Holling, C. S. 2004. “From complex regions to complex worlds.” Ecology and Society. http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss1/art11/

Society is now at a stage in history in which one pulse is ending and another beginning. The immense destruction that a new pulse signals is both frightening and creative. It raises fundamental questions about transformation. The only way to approach such a period, in which uncertainty is very large and one cannot predict what the future holds, is not to predict, but to to experiment and act inventively and exuberantly via diverse adventures in living. …

1. Encourage innovation through a rich variety of experiments and transformative approaches that probe possible directions. It is important to encourage experiments that have a low cost of failure to individuals, the environment, and careers, because many of these experiments will fail.
2. Reduce inhibitions to change, which are common when systems get so locked up.
3. Protect and communicate the accumulated knowledge and experience needed for change.
4. Promote discourse among all parties involved to try to understand where we are going and how to achieve it.
5. Encourage new foundations for renewal that build and sustain the ability of people, economies, and nature to deal with change, and ensure that these new foundations consolidate and expand our understanding of change.
6. Allow sufficient time. This pulse is a global phenomenon, and it could potentially affect all levels of the hierarchy, all the way up the chain, from the individual/family to national and global systems.

see also panarchy and pace layering