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ProxPatterns Overview

Here is a summary of the ProxPatterns (PPs), with links to pages with related key points, questions and examples. The Quick list below is fast. The Complete list provides more detail. Relate the PPs helps you think about relationships between PPs.

Quick | Complete | Relate the PPs

Quick

Essence of ProxThink
The ProxThink framework mainly consists of three integrated parts: the Basics, the ProxPatterns and the Growth Model. The Basics help us describe and discuss situations. The ProxPatterns are especially helpful for creativity, innovation and problem-solving. The Growth Model boosts collaboration and encourages growth for people who share a proximity. The Basics, the ProxPatterns and the Growth Model build on the Underlying Concept that being is about relating, and they help carry out the Core Idea, which is a basic strategy for situations.

ProxPatterns (PPs)

The ProxPatterns are especially helpful for creativity, innovation and problem-solving. They are an integrated group of related patterns for relating to situations. A single ProxPattern describes ways elements can or do relate in the proximity. As a group of related patterns, ProxPatterns are valuable in relationship with each other. If one ProxPattern doesn't apply in a situation, another one probably does. Further, they often work together and play off each other. So, as a group, ProxPatterns can help us relate to situations in more productive, effective, adaptive, creative, playful and enjoyable ways. The ProxThink ProxPatterns are organized into three groups: Combo, Limits and Pure.

Combo PPs
The word combo is short for combination. The Combo PPs (PPs means ProxPatterns) work and play especially well together. They also combine well with PPs from the Limits and Pure groups.

Relate a Variety
How can you relate a wider variety of elements?

Honor Integrity
How can you relate elements in ways that honor their integrity?

Allow Uncertainty
How can you allow some uncertainty, ambiguity, chaos, chance and/or tension?

Avoid Forcing
How can you avoid forcing elements to relate to each other?

Involve Actively
How can you relate elements so they are actively involved or engaged?

Transition Smoothly
How can you create transitions between elements and relationships which are smooth?

Connect Independently
How can you connect elements but still allow them some independence?

Limits PPs
The Limits PPs (PPs means ProxPatterns) relate to different aspects of limits and constraints in the proximity of situations. They are not only about being realistic, but also may help us uncover opportunities and possibilities in those limits and constraints.

Value of Some
How can you focus on some elements?

Limits of One...
How can you deal with or respond to the limits of any one element to relate to others?

Never Know All...
How can you relate to never knowing all the elements?

Rank Depends...
How can you relate to ways the rank, hierarchy or importance of elements depends on the proximity or ProxSet?

Pure PPs
The Pure PPs (PPs means ProxPatterns) focus more purely on relationships than other PPs. In addition to awareness of the proximity, they are often related to the structure of relationships, and structural changes to relationships.

ProxAwareness
How can you increase your awareness, appreciation or understanding of the proximity?

Introduce Related...
How can you introduce elements which are related?

More Proximate...
How can you let elements be more proximate in physical, mental or other ways?

Create Links...
How can you create links, or relationships, that connect elements?

Group/Ungroup
How can you group or ungroup elements?

Relate the PPs
Please see the section below.

Quick | Complete | Relate the PPs

Complete

Essence of ProxThink
The ProxThink framework mainly consists of three integrated parts: the Basics, the ProxPatterns and the Growth Model. The Basics help us describe and discuss situations. The ProxPatterns are especially helpful for creativity, innovation and problem-solving. The Growth Model boosts collaboration and encourages growth for people who share a proximity. The Basics, the ProxPatterns and the Growth Model build on the Underlying Concept that being is about relating, and they help carry out the Core Idea, which is a basic strategy for situations.

ProxPatterns (PPs)
The ProxPatterns are especially helpful for creativity, innovation and problem-solving. They are an integrated group of related patterns for relating to situations. A single ProxPattern describes ways elements can or do relate in the proximity. As a group of related patterns, ProxPatterns are valuable in relationship with each other. If one ProxPattern doesn't apply in a situation, another one probably does. Further, they often work together and play off each other. So, as a group, ProxPatterns can help us relate to situations in more productive, effective, adaptive, creative, playful and enjoyable ways.

Why, Where and When?
The ProxPatterns can help us relate to a variety of situations, relationships and people, ranging from simple objects and daily concerns, to social situations, to business situations, to community situations, to creative situations in the arts and design, to theoretical situations, to physical situations in engineering and science. The ProxPatterns apply to static and to dynamic (changing) situations.

