After an brief overview of the notion of emergence I will offer some suggestions as to how emergence in human systems may be facilitated. I will amplify this by reference to a form of participatory inquiry which I call emergent inquiry. Within the latter, human systems, there are further distinctions to be made in respect of the complexity of the rules which govern interactions between the agents. Both traffic patterns and stock market movements are the result of human interactions but the rules are relatively simple and there is limited scope for the rules to change as a result of interactions between agents. I will then move to a discussion of some of the factors which seem to affect emergence in conversational human systems.
Good boundaries seem to be necessary for emergence to occur.
These may be deadlines, clear goals and intentions, prescriptions about length or size, and so on. The common factor seems to be that there is a well-bounded 'space' within which the emergence can occur. Earlier I suggested that presence or absence of intentionality is a significant property of agents in a complex system. Intention seems to play a part in emergence in human systems, especially in encouraging a particular kind of outcome. Finally, but not least in importance, is the need for watchful anticipation.