We founded Synergia in 1996. Synergia is an outgrowth of the Organizational Dynamics Center at Stanford University - founded and managed by Synergia’s principals.

Our methods draw on and extend elements of Ethnography, Cognitive Anthropology, Action Research, and Bayesian Experimentation. Synergia’s work with clients always seeks as much qualitative rigor (validity) as conditions permit. At the same time, our proposals for change are always guided by normative standards (decision-based optimality) and when relevant, aim for quantified assessments.

Our theory, methods, and technologies derive from and extend leading thinking in the Cognitive, Social, Decision, and Computer Sciences. Foundations of Mathematics, Linguistics, and Critical Theory are also important influences.

While at Stanford, we supervised numerous PhD dissertations relevant to our current work, including a prizewinning thesis that showed dramatic improvement in communication and shared decision-making between physicians and patients. At the same time, we conducted significant research on adaptive crisis response for the Navy. As a result of this work on crisis, and on physician-patient communication, we were able to assist the Environmental Protection Agency in its community training activities, and the City of San Leandro in developing requirements for its upcoming general planning exercise. This is a model for how Synergia approaches its work - we ensure that the needs and insights of any project are folded back into our foundation for all future work.

Many of our projects have been conducted for the intelligence and defense communities. We have significant results and technology for sensemaking, actor modeling, forecasting, simulation, choice, and planning. We have also developed and tested new formal foundations for modeling personality, ideology, and culture. Based on these results, we have advised members of Congress, the FBI, and the State Dept. One of our results was briefed to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Some of our projects and results are summarized here.

We continue to work for these and other clients, and appreciate the chance to help with these challenging problems. At the same time, these challenges enable us to clarify and extend our healthcare work.