2.5.14. Summary

Patterns in nature, including the patterns in human behavior and structure, are interrelated and interdependent. They don’t work in a vacuum. They influence and inform one another. 

Life can influence patterns as well. We have choices about the patterns that we use. We can choose to change the patterns we use to better reflect the situation we’re dealing with, or to better achieve the results we’re going for.

One example would be the pattern of human relationships. In projects, we often work in hierarchies, with a project manager dictating what others do on the project. This can be an efficient branching pattern that distributes information and energy quickly. But an even more efficient form would be if information, ideas and even management also flows upward in the form of feedback loops, brainstorming sessions, “on-the-ground” decision making, and other approaches.

In some cases, a hierarchical management pattern may transform to a net pattern, where every node acts on its own, but in tandem with every other. This tends to work well when people know each other, get along, and are all focused on a single goal. Cooperative societies or groups that have practiced net or node patterns are usually better at it than those who have grown up under strict hierarchies.

Many people find that they perform better when given the opportunity for more autonomy or freedom or level of input into the process, once they know what they are doing. Some companies are discovering this and have created management structures that reflect circular or netting patterns, such as holacracy or sociocracy (more on those approaches later). 

To wrap up, your focus with pattern language could be:

•  Understand and work with patterns in the landscape that already exist, align designed energy flows with existing natural flows to reach a desired effect where possible. 
•  Develop an understanding of the different patterns in the built environment and human systems.
•  Develop your own pattern language based on observation of existing patterns, especially ones that are successful in a regenerative context.

This is a deep subject that is a lifetime study for some people, like so many other aspects of permaculture design! 

We just touched on some basic patterns in this section. It may not be apparent to you at first how to use these patterns in design. A great place to start is just to continue to notice patterns in your landscape and in your own behavior and others’ behavior. 

We’ll continue to discuss patterns in detail as we move through the course and we’ll share many examples of how you can use them or benefit from recognizing them.