Although frequently used in international debate through which strategies are defined, the advantages of metaphor have not been deliberately explored to assist in the implementation of such strategies. Each development policy may be considered a particular "answer" to the global problematique. No such answer appears to be free from fundamental weaknesses. A shift to an alternative policy becomes progressively more necessary as the effects of these weaknesses accumulate. However, since each such policy reflects a "language" or mind-set whereby a worldview is organized, no adequate "logical" framework can exist to facilitate comprehension of the nature of such a shift or of the process of transition between alternatives.

Many familiar metaphors of alternation exist through which the characteristics and limitations of such a shift may be understood. This programme is interested in the possibility of deliberately designing metaphors in support of innovative development. A number of experiments in developing metaphors have been undertaken to explore the role of metaphor as a basis for new approaches to social and conceptual organization. These are reinforced by the recognition within the software industry that new metaphors are the key to new interfaces for knowledge management.