The emergent dimension

Chapter 1 - Worldview

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Welcome to The emergent dimension page

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Key takeways

Dimensions are guiding metaphors for the complex reality that we are and our context is. They structure the totality of our agency

Direction provides the 'expansiveness' of your world model

Hidden layers are fields created by the 'action' and 'evaluation' dimension

• On top, all layers together create the third 'potention' dimension

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Core idea

Potention dimension

The first two dimensions, action and evaluation, create hidden layers, which form a third potention dimension between competence and relevance in relation to your context.

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The 'emergent/third' potention dimension, created by the (hidden) layers

Potention dimension

Here we describe the directions of the third dimension created by the hidden layers.

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The potention dimension spreads between:

• "My competences" (COMPETENCES) to
• "The relevance of actions for the bigger situation" (RELEVANCE), creating PROCESSES

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COMPETENCES

From "My competences": COMPETENCES

Human competences refers to the ability to do something well or effectively. It can refer to a specific skill or knowledge, working well in a team, or solving problems. . Competencies are essential because they allow people to perform tasks effectively and achieve goals. It can also help people to be more confident in their abilities and to feel more capable of taking on new challenges People can develop many different types of competencies, which can vary depending on a person's interests, goals, and the requirements of their job or role in society. For example, competencies might include technical and personal skills, such as communicating effectively or working well with others To develop competencies, people can engage in activities that challenge them and help them to learn new things, seek out opportunities to practice and improve their skills, and seek out education and training to help them learn new things

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RELEVANCE

To "The relevance of actions for the bigger situation": RELEVANCE

Relevance refers to the relationship or connection between something and the context in which it is being considered. Something relevant is related or applicable to the situation or problem at hand and is, therefore, essential or valuable to consider. . Relevance is essential because it helps people focus on the information or ideas most meaningful or valuable to them in a given context. It can help to save time and effort by allowing people to ignore or set aside information that is not relevant or useful to their current needs or goals.

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A general definition for "potention" is the state or quality of having the potential to develop, succeed, or achieve success in a particular area or endeavor. It refers to the inherent capacity or ability to accomplish something or reach a desired outcome.

When we take all three dimensions together, we can talk about the 'agency' of the subject in the specific context.

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Dive deeper

Hereafter, we describe a logical string of concepts that bridges Competences to Relevance (in the broader context), moving from the agents individual inward capability outward to systemic meaning.

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An overview of the POTENTION dimension

Visualisation of the 'third dimension'

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POTENTION dimension

Intermediates
Competences	Competences are the combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes a person or organisation (agency) possesses and can reliably deploy in a given domain.
Capability	Competences, when validated and contextually ready, translate into capability as the potential to perform effectively in a specific role or situation. While competence describes what someone can do, capability answers whether they are ready to do it here and now.
Performance	Performance is the observable, measurable execution of tasks and responsibilities. It is the first concrete result of the competence meeting context.
Output	Output is the tangible product, service, decision, or deliverable produced. Output is still close to the individual or team: it is what is made or done, not yet what it changes.
Outcome	Outcome is the specific, attributable change in knowledge, behaviour, conditions, or relationships among those affected. The chain moves from 'what we did' to 'what changed because of it'.
Impact	Impact is the long-term, systemic transformation that goes beyond any single agent or intervention. Impact is diffuse, cumulative, and often only visible in retrospect.
Relevance	An agent's impact recognised as meaningful within broader societal, ecological, or civilisational systems constitutes relevance in the degree to which the agent's actions and consequences matter to the larger whole.

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Manfred Max-Neef's Fundamental human needs

Artur Manfred Max Neef was a Chilean economist of German descent. He created a taxonomy of fundamental human needs and the ways in which these needs can be satisfied, which can be seen as closely linked to our dimensional thinking.

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Intermediates	Potention dimension	Context
Subsistence	food, shelter, work	living environment, social setting
Protection	insurance systems, savings, social security, health systems, rights, family, work	living space, social environment, dwelling
Affection	friendships, family, partnerships, pets, relationships with nature	privacy, intimacy, home, space of togetherness
Understanding	literature, teachers, method, educational policies, communication policies	settings of formative interaction, schools, universities, academies, groups, communities, family
Participation	rights, responsibilities, duties, privileges, work	settings of participative interaction, parties, associations, churches, communities, neighbourhoods, family
Idleness	games, spectacles, clubs, parties, peace of mind	privacy, intimacy, spaces of closeness, free time, surroundings, landscapes
Creation	abilities, skills, method, work	productive and feedback settings, workshops, cultural groups, audiences, spaces for expression, temporal freedom
Identity	symbols, language, religion, habits, customs, reference groups, sexuality, values, norms, historical memory, work	social rhythms, everyday settings, settings which one belongs to, maturation stages
Freedom	equal rights	temporal/spatial plasticity

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