Resources

April 6, 2023 In General Systems Theory, Von Bertalanffy laid the foundation for the field of systems science. He focused on closed systems. They were bounded, complex, sometimes unpredictable, but ultimately knowable. Under some circumstances, such closed system models give us insight into human systems from the individual to the global scales, but not always. Sometimes, humans—alone or in groups—transcend their boundaries. When they do, their natures and their futures can become unknowable. Human Systems Dynamics was developed to inform understanding and action in human systems that work outside the bounds of Bertalanffy’s traditional systems logic. Watch this webinar and explore how HSD gives options for insight and intentional action, even when the system and its future are essentially unknowable.

March 2, 2023 The world isn’t black or white. It isn’t even shades of gray. The world of complexity invites you beyond expectations for simple either/or answers. It stretches you beyond naïve both/and solutions. Emergent uncertainty of complex adaptive environments demands more. You will thrive in the turbulence and instability when you see, understand, and navigate the tensions of irreconcilable paradox. Join this dialogue to master Interdependent Pairs and find the power in “Which? To what degree? When?”

March 1, 2023 Happy Anniversary! We marked the 20th anniversary of HSD Institute with a meeting in the HSD Community Commons. The earliest members of our community connected with the most recent, as we shared stories and impacts! We closed the celebration with a musical and visual walk down memory lane. We hope you enjoy it, too.  This was the first in a series of quarterly HSD Community Commons sessions where Associates share their questions and discoveries. Join us for the next one on June 22.

February 2, 2023 Everyone I meet feels unsettled about the future. Climate change and economic instability, personal health and racial justice, global pandemic and political upheaval drive conversations and distort dreams of what is to come. How do we prepare for a future we cannot predict or control? Adaptive Action! WHAT are the current patterns and what possibilities hide there? SO WHAT can our collective experience and intelligence teach us?  NOW WHAT are options for action today to create the tomorrow we desire? Join the HSD Community to explore what is possible when we: see patterns clearly, seek to understand, and act with courage to transform turbulence and uncertainty into possibility for all.

December 1, 2022 A new year brings opportunity for a new start. It can be a time to reflect on the past and resolve to change patterns that no longer serve us. The problem is that those plans usually go awry after a short time. We plan a game we think we can win and often lose before we really get started. In HSD we call that playing the Finite Game. We plan for the short term, without considering the long-term implications. The alternative is an Infinite Game that recognizes the value of a lifelong commitment to systemic and continuous self-improvement. In this LVW, Glenda explores Finite and Infinite Games as she prepares for the new year. You, too, can shift your patterns of planning and change. Leave this workshop with some new skills and ideas to build New Year’s Resolutions to change your life for the better in 2023.

November 3, 2022 Native American stories distinguish “mouse eyes” and “eagle eyes.” Like other tensions in cultural wisdoms, both of these perspectives are rich with possibility. Each one also comes with risks and challenges. If you make mouse eyes a habit, then you miss the rich context and long-range interactions. If you always play the eagle, you will miss glorious details of the moment. When we are swamped by our problems, we tend to get stuck with the mouse. We face complexities of life every day. We experience a challenge or face a barrier and take the steps we believe will get us past that problem. Rarely do we step back to look at the larger patterns through the eyes of the eagle. Eagle eyes will help us understand the dynamics of our problems and see our complicity in their origins. While many mouse-level surprises are beyond our control, some of them we can see, understand, and influence from the eagle’s view. Join Glenda Eoyang to consider how to use HSD to see from both perspectives and turn problems we can’t solve into patterns we can influence. 

October 6, 2022 We are connected to others in massively entangled networks of family, friendship, community, work, and social or political groups. These connections satisfy our social, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs. Often, however, we don’t recognize or leverage the potential of these networks. In today’s world, traditional networks are becoming less connected and new ones are emerging. These changing patterns matter because robust connections determine the strength of our responses in complex and unpredictable situations. Connections allows us to reach out, to build reciprocal relationships, to give and get access to limited resources. This is a moment of possibility, as new networks emerge and old ones disappear. We can choose to build or maintain connections that empower us and connect us in networks of mutual support. In this LVW, Glenda shares insights about establishing robust systems. Learn what it takes to build powerful connections that help reduce existential risks of living in today’s complex world.