Mapping Strategic Moves #11: The House of Knowledge Discovery and the Social Landscape Framework

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18 min readOct 4, 2024

A Journey of Transforming a Theme into a Concept

The diagram above illustrates a brief journey of transforming the “Social Landscape” theme into a fully realized concept supported by a knowledge framework.

This article is part of the Mapping Strategic Moves series. Previous articles have been curated into a possible book Strategic Moves: Knowledge Engagement and Structural Choice (book, v1, 2024).

In the book, I introduced the Mapping Strategic Moves method, drawing on tools like the House of Project Engagement and the House of Creative Life Strategy to conduct case studies based on my creative explorations from 2019 to 2024.

Today, I present a new map called Castle and Forest: The House of Knowledge Discovery, which I will use to analyze a Strategic Move case study.

In May 2024, I developed version 3.1 of the Project Engagement approach — a theoretical toolkit.

From May to July 2024, I discussed Project Engagement (v3.1) with friends. I spent four weeks in China in June and July caring for a family member undergoing surgery. I developed the tool “The House of Project Engagement” during this time, using “Thematic Rooms” as a metaphor to represent different social structures. I later named this group of rooms and their social structures “Social Landscape”.

In July 2024, after returning to the U.S., I completed Project Engagement (v3.1) with a Chinese-language thesis. However, I detached the concept of Social Landscape from the thesis and developed it into a standalone framework, which I later applied to the Strategic Moves project in September 2024.

This journey echoes the ideas in my 2023 book draft Thematic Exploration: The Early Discovery of Knowledge Engagement.

The article is structured as follows:

Map — Castle and Forest: The House of Knowledge Discovery
Move — A transformation of the theme “Social Landscape” into a concept
Model — The Strategic Thematic Exploration Framework

1. Castle and Forest: The House of Knowledge Discovery

The House of Project Engagement was designed to translate the Project Engagement approach into an interactive tool that supports life narrative practices, including strategic narratives.

The House of Project Engagement represents different kinds of social landscapes and is designed to support life narrative practices. While it can be applied using the Mapping Strategic Moves method, its primary function is general.

Some similar yet more specific maps are needed for this method.

Designed as a Map, the House of Project Engagement uses a “museum” metaphor to represent space. The house is organized into 12 thematic rooms, with each room representing a distinct type of social landscape.

I applied the same design strategy to create Strategy and Narrative: the House of Creative Life Strategy. More details can be found in Mapping Strategic Moves #10: The Strategic Curation Model, Near History, and Possible Selves.

How about the development of a knowledge element, such as transforming a theme into a theoretical concept?

This idea inspired me to combine the Knowledge Discovery Canvas and the Grasping the Concept Model to design a new map.

It was named Castle and Forest: The House of Knowledge Discovery.

1.1 The Knowledge Discovery Canvas

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas was developed in January 2022 to explore Developing Tacit Knowledge through Thematic Spaces.

I made a distinction between Knowledge Discovery and Knowledge Production. While the outcome of Knowledge Discovery is Significant Insight, the outcome of Knowledge Production is Knowledge Products. Moreover, Significant Insight will lead to Knowledge Production. From the perspective of the Anticipatory Activity System, Knowledge Discovery is a Second-order Activity while Knowledge Production is the First-order Activity.

The term “Tacit Knowledge” was coined by Michael Polanyi in his 1958 book Personal Knowledge, which addresses the philosophy of science. Many scholars and researchers claim that skills, ideas, and experiences are part of tacit knowledge. I focus on the dynamics of tacit knowledge. I return to Polanyi’s initial notion of “an active comprehension of the things known” and use it as a starting point for understanding the dynamics of tacit knowledge. Moreover, I consider Developing Tacit Knowledge as an activity of objective — subjective knowledge curation.

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas is designed with the THEORY — PRACTICE dimension and the END — MEANS dimension. I also consider the ENTER — EXIT dimension and the INDIVIDUAL — COLLECTIVE dimension. The canvas also has two nested squares which divide the thematic space into two sub-spaces: inner space and outer space. For Developing Tacit Knowledge, the inner space focuses on personal knowing activities while the outer space relates to social interactions.

