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. Such 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 measured at several levels: a third-order theme, a fourth-order 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 grows. It pictures those differences and makes no claim about descent or about a tree-shaped structure in organizing. The population model is a conceptual reference point.

A candidate branch needs more than a convenient split in the picture. The aggregator names the shared changes, reads the supporting communities and explains the mechanism or condition that holds the group together. Changes 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 links. These cross-links are recorded, and no case is forced into a single box. Explicit "no adaptation" returns also stay apart from missing returns, unresolved claims and cases with only local particulars.

After the groups are fixed, a separate calculation groups communities by the composition of their coded themes. This comparison uses no adaptation records and no outcomes, but it shares the study's coding structure, so agreement between the two methods is weaker evidence than two independent tests. Verdicts and canvas measures are added afterwards, with checks for coverage, size and sensitivity.

What the next stage receives

D5 receives the branch definitions, memberships, cross-links, comparison results and an account of every community. It tests whether each group supports an account of organizing. Finding no supported shared forms is a valid result, and the procedure keeps no branch for the sake of a tidy tree.