Planning used to be simple: 1) Describe a future you want. 2) Plan progressive steps to get there. 3) Follow those steps. 4) Look at results. Those steps informed planning in personal, organization, and community challenges. Life today is too complex for such simple planning to work. Real change today requires constant adaptation. Human systems dynamics (HSD) offers a path through the complexities of change. In an HSD Planning and Adaptive Action Lab, you will use your most intractable issues to:
- Build your ability to prepare for and respond to uncertain futures
- Experience the value of good questions
- Learn to develop and measure meaningful outcomes in complex systems
- Identify your next wise action to address your most complex planning challenge
For decades, strategic planning frameworks have determined how organizations prepare for and move into the future. Those plans frequently fail to prepare us for uncertain futures. HSD offers a way to move into a future we can’t predict or control and offers some fundamental lessons about planning.
Plan for a journey, not a destination. In a complex system, you cannot predict the future. At best, you can identify patterns to navigate a future you cannot know. You focus on actions in the moment to shape the future you want.
Find your next wise action. Adaptive Action is an iterative cycle of inquiry and action. You gather information about what is, make meaning to define your next action, and explore the impact of that action. You move into the next cycle toward the patterns you want.
See, understand, and influence patterns that shape your future. HSD models and methods help you see your patterns, understand their meanings, and take your next action.
Use common-sense, meaningful measures. You believe in accountability and want to know the impact your work. However, measures alone don’t help you be more productive or efficient. In HSD, measures of success inform your next actions in meaningful ways.
In this Adaptive Action Lab, you will plan for a future you can’t predict or control. Engage with HSD experts to explore your own sticky issues and to reach out to others with similar questions. You will build Adaptive Capacity to create the future you want.
It is beneficial to participate live, but we know you have busy schedules! All sessions will be hosted on Zoom.us, and are recorded and made available to you, in case you are unable to attend. The recordings are not shared with anyone who is not enrolled in the course. For more information contact info@hsdinstitute.org.
Faculty & Coaches
Dr. Glenda Eoyang works with public and private organizations to help them thrive in the face of overwhelming complexity and uncertainty. She is a pioneer in the field of human systems dynamics (HSD), which she founded. Through Human Systems Dynamic Institute, Glenda uses her Models and Methods to help others see patterns in the chaos that surrounds them, understand the patterns in simple and powerful ways, and take practical steps to shift chaos into order. Her clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oxfam International, Canada School of Public Service, Cargill, Fraser Health Authority (BC), and Roche/Genentech.
Glenda’s latest book, with co-author Royce Holladay, is Adaptive Action: Leveraging Uncertainty in Your Organization (Stanford University Press, April 2013).
Royce Holladay has been working to support people as they navigate change for over 30 years. With a Masters degree in counseling, she began learning about the dynamics of personal change and has been using those skills in multiple areas of her work and personal life since that time. She has worked with individuals of all ages, supporting them to find their own path through the challenges of their complex lives. Over the past decade, Royce has co-authored five books based on Human Systems Dynamics. Her most recent books are a series of brief guides designed to help people apply HSD principles to specific areas of work in human systems. Examples include coaching, instructional design, and facilitation.
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