Based on the above settings, I generated a series of mapping between outer space and inner space:

Approaches — Tastes
Concepts — Notions
Events — Projects
Domains — Works
Perspectives — Views
Frameworks — Insights
Methods — Guides
Heuristics — Skills

Moreover, I used “Flow, Story, Model” as a metaphor to describe the whole process of the Knowledge Discovery Activity. In fact, I designed the other two canvases for the project.

The diagram above places Knowledge Discovery in the context of life development, using a simple metaphor: Flow, Film, and Floor Plan.

More details can be found in Knowledge Discovery (Book).

1.2 Mapping Knowledge Engagement with the Knowledge Discovery Canvas

From 2022 to the present, I have used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas several times to guide my creative journey of Knowledge Engagement.

In February 2023, I wrote a series of articles about product-centered business development within two weeks. I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to organize this knowledge project. More details can be found in How did I develop the “Product Engagement” Framework?

In March 2023, I conducted several case studies about “the Attachances between Moving Mental Elements.” I adopted Dean Keith Simonton’s Chance — configuration Theory as the primary knowledge resource and expanded his theory into a new model. You can find more details in A Possible Theme called “Mental Moves” and Mental Moves (book, v1) — Introduction.

In August 2023, I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to curate the Ecological Practice Design Toolkit (v2, 2023). See The Ecological Practice Design Toolkit (V2, 2023).

In January 2024, I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to curate ideas for a possible book titled Meaning Discovery: Capture Significant Insights in Everyday Life.

In March 2024, I worked on the Mid-career Curation project. After completing a 79-slide conceptual deck about the project, I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to summarize the file and reflect on the project. I quickly realized that I hadn’t defined the concept of “Mid-career Curation.”

Furthermore, Life Discovery (July 2022), Knowledge Discovery (May 2022), and Meaning Discovery (January 2024) form a trilogy about three types of activities: The Foolish Explorer.

From the perspective of the Anticipatory Activity System (AAS) framework, these three types of activities belong to Second-order Activity.

The name of the trilogy was inspired by James G. March’s notion of “Technology of Foolishness.” The trilogy also echoes the Aspects of Early Discovery (2023) series.

1.3 The “Grasping the Concept” Model

From September 9, 2023, to November 20, 2023, I worked on a case study about the concept of “Mindset” in the field of psychological knowledge engagement. A by-product of the case study is the Grasping the Concept model.

The Mindset project was documented in the following articles:

In these articles, I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to discuss four types of actors and four thematic areas.

Theoretical Psychologists — The THEORY thematic area
Empirical Psychologists — The END thematic area
Intervenors — The MEANS thematic area
Actors — The PRACTICE thematic area

In general, Theoretical Psychologists think and work from the following perspective:

Construal Levels: Meta-theory or the most abstract level
Practical Interests: The progress of the discipline as a meaningful whole
Points of Observation: The “Concept — Theory” Move
Methodological Preferences: Concept Analysis and Formal Representation
Expressive Conventions: Mathematical formulas or Conceptual frameworks

Empirical Psychologists move to a different position and they have a different perspective:

Construal Levels: Specific theories or abstract models/frameworks
Practical Interests: Developing particular innovation concepts or frameworks for the discipline
Points of Observation: The “Perspective — Framework” Move
Methodological Preferences: Methods for empirical research, such as laboratory experiments
Expressive Conventions: Conceptual frameworks and data charts

Intervenors have their specific needs for psychological knowledge engagement:

Construal Levels: Concrete models/frameworks and related test tools
Practical Interests: Developing specific intervention programs for behavior change or education
Points of Observation: The “Methods — Heuristics” Move
Methodological Preferences: Methods for design, communication, testing, reporting, etc.
Expressive Conventions: Face-to-face communication and questionnaire testing

Actors, coming from various domains, share a primary theme: Subjective Experience. For them, psychological knowledge engagement is all about understanding their own subjective experiences and making sense of their life situations, whether stressful or enjoyable.

Construal Levels: Concrete models/frameworks, simple heuristic tools, etc.
Practical Interests: Learning for work, reflecting on life experiences, solving personal problems, etc.
Points of Observation: The “Work—Project” Move
Methodological Preferences: Reflection, discussion, reading, etc.
Expressive Conventions: Face-to-face communication, metaphorical language, storytelling, etc.

While these articles discussed four types of psychological knowledge engagement under four distinct roles, in real life, people can move between these different areas. An individual may engage with psychological knowledge in various situations.

These insights led to the Grasping the Concept model. See the diagram below.

