronic sensors, systems for reporting and feedback, wikis, accounting methods, voting, thermometers, surveys, video surveillance, mobile apps that boost ProxAwareness, as well as ways of checking references, reviews or complaints. Even getting a sense of the mood of the proximity of a situation has a ProxMonitoring aspect.
This Site: Our ProxMonitor page organizes the status monitoring for this site.
Vadi Agreements
Process: The term Vadi (pronounced vah'dee) is short for valuable differences. A Vadi Agreement acknowledges that differences are a part of relationships and some differences have value, and provides relationships and agreements which can help valuable differences persist, adapt and change as needed. Vadi Agreements can range from very formal to very casual.
Examples and Adaptability: The concepts and elements of Vadi Agreements can adapt to a variety of situations. Aspects of Vadi Agreements can be found in examples ranging from formal agreements like contracts, treaties, governmental forms, belief systems, procedures, traffic rules, and other written agreements, to spoken or unspoken agreements like marriages, friendships, neighborly arrangements, community norms and mutual understandings, to commonly accepted practices that are useful, enjoyable or make sense like crop rotation, lending libraries, generally accepted accounting practices, donation systems, art forms, etiquette and social norms.
This Site: This site has several deals based on Vadi Agreements. The Proxri Deal is mainly for users of the site and ideas, and it references the other deals. The Collaboration Deal is for people who collaborate in the development of the site, the ideas and other projects. The Quick IP Deal and the IP Deal are for people who want to use, adapt, build upon or extend the ProxThink IP Resources.
ProxRewards (proxri)
Process: ProxRewards are rewards which relate elements in the proximity. As such, they are often rewards made with the proximity in mind. ProxRewards are not only money; they can be many different elements or relationships which help relate other elements in the proximity. For short, a ProxReward is called a proxri. The plural (ProxRewards) is also proxri.
Examples and Adaptability: In life and situations in which differences arise, rewards can take many forms, so the concept and practice of proxri is general and adaptable to many situations. A reward might be a thank you, a wink, a hug, or a favor owed. A reward might be money or some financial instrument. It might be some service or connection or referral. A reward might be advice. A reward might even be the mutual acknowledgment that nothing is owed — that it is just what friends, neighbors, or associates do for each other. A reward might also be mutual enjoyment or a shared experience. Considered in this broad way, we give and receive a wide range of rewards in life, and these rewards can be considered to be instances of proxri. Also, here are some other examples that are more about what the process might look like.
This Site: ProxRewards are put into action on this site as a part of the Proxri Deal, and in the Collaboration Deal and IP Deal.
Introduction | Concept | Main Processes | Related Areas
Related Areas
Adaptable and General Version of the Growth Model
As you can discover more fully at ProxGrowth and on the pages for each process, the Main Processes of the Growth Model can be adapted, and hence generalized, as follows: A RelatePoint can be any place or way of coordinating relationships. A ProxMonitor can be any kind of information sharing method that increases ProxAwareness by tracking the status of various elements. Vadi Agreements can be any kind of agreement, from very casual to very formal, based on an acknowledgment that differences are a part of relationships, often have value, and we may want some valuable differences to persist, adapt and change as needed. ProxRewards can be any kind of optional and flexible rewards which relate elements in the proximity, while keeping the proximity in mind.
Some People...
How do sustainable efforts actually get accomplished, especially concerning rewards? The aspects of situations described in Some People relate to the ProxThink site and project, as well as probably generally to other situations.
ProxPatterns & Rewards
A discussion of how ProxPatterns relate to rewards is found at PPs & Rewards. It includes a discussion of ways optional and flexible rewards are healthier and more efficient, and a framework for thinking about rewards, as well as some reward situation examples.
Other Arguments
We're collecting some other arguments for the Growth Model and optional rewards (ProxRewards), which you can find here.
ProxPatterns: Site Project
Characteristic examples of how different ProxPatterns might play out in the growth of this site are found at PPs: Site Project.
Rewarding
Providing a direct way for people to simply reward, without getting deeply into the ideas of our growth model, is provided on the Reward page. Similarly, the basic approach of a Proxri Deal also implements the growth model ideas without requiring people to fully explore the growth model.
ProxThink Projects
ProxPatterns are related to the growth of the site and related projects at ProxThink Projects.
Adopting the Growth Model
You can find several simple steps for adopting and/or adapting the ProxThink Growth Model for your situation at Adopt (r].
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