D4 · Forming: the tree

Find shared forms in the changes communities need

D4 asks whether communities differ in patterned ways. Communities may need the same correction to the population model, add similar detail, or do the same work through different processes. Those shared adaptations can suggest organizational forms.

Where this stage starts

D3 has frozen the model and ruled on its adaptation records. Each record names what changes, how it changes and the supporting evidence. Similarity can be examined at several levels: a specific descriptive theme, a broader theme or an aggregate dimension.

What the aggregator does

The aggregator first inspects the recorded similarities and their limits. A dendrogram shows how cases join as dissimilarity increases. It is a view of those differences, not a family history or proof that organizing has a tree-shaped structure. The global model is a conceptual reference, not an ancestor.

Candidate branches require more than a convenient split in the picture. The aggregator identifies shared changes, reads the supporting communities, and explains the mechanism or condition that makes the group meaningful. Differences that meet only at a broad conceptual level support a weaker grouping than the same specific correction.

A community can belong to more than one branch when different parts of its activity support different connections. Those cross-links are recorded instead of forcing every case into one box. Explicit “no adaptation” returns also stay distinct from missing returns, unresolved claims and cases with only local particulars.

After the substantive groups are fixed, a separate calculation groups communities by their coded theme composition. This comparison does not use adaptation records or outcomes, but it still shares the study’s coding structure. Agreement between the two approaches is therefore not independent proof of the model. Verdicts and canvas measures are added afterwards, with checks for coverage, size and sensitivity.

What the next stage receives

D5 receives branch definitions, memberships, cross-links, comparison results and an account of every community. It must test whether these groups support meaningful accounts of organizing. Finding no supported shared forms is a valid result; the procedure does not require a pleasing tree.