Based on the Knowledge Discovery Canvas, the model highlights four types of thematic areas, corresponding to four socio-cultural areas.

Theoretical Psychologists — The THEORY thematic area
Empirical Psychologists — The END thematic area
Intervenors — The MEANS thematic area
Actors — The PRACTICE thematic area

In any given field, such as psychological knowledge engagement, there are four major socio-cultural areas, each with its own logic of the Means-End relationship:

Theoretical Development -> Setting the Term
Empirical Research -> Bounding the Case
Intervention and Curation -> Capturing the Theme
Life Reflection -> Weaving the Mind

More details can be found in the “Grasping the Concept” Model and [Frame for Work] Kinds of Concept-related Knowledge Engagement.

1.4 Castle and Forest

The House of Knowledge Discovery was inspired by the House of Project Engagement, the Knowledge Discovery Canvas, and the Grasping the Concept model.

I used “Castle and Forest” as a metaphor to design the spatial structure.

Four small circles represent individual castles within a large circle symbolizing a kingdom, while the area outside the large circle represents the forest.

This metaphor aligns with my notion of the contemporary knowledge ecosystem: the forest signifies public knowledge and the broader scientific community, while kingdoms and castles represent individual schools of thought and personal knowledge.

In the House of Knowledge Discovery, the area outside the large circle symbolizes objective public knowledge, while the inner space reflects subjective personal knowledge. This idea stems from the Knowledge Discovery Canvas.

2. Social Landscape: From a Theme to a Concept

I used the House of Knowledge Discovery to map the journey of turning the theme of “Social Landscape” into a concept and a theoretical framework.

The diagram above features 14 movements. Let’s see the detail.

#1

May: While following public discussions of professionals on LinkedIn, I conceived a creative idea: [Public Square].

#2

This idea evolved into a knowledge framework, which I integrated into the Project Engagement (v3.0) theoretical toolkit. Then, I incorporated more knowledge frameworks, creating a v3.1 toolkit.

#3

I used a year-long observation of [Teacher Leaf’s math class] as a case study for the theoretical toolkit (v3.1). Using this as a template, I sought out more case studies, such as the Wutongshan Community in Shenzhen.

#4

Subsequently, I explored the application of the Project Engagement (v3.1) theoretical toolkit across various practical fields.

#5

June: A friend needed to introduce relevant knowledge in a workshop, and I took this opportunity to design a simplified version of the toolkit (v3.1). The House of Project Engagement was born.

#6

During the process of designing, narrating, discussing, and testing the House of Project Engagement, the theme of [Social Landscape] gradually emerged.

I talked with a friend on Wechat. This was the first time I used the term “Social Landscape”.

#7

As the House of Project Engagement developed, I applied the toolkit (v3.1) to the field of Life Narrative Practice, exploring a method called [Narrative Engagement].

#8

July: While visiting family in China and taking care of a family member who underwent surgery and was hospitalized, I reflected on the healthcare system using the House of Project Engagement.

Early August: After returning to the U.S. from China, I wrote An Unexpected Journey, reflecting on the trip.

#9

Mid-August: I organized my thoughts about the trip and wrote Project-oriented Social Ecology: Social Life Inside and Outside Projects and Narrative Engagement: Life Narrative Practice and the House of Project Engagement.

#10

Late August: I revisited the Mid-career Curation created in March.

#11

August 26: Based on the development of Project Engagement (v3.0) approach, I repositioned the Mid-career Curation project. At the same time, I used the [World of Activity] model to organize the [Value Circle] of my current projects.

The Square refers to the “World of Activity”, while the inside part represents a particular form of social life: Creative Life.

#12

August 27: I separated the theoretical reflection on [World of Activity] from the previous day's work on the Value Circle and used it to develop the [House of Social Theories]. Over the following two days, I iterated on this concept.

#13

August 28: In the second version of the [House of Social Theories] slides, I organized various theoretical resources on the concept of [Social Landscape], consolidating them into the [Social Landscape Framework].

#14

August 29: In the final section of the [Social Landscape: the House of Social Theories], during a theoretical reflection, I realized that the Social Landscape project is essentially a literature review for the Project Engagement (v3.1) toolkit.

Additionally, I gained a new insight: the Curativity of Social Action.

There is a “Part—Whole” Attachance in this journey.

