She is best known for her work with Fred Emery on the theoretical framework called Open Systems Theory (OST),[1] including refinement of the related Search Conference participative planning process and Participative Design Workshop methodology,[2] both which are part of the dialogic organization development toolset.
[3] Since 1970, she has worked to develop both the theory and methods of open systems using action research with organizations and communities.
[4] She was a faculty member at Australian National University and has served on several diverse community and educational organizations around the world.
This can be achieved by employing the two-stage model, the Search Conference and the Participative Design Workshop, whose purpose is to create change toward a world that is consciously designed by people, and for people, living harmoniously within their ecological systems, both physical and social.
"As the purpose of the two-stage model is to build a community, most work takes place in plenary, generating excitement, joy, and the energy that powers diffusion.