Abstract
Transitions toward a desirable future require changes at the level of social networks
that ‘manage’ or ‘govern’ societal systems. Learning is a crucial component of
transitions, because transitions require change while it is not known yet how to realize
that change. Intervention is another crucial component of transition which is essential
in order to realize change in networks which are full of established routines and
vested interests. In this paper we explore how learning and intervention can be
fruitfully combined in an approach which we call ‘reflexive interventions’. In that
way, learning is not purely theoretical and intervention is not purely based on routine.
We describe a practical method of ‘reflexive intervention’ in the early stages of
change processes, and we do a preliminary assessment of its effectiveness. We
conclude that they are probably a contribution to ‘knowledge-democracy’