Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has put wellbeing on the global agenda like never
before. Many businesses, organizations, and even governments have recognized
wellbeing as a formal policy goal. This paper addresses the question of how to design
complex systems to improve the wellbeing of their stakeholders. We present a case of
helping a university adopt a systematic approach to wellbeing assessment and
improvement during the COVID-19 crisis. To support the improvement of student and
staff wellbeing, we adopted a cybernetic perspective. Practically, this involved focusing
on the design of a feedback loop that used wellbeing assessments to inform
organizational actions. We argue that “off-the-shelf” assessments of wellbeing are
often insufficient for supporting a systemic response to data because they lack
context-sensitivity and actionability. While a “cybernetic perspective” may evoke a
sense of the inhuman or mechanical in the optimization of wellbeing, our case study
suggests otherwise. At least from our perspective, a society that aims to improve
wellbeing may look more like a deliberative or dialogical democracy than an
automated AI system.
before. Many businesses, organizations, and even governments have recognized
wellbeing as a formal policy goal. This paper addresses the question of how to design
complex systems to improve the wellbeing of their stakeholders. We present a case of
helping a university adopt a systematic approach to wellbeing assessment and
improvement during the COVID-19 crisis. To support the improvement of student and
staff wellbeing, we adopted a cybernetic perspective. Practically, this involved focusing
on the design of a feedback loop that used wellbeing assessments to inform
organizational actions. We argue that “off-the-shelf” assessments of wellbeing are
often insufficient for supporting a systemic response to data because they lack
context-sensitivity and actionability. While a “cybernetic perspective” may evoke a
sense of the inhuman or mechanical in the optimization of wellbeing, our case study
suggests otherwise. At least from our perspective, a society that aims to improve
wellbeing may look more like a deliberative or dialogical democracy than an
automated AI system.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Design Research Society (DRS2022) |
Place of Publication | Bilbao |
Publisher | Design Research Society |
Number of pages | 13 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Event | DRS 2022 - Bilbao, Spain Duration: 25 Jun 2022 → 3 Jul 2022 https://www.drs2022.org |
Conference
Conference | DRS 2022 |
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Country/Territory | Spain |
City | Bilbao |
Period | 25/06/22 → 3/07/22 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- cybernetics
- wellbeing
- governance
- pandemic
- design for wellbeing