ABSTRACT
In the fifth chapter, the reader will gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of emergence and how emergence is an essential element of the research process and its design. The chapter opens by reviewing the thoughts on emergence in earlier chapters:
about what comes up – the unexpected.
against a (too) strict delineation of what research outcomes will be in advance.
strongly based on experiences of how complex processes (including research) tend to take shape – and the desire to give this a voice in research design.
These ideas are taken up and unpacked towards relevant theories on emergence, including the understanding of it being a form of higher-level knowledge and behaviour that is related to low-level interaction in complex systems, decentralisation, or feedback. The critical step this chapter will take is in making the transition from theories on emergence and complexity towards the concrete practice of research design, the design decisions necessary within research practice, and the Common Ground model and its elements in particular. The chapter closes with a few suggestions regarding working with emergence or, rather, how to let emergence do its work.