Last week I ran a session at the Thriving In Uncertainty conference titled, “Re-imagining Organisations as Living Systems”. Here is a previous post that sets the scene … An Invitation to Thrive. I shared lots of stuff with the group … probably too much 🙂 … and promised them a summary of my favourite resources to kick start (or continue) their own inquiry into the links between Living Systems – Complexity – Applied Improv. Here’s the email I just sent out … Hi Gang I’ve added you to my contacts and have compiled a bunch of resources for y’all after …

These past few days, I have been in Vancouver working with Chris Corrigan and Steven Wright at the 2012 World Indigenous Housