Theory

How a systems designer learned to explain what a systems designer is

Collective impact efforts must prioritize working together in more relational ways to find systemic solutions to social problems.

PDF | On Jan 1, 1996, Richard Barbrook and others published The Californian Ideology | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Wilding as a Decolonial Future for (Dis)topia Australis Yin Paradies15.08.2022 Amongst a multiplicity of possible worlds, the hierarchical societal paradigm of...

Why updating the way we look at the world is so critical now, and so hard, and how we can get better at doing it.

The backslide of reproductive rights, the refusal to take action on climate, the attacks on trans kids, none of this happened overnight.

I have long been a fan of showing how problem solving desperately needs systems thinking. If you are familiar with my work, you may have…

My journey to design as a system thinker and the things I’ve learned

The deep changes necessary to accelerate progress against society's most intractable problems require someone who catalyzes collective leadership.

(2005). All changes great and small: Exploring approaches to change and its leadership. Journal of Change Management: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 121-151.

Why nonprofits and funders need to put networks of relationships, instead of transactions and grants, at the core of organizational strategies.

Every company faces a learning dilemma: the smartest people find it the hardest to learn.

The field of philanthropy is exploring what it takes to achieve impact in complex environments. The terms “adaptive” and “emergent” are beginning to be used, often interchangeably, to describe strategies by which funders can tackle complexity. This article proposes distinguishing between the two and explores more deeply how the research into complexity can inform philanthropic practice.

Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, not the isolated intervention of individual organizations.

“Wicked” problems can’t be solved, but they can be tamed. Increasingly, these are the problems strategists face—and for which they are ill equipped.

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says…

Complexity week continues with this excellent stocktake from the ODI’s Harry Jones (who’s got a new guide out on ‘Managing Projects and Programmes in the Face of Complexity‘). Part two tomorrow. Seven years ago John Young, Ben Ramalingam and I decided to begin research on complexity theory and international development. We felt there was really …

Changing systems takes expertise and a deft touch. Jo Confino outlines the key ingredients required to help multiple stakeholders find a common vision

To make underlying systems more sustainable, it takes both tools and compassion, says SecondMuse's Joe Hsueh