On June 14, 2024, I designed the first version of the House of Project Engagement with 12 thematic rooms, inspired by the “Map” part of the Project Engagement (v3.0) theoretical toolkit. The “Frameworks” part of the toolkit doesn’t appear in the House. At that time, I considered the “Part-Whole” issue inside the Project Engagement project.

On August 27, 2024, I realized that the 12 thematic rooms of the House could be used to curate various social theories. At that moment, the Project Engagement v3.0 theoretical toolkit became a part of a larger entity: the field of Social Theories. My mental focus moved from the inside of Project Engagement to the outside of it.

3. The Social Landscape Framework

As shown above, Move #13 marks a critical shift in my work:

August 28: In the second version of the [House of Social Theories] slides, I organized various theoretical resources on the concept of [Social Landscape], consolidating them into the [Social Landscape Framework].

What does the framework look like? See the diagram below.

As illustrated, the Social Landscape Framework is inspired by several theoretical resources.

3.1 “Language/Speech”

The linguistic dichotomy of Langue and Parole, coined by Ferdinand de Saussure, distinguishes between the abstract system of language (Langue) and concrete speech (Parole). Ping-keung Lui extends this idea to sociological theory, proposing that theoretical sociology serves as the overarching paradigm (the Langue) while other sociological theories are exemplars (the Parole).

In the Social Landscape Framework, I adopt a similar distinction between [Maps/Frameworks]. Based on my research, I have identified a series of [social landscapes], which reflect the structures and dynamics of social environments, acting as maps that guide social actors through various domains of social life.

Each landscape corresponds to diverse sociological and social theories, offering flexibility for people to explore and curate this knowledge.

3.2 Social Territory / “?”

In Ping-keung Lui’s subjectivist structuralism model, the symbol “?” represents the various “social structures” that social theorists aim to explore.

My concept of Social Landscape is a response to this “?”, focusing on 12 specific types of social structures that are central to my work.

3.3 “Ecological Formism”

In early 2023, I developed the concept of Ecological Formism, inspired by Husserl’s distinction between the morphology and ideality of the lifeworld. Husserl’s morphological structure of the lifeworld sets a threshold that blocks relativism, which precisely lays the foundation for Ecological Formism.

Additionally, I was influenced by Gibson’s ecological psychology, which explores how opportunities for action arise within environmental structures. This led to my Ecological Practice approach, particularly the idea of “Thematic Spaces,” which is integral to the current framework.

The Ecological Formism framework ultimately defines four types of knowledge, analyzed at multiple levels.

3.4 “Project Engagement”

The Project Engagement approach is rooted in Andy Blunden’s notion of “Project as a unit of Activity.” In 2021, I introduced the first version of this approach in my book Project-oriented Activity Theory, with v2.0 following in 2022.

The latest v3.1 expands on the Developmental Project Model, examining social landscapes both within and outside projects. This has resulted in a theoretical toolkit that presents various social landscapes and curates corresponding knowledge frameworks. This toolkit was the inspiration behind the House of Project Engagement, the precursor to Social Landscape: The House of Social Theories.

3.5 “World of Activity”

I use the term World of Activity to describe the course of action of creators, inspired by social phenomenologist Alfred Schutz’s term World of Working. You can find more details in Lifescope: The World of Activity for Creative Life Curation.

According to Schutz, “working” refers to action in the outer world. He used the concept of the “World of Working” to describe the broad scope of action within an individual’s lifeworld, excluding the worlds of fantasy and dreams.

In researching creative life, I argue that these elements are vital to the creative process. Thus, I expanded Schutz’s concept to include these realms, coining the term World of Activity to capture a more holistic vision of creative life.

3.6 “Thematic Spaces”

The Thematic Spaces Theory (TST) guided the design of the House of Project Engagement. The house is organized into 12 thematic rooms, with each room representing a distinct type of social landscape.

Each thematic room is constructed around three key elements: Boundary, Symbol, and Key Term.

The seed of this idea is the sign of Creative Life Theory, illustrated below.

The above image was designed with three components: a square, a circle, and a sandglass. Each of these elements represents a key aspect of the Creative Life Theory.

The Square symbolizes the Lifescope or World of Activity, which defines the boundaries of a person’s creative space throughout their life.
The Circle represents the Knowledge Center, a container for Knowledge Engagement.
The Sandglass signifies the S-T-O Tendency, a core idea of the Creative Life Curation framework.

