The Theory Behind the Massively Parallel Approach

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4. The Massively Parallel Strategy for Dealing with Scale and Complexity

by Heidi Burgess and Guy Burgess

June 30, 2026

Guy and I coined the term "massively parallel peacebuilding," which we later expanded to other endeavors: Massively Parallel Problem-Solving, Massively Parallel Democracy-Building, and Massively Parallel Civic Renewal. Here we will are just calling it the Massively Parallel Approach or MPA for short. The term is derived from the more common term "massively parallel computing," in which many small computers work side-by-side to solve a problem that is far too complex for a single computer to solve on its own. (This is one of the key technologies that has made the AI revolution possible.) With the MPA, many people and organizations similarly work side-by-side to solve large-scale, complex social, economic, environmental, and political problems.

We should emphasize that the MP approach is not one of our ideas that we are trying to get everyone else to adopt. Rather, it is a name that we use to describe the "emergent" meta-process that has long enabled societies to tackle highly complex, large-scale problems and conflicts. The MPA framework makes it easier to see the interrelationships between the many thousands of people and organizations who are already working independently on different projects with different short-term and long-term goals, strategies and tactics. Yet they are all roughly working towards related and overlapping long-term goals, such as resisting aggression, bringing peace to war-torn regions, strengthening democracy or civic engagement in a particular country (or town), or trying to solve a particular social, economic, or environmental problem (such as unchecked immigration, poverty, or climate change).

The massively parallel approach contrasts sharply with all-too-common efforts to find some single grand solution or some political candidate that will somehow fix it all. Our social, economic, environmental, and political problems are far too complex for that. We really need a massively-parallel, division of labor-based approach — one that mobilizes our collective insights and energies to address first, our inability to work together, and second, the problems we need to work together to solve. This is the only way that humanity has ever been able to overcome the big challenges that it has faced.

Since we are dealing social systems that are complex, not complicated, there is no top-down leader or organizer with control over the entire system. Rather, social processes are "coordinated" by a process that is the social equivalent to Adam Smith's concept of an economic "invisible hand" — the notion that all problems create opportunities for people who can help solve them. It works by people first identifying problems that need fixing, most often in their local communities, but also at higher levels. Then they work with others to develop strategies for addressing those problems and test the market for their ideas. If the response is positive, they try to recruit the necessary people, funds, and permissions to implement their solution. If the reaction is negative, they go back to the drawing board and try to develop more effective and attractive ideas. This is the system through which the collective judgment of all of the potential beneficiaries of each activity decides what succeeds and what fails.

Massively parallel problem-solving is the natural mobilization of large numbers of independent projects, each trying to meet a need that project participants have identified in their own communities. The MPA approach enables these otherwise isolated efforts to "scale up" to have wider national effects, even when centralized top-down approaches aren’t working. (Centralized, one-size-fits-all approaches often fail because they can't adapt to the fact that different communities have differing circumstances and priorities.)

Even when people see a particular cluster of issues as problematic, they are likely to have different views about exactly what causes the problem and, therefore, what should be done about it. This is one of the big advantages of MPA. It doesn't force problem-solving efforts to agree on either a singular diagnosis of the problem or a singular solution. It allows the system to try many possible solutions — increasing the chances that at least a few of those solutions ultimately will prove effective. We sometimes call this the "all of the above" approach to problem-solving.

Also contributing to the power of the MPA is the civic renewal equivalents of "trade associations" with which economists and business leaders are familiar. These organizations provide economies of scale to relatively small, local efforts by providing a framework in which they can work together in mutually supportive ways that involve various types of coordination, collaboration, and joint learning. Examples from the business world include the Computer and Communications Industry Association and the National Coffee Association. These trade associations help strengthen member businesses by, for example, pooling market research efforts, facilitating the joint development of more competitive goods and services, and lobbying the government to limit unnecessarily disruptive regulations.

Similarly, there are "trade" organizations that are working to increase the effectiveness of the many smaller projects that are, in various ways, trying to help heal our deeply divisive politics. These include the Inter-Movement Impact Project (IMIP), the Thriving Together US Initiative, the Practitioner Mobilization for Democracy (PMD), The Trust Network, and the National Association for Community Mediation, among many others. All meet regularly to allow members to network and explore collaborative ideas. They also provide resources for recruitment, training, marketing, and other “business efforts.” Braver Angels' Citizen-Led Solutions and Better Together America, along with several other organizations are developing a network of "Civic Hubs," which are helping local communities work together collaboratively to solve local problems. Both Braver Angels and BTA provide training, networking, resources, and other assistance to help these civic hubs be as successful as possible.

Although all these efforts are growing rapidly, they still reach only a small fraction of the people and organizations involved in the larger MP democracy building effort. The National Civic League has assembled a Health Democracy Ecosystem Map of U.S. organizations which are working in the healthy democracy area (which they define as including over 50 sub-goals such as community engagement and community building, civic education, electoral reform, organizing and advocacy, and many others). As of late June 2026, they list over 11,000 organizations in 158 different networks and coalitions. Though no one is coordinating their efforts, we would argue that they are all part of a massively parallel system which is working to create a "healthier democracy" in the United States.