Resources

When Glenda Eoyang, Founder and Executive Director of Human Systems Dynamics Institute, invited me to co-facilitate an HSD Adaption Action Lab focused on transcending racism and “othering,” I immediately said yes for a couple of irresistible reasons.

"I realized that if my thoughts immediately affect my body, I should be careful about what I think. Now if I get angry, I ask myself why I feel that way. If I can find the source of my anger, I can turn that negative energy into something positive." - Yoko Ono

This is the third in a series of blogs where Royce Holladay and Mary Nations explore the dynamics of Generative Engagement. In last week’s blog, I explored a set of conditions that Mary and I believe can shape system-wide patterns of purposeful, meaningful dialogue; productivity across differences; and highly adaptive relationships. This week I want to share some thoughts we have had about what can happen if those conditions get out of balance with each other or when any of the conditions exclude individuals or groups in the system. As you read, consider how you see each situation play out in the systems where you live, work, and play.

I spent part of last week at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC.  I enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones.  It was particularly interesting to dive—however briefly—into the deep waters of the academy. There was much to learn.