The Square is used to design 12 thematic rooms for the House of Project Engagement. To reflect additional aspects of human life and the social landscape, I introduced various symbols inspired by the Developmental Project Model diagram.

4. The Thematic Exploration Framework

In 2023, I wrote the manuscript Thematic Exploration: The Early Discovery of Knowledge Engagement, which explores the early stages of knowledge creation. The process begins with identifying themes from inspiration, developing them into concepts, and ultimately transforming these concepts into concept systems, presented as knowledge frameworks.

The development of Social Landscape in 2024 can be considered a real example of the framework explored in the manuscript.

Initially, I used the term Social Landscape to describe the thematic rooms within the House of Project Engagement.
Later, when designing the English version of the House of Project Engagement, I decided to use Social Landscape as the official name.
Now, I use Social Landscape to name a knowledge framework for curating collections of social theories.

In Thematic Exploration: The Early Discovery of Knowledge Engagement, I introduced a two-phase model, focusing on Concept Development.

I define the early discovery journey of knowledge engagement through two phases: Strategic Thematic Exploration and Conceptual Elaboration. The final phase, Continuous Objectification, aims to solidify concept systems into tangible entities.

A six-stage framework was developed to discuss the path of transformation from themes to a knowledge framework:

1 — A Possible Theme without a Clue
2 — A Possible Theme with a Clue
3 — A Primary Theme without related themes
4 — A Primary Theme with its network
5 — A Knowledge Concept with a working definition
6 — A Knowledge Framework with a set of concepts

This model is called the Strategic Thematic Exploration framework. More details can be found in The “Strategic Thematic Exploration” Framework (v1.1) and Thematic Exploration: The Early Discovery of Knowledge Engagement (book, v1).

The framework outlines three stages, each involving a specific transformation:

The “Possible — Primary” Transformation: Focuses on discovering opportunities for knowledge creation and curation, setting the strategic intent for knowledge engagement.
The “Theme — Concept” Transformation: Converts themes into concepts, viewing themes as raw materials and creative resources for creating concepts that drive further development.
The “Concept — Framework” Transformation: Involves curating concepts into a coherent meaningful whole, forming a knowledge framework.

Although the Social Landscape wasn’t originally conceived as a strategic intent for framing a creative space, its development aligns with the Strategic Thematic Exploration framework.

Starting point: A possible theme without a clue
Ending point: A knowledge framework with a set of concepts

In The Strategic Thematic Exploration framework (v1.1), I defined the goal as developing a knowledge framework using the thematic analysis method to understand the relationship between Themes, Concepts, and Practice/Activity.

The journey of developing the concept of Social Landscape provides a real-world example of moving between thematic spaces while working on different projects.

In 2023, I explored the concept of Attachance in two manuscripts:

Mental Moves: Moving between thematic spaces
Social Moves: Moving between social spaces

For knowledge creators, this involves moving across multiple thematic areas that span THEORY and PRACTICE. In the case of Social Landscape, we see several moves between THEORY and PRACTICE:

THEORY: the Project Engagement v3.0 (May)
PRACTICE: the House of Project Engagement (June)
PRACTICE: the House of Social Theories (August)
THEORY: the Social Landscape Framework (August)

By using the House of Knowledge Discovery, these moves are mapped more accurately.

How You Can Support the Strategic Moves Project?

As an independent researcher and creator, my work is driven by curiosity, creativity, and a desire to explore new ideas. Projects like Strategic Moves, as well as others focused on creativity, social cognition, and knowledge engagement, require time, dedication, and resources.

If my work resonates with you and you find value in the ideas I’m exploring, there are several ways you can support it:

Visit my Ko-fi page: Your contributions help sustain ongoing research and creative development. Even small donations make a significant impact and enable me to focus on producing high-quality work.

https://ko-fi.com/oliverding

Engage with the content: Share my projects with your network or provide feedback. Engagement from a community of like-minded individuals helps spread the word and adds new perspectives to the work.
Collaborate: If you’re interested in collaboration, whether through joint projects, research, or workshops, feel free to reach out. Creative synergy can expand the scope and reach of these projects in exciting ways.

Your support, whether financial or in the form of engagement, is invaluable in helping me continue to explore and map creative landscapes, develop new frameworks, and share meaningful insights with the world.

Thank you for being part of this journey!