Resources

We talk about change as an orderly sequence from past through present and into future. That is not how most people experience change, though. The concept of ‘stretch and fold” is a better mirror for our experience of change in human systems. In this week’s post, Glenda explores the emergent nature and living paradox of transformation in complex systems.

In this week's HSD blog, Glenda Eoyang will explore what patterns in complex adaptive systems can teach us about the dangers of uncontrolled self-interest. She will also share some nonviolent ways to protect ourselves and each other from those dangers.

In the 21st century, people are looking for ways to build coalitions and partnerships that make a difference in the world. Whether it’s corporate, non-profit, or governmental strategy, organizations and groups are realizing they can’t do it all. The challenges are too big. People, ideas, and needs are too diverse. More traditional ways of working together fall short as more people recognize the urgency of issues we face--climate change, social and economic disparities, ideological differences, globalization, and technological development.

We swim in a sea of noise. Images, words, sounds, and stories bombard us. Marketing tries to seduce us on city busses, bill boards, and buildings. News jumps from the black and white local newspapers. The 24-hour, almost unlimited, channels bring us news, shopping, stories, sports, and everything in between. Music, news, and talk radio keep us company wherever we go.

If you are like many of us working in fast-paced organizations, you most likely have no shortage of projects needing your attention. When the projects start piling up, you are faced with the difficult question of what to take on and what to put off. But the real challenge in making these decisions is that all these projects appear highly important or at least highly risky to avoid.

I have been distracted this week by the events in Washington, to say nothing about what is happening in London, on the Texas border, in Indonesia and North Carolina, and everywhere in between. These events challenge a set of fundamental beliefs I hold. I learned them from my parents, read them in classics of Western philosophy, observed them in communities of my youth, and vote to uphold them whenever the polls are open. The principles seem a bit naïve today, but they form the core of my relationship with personal, social, and political reality. I will be more specific.

In turbulent times, many variables influence the dynamics of human systems. Today, in Ukraine, we are seeing complex dynamics play out in real time. Our guest blogger this week, HSD Associate Bohdan Yarema, reflects on how global dynamics influence patterns today and tomorrow in his homeland.