The Dragons of Transformation: Taming the Mindsets that thwart our embrace of a VUCA world

When people tell you to “think outside the box,” they don’t tell you where the box ends and the future begins. That is why we find ourselves so often trapped in our own blind spots and assumptions, constrained by our ordinary (Newtonian) worldviews. The nonlinear sciences—complexity and chaos, as well as Integral theory—shine a light on those dark corners of reality, as well as the habits of mind that keep us stuck. In ancient times, maps of the world would show sea monsters and dragons on the edge of the known world. In this program, we call such mind-blowing — and habitually intractable — realities “dragons”. Hence, The Dragons of Transformation.

In this program, the Human Systems Dynamics Institute (HSD) and The Collective Edge (TCE) expand their collaboration begun last year to introduce a new form of deliberate sensemaking to:

• Explain in practical and understandable terms the nature of complex systems and dynamical change.
• Empower you to see, understand, and influence patterns that emerge from complex systems.
• Reveal the paradoxes that live in this new paradigm.
• Challenge the habitual predict and plan mindsets that apply an outdated view to such systems, leading to us experiencing them as intractable.
• Share tools and practices from the sense and respond worldview to help you adapt, even when you can’t predict or control, uncovering a new understanding, enough to inform action without needing certainty.
• Create a deliberate sensemaking container within the cohort to help you connect with ideas and people that will sustain you and your clients through the turbulent future.

Journey of the Program

In seven 2.5-hour sessions, we will introduce the dynamics of complex adaptive systems through the lens of Human Systems Dynamic (HSD). You will integrate the interlocking disciplines that help us shift patterns in systems. You will apply what you learn to your wicked problems. In parallel, we will examine the constraints that are embedded within a predict and plan worldview mentality, that make dealing with complexity intractable. We will introduce a new worldview, combining the insights of HSD with Integral thinking, known as sense and respond. This worldview is driven by an inquiry mindset, an iterative process, and a deliberate sensemaking approach. You will experience the power and possibility of this complexity-ready worldview through applying inquiry, adaptive action and collective sensemaking to your own and others’ wicked issues. We start by defining the difference between simple systems and complex adaptive systems.

You will practice using models and methods from HSD to see, understand, and influence problematic patterns in emergent complexity. You will find ways to “ride” these dragons of complexity within a supportive yet challenging container. Here are the topics we will explore:

Detailed Session Descriptions

1. Introduction: Simple systems succeed with traditional assumptions and predict and plan methods, but complex systems need more. To guide systems toward agile performance, you must think differently and act differently. This session introduces a program to help you step beyond limitations of the pat and into possibilities for the future. You will set the stage for tis provocative program as you:

• Recognize four kinds of complexity and options for powerful action in each one.
• Understand and practice basic principles and skills from Integral theory.
• Explore the worldview and options for action through the lens of Human Systems Dynamics.
• Set the stage to dive deep into paradoxes and emergent challenges of complexity.
• Apply what you learn to your own most Wicked Issues

2. Certainty is an Illusion: Since the Enlightenment, Western science and technology have relied on prediction and control. Even uncertainty was bounded by probabilities and margins for error. Complexity changes all that. Complex adaptive systems are essentially unknowable and impossible to predict reliably. In some circumstances they can be well behaved and predictable on the short term. They may also produce familiar patterns over the long term. Usually, though, they are emergent and surprising. In this session, you will:

• Understand why complex systems are essentially unpredictable.
• Use inquiry – rather than expertise – to navigate toward success in complex situations.
• Build your adaptive capacity to make decisions, even when you cannot predict and control the future.
• Practice engaging with courage and confidence, even when certainty is impossible.
• Apply what you learn to your own most Wicked Issues.

3. Patterns instead of Problems: Tame problems can be analyzed and solved. They have clear boundaries, single root causes, and simple, linear causal connections. Complexity generates Wicked Issues that are so massively entangled that they are impossible to “solve.” This Dragon introduces a way to influence problematic patterns, even if you cannot solve them. Pattern Logic, one foundation of HSD, defines the conditions for self-organizing and provides the levers for change in complexity. You will:

• Distinguish between finite, tame problems and the Wicked Problems of infinite games.
• Decode the patterns of complex systems to find option for action, even when you feel stuck and overwhelmed.
• Think outside the box—beyond predict and plan—to see innovative opportunities.
• Plan simple actions to shift patterns that keep you and your team stuck.
• Apply what you learn to your own most Wicked Issues

4. Difference is Energy: In the time before the complexity dragons, good leaders found common ground and struggled for consistency. Such simplistic solutions are not simply impossible, but they can be dangerous in the world of emerging complexity. Difference, instead of similarity, drives the possibility for action in complex adaptive systems. In this session, you will:

• See why difference is an engine for change in complex adaptive system.
• Recognize “differences that make a difference” in human systems at all scales---individuals, teams, enterprises, and communities.
• Find and shift patterns of differences in a Wicked Issue you face in your life and work.
• Practice bridging across difference to release the energy and possibility within.
• Apply what you learn to your own most Wicked Issues