More About ProxPatterns
ProxPatterns can help us carry out the Core Idea. They can be used with ProxSets. ProxPatterns can suggest ways to change or adapt elements and relationships in a proximity or ProxSet. ProxPatterns can be used to evaluate or check relationships in a proximity or ProxSet. ProxPatterns provide clues about ways to start and how to progress, as well as provide options and help us deal with change. ProxPatterns allow for contradictions and complexity, yet can prevent situations from collapsing into chaos. ProxPatterns can help increase viable alternatives. ProxPatterns are simple enough for daily use, and powerful enough for some of our toughest situations.

The ProxThink ProxPatterns are organized into three groups: Combo, Limits and Pure.

Combo PPs
The word combo is short for combination. The Combo PPs (PPs means ProxPatterns) work and play especially well with each other. In other words, elements and relationships in the proximity often benefit when several, though not necessarily all, of the Combo PPs are active. They also combine well with PPs from the Limits and Pure groups.

Relate a Variety
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you relate a wider variety of elements?

Honor Integrity
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you relate elements in ways that honor their integrity?

Allow Uncertainty
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you allow some uncertainty, ambiguity, chaos, chance and/or tension?

Avoid Forcing
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you avoid forcing elements to relate to each other?

Involve Actively
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you relate elements so they are actively involved or engaged?

Transition Smoothly
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you create transitions between elements and relationships which are smooth?

Connect Independently
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you connect elements but still allow them some independence?

Limits PPs
The Limits PPs (PPs means ProxPatterns) relate to different aspects of limits and constraints in the proximity of situations. They help us consider which elements we are working with, or can work with. They loosely relate to concepts like scope, range, selection, and extent. They are not only about being realistic, but also may help us uncover opportunities and possibilities in those limits and constraints.

Value of Some
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you focus on some elements, rather than all elements or just one element?

Limits of One...
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you deal with or respond to the limits of any one element to relate to others?

Never Know All...
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you relate to never knowing all the elements?

Rank Depends...
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you relate to ways the rank, hierarchy or importance of elements depends on the proximity or ProxSet?

Pure PPs
The Pure PPs (PPs means ProxPatterns) focus more purely on relationships than other PPs. In addition to awareness of the proximity, they are often related to the structure of relationships, and structural changes to relationships. They are primarily generated from the Terms of ProxThink.

ProxAwareness
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in creating ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you increase your awareness, appreciation or understanding of the proximity?

Introduce Related...
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you introduce elements which are related?

More Proximate...
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you let elements be more proximate in some way (physical, mental, emotional, temporal, logical, intuitive, historical, social, or any other way)?

Create Links...
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you create links, or relationships, that connect elements?

Group/Ungroup
1. For your situation, in the proximity generally or more specifically in ProxSets,
2. Possibly in relationship with other PPs,
3. To help with the Core Idea,
4. How can you group or ungroup elements in order to improve them, work or play with them, change or understand them, or otherwise relate to them?

Relate the PPs
Please see the section below.

Quick | Complete | Relate the PPs

Relate the PPs

Related Patterns
As a group of related patterns, ProxPatterns (PPs) are valuable in relationship with each other. If one ProxPattern doesn't apply in a situation, another one probably does. Further, they often work together and play off each other to create some synergy. Try some of the questions below.

Questions
In the following questions, "other PPs" means other individual ProxPatterns, which may be in the Combo, Limits or Pure groups. In your proximity or situation, how does your current ProxPattern ...
• Help you realize other PPs?
• Get helped by other PPs?
• Lead to other PPs?
• Follow other PPs?
• Work with other PPs?
• Play with other PPs?
• Combine with other PPs?
• Interfere with other PPs?
• Coexist with other PPs?
• Overrule other PPs?
• Get overruled by other PPs?
Relate to other PPs?
• Not relate to other PPs?

Choosing a Different ProxPattern
If a particular ProxPattern does not apply to your situation, others probably do. To find a new ProxPattern that relates, try the questions below. After you try them, circle back to the questions above to see how the new ProxPattern relates to other PPs.
• Consider a ProxPattern which seems like it might help. How does it apply?
• Choose a random ProxPattern or one you haven't tried yet. What ideas, possibilities or actions does it trigger?
• Pick a ProxPattern which you don't often use. How does it relate?

Synergy
Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more ProxPatterns (PPs) to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. Further discussion here.

Quick | Complete | Relate the PPs

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