5. Time is not a Line: In the Newtonian worldview, nature runs like a clock and all time moves forward, relentlessly in a straight line. Einstein shook this assumption with clocks that ran at different rates, and time that depended on where you were or how fast you were moving. Prigogine moved a step farther with one-way time, where systems cannot run backwards and change is irreversible. The world of complex adaptive systems stretches time even further. Like the universal time of indigenous cultures, complex time folds past and future into the powerful present. This session introduces you to the time dragon. You will see yourself and change differently as you:

• Encounter the paradoxes of time as a line.
• Reflect on your own sense of time and change in your life and work.
• Explore an alternative perspective that opens possibility, even in the most difficult times.
• Challenge your imagination and your expectations to transform turbulence and uncertainty into possibility.
• Apply what you learn to your own most Wicked Issues

6. Precision isn’t Accuracy: In some complex systems, the more data you get, the less sense you can make of it. Traditional logic says the smaller the unit of measure and the more detail you have (precision), the more true and useful the measurement will be. When a system is complex, the detail can misrepresent the system and overwhelm you. In this session, you will:

• Distinguish between precision and accuracy.
• Understand how each supports, or interferes with, productivity and clarity.
• Learn and practice tools to help you see accurately and avoid the confusion of over-active precision.
• Assess and improve projects and activities that are too complex to be measured precisely.
• Apply what you learn to your own most Wicked Issues.

7. Integration & Close: In this final session of the series, you will review and practice what you’ve learned. In a series of integration reflections and dialogues, you will reflect on the dragon-based assumptions and how they supercharge your adaptive capacity, leadership, and technical capacities.

Who Would Benefit from Attending

• Those responsible for organizational change initiatives, such as HR or OD professionals, Agile organizational coaches, and other transformation leaders
• Leaders, managers and others responsible for solving intractable issues in their organizations or in their communities
• Writers, bloggers and researchers who work in the area of complexity
• Anyone who feels trapped in chaos and uncertainty will benefit from this program

Outcomes from Your Participation

• Distinguish and take action to influence four types of complexity: Detail complexity, Non-linear complexity, Uncertainty complexity, and Pattern complexity.
• Understand and apply the pattern logic of Containers-Differences-Exchanges (CDEs) as the change parameters available in all complex adaptive systems; understand how Integral can help us see CDEs that we might not otherwise have seen.
• Learn and apply HSD as an interlocking set of disciplines in deliberate sensemaking to see and shift patterns: Adaptive Action, Standing in Inquiry, and Pattern Logic (CDEs); learn how Integral augments this understanding and helps you see into your blind spots.
• Understand when and how your tried-and-true approaches succeed. Even more important, you will learn when and how they fail.
• Expand your world view and your toolkit to prepare you and your clients for the future that is beyond prediction and control.
• Rigorously un-learn and apply deep assumptions that apply to simple systems, but not to complex adaptive systems.

Class Format

All program sessions will start at 3:00p ET and end at 5:30p ET. All program sessions will be held virtually, via zoom. The room will be opened five minutes prior to the start of the session to warm up the space. Links to zoom, calendar invites, community platform, and supplementals will be provided one week prior to the class start date on Monday September 30 (class starts Oct 7). 

Pricing and Refund Policy

The program has been priced to reflect the effort and value we believe inherent in the program’s design and delivery. That said, we would not want price to be the sole barrier for someone who feels passionate about engaging with us and this program. . Discounted arrangements will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please email info@the-collective-edge.com to start a discussion.

Cancellations thirty days prior to the program start day are eligible for full refunds. Cancellations two weeks before the program start date are eligible for full credit for future programs, or one-half refunds; cancellations within two weeks of program start date are eligible for a twenty percent refund. Cancellations after the program start date are not eligible for refunds.

Program Leaders

Glenda Eoyang is the founding executive director of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute. Since 1986, she has applied principles of complexity to all aspects of human systems. She leads a network of over 900 scholar-practitioners who tame wicked issues across contexts and disciplines. She trains, coaches, and consults internationally. Recent clients include National Health Service (UK), VTT—National Research Institute (Finland), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US). 

Her publications include articles in professional, scholarly, and practitioner journals and book chapters in fields ranging from mathematical analysis to medical education and leadership. She has co-authored multiple books, including Coping with Chaos: Seven Simple Tools (1996), Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons from Complexity Science (2001), and Adaptive Action: Leveraging Uncertainty in Your Organization (2013). Videos, blog posts, and white papers are available on the HSD website www.hsdinstitute.org. Glenda and her community share their work freely, under open access guidelines.  

Michael Spayd has been a pioneer in the Agile world for 22 years, bringing in thinking and methods from professional coaching, leadership development (LD), organization development (OD), Integral and systemic methods that are relevant to the transformation of self, culture, and leadership in service of organizational agility. Michael is known as a transformational teacher and leader, with a deep ability to facilitate both compelling and transformational learning environments.

Michael is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded the Agile Coaching Institute, and founded Trans4mation and most recently, The Collective Edge. He has taught, coached, and mentored many thousand Agile coaches, managers, and leaders in his years in the field. He is the co-author of a highly anticipated book, Agile Transformations: Using the Integral Agile Transformation Framework to Think and Lead Differently, which was published in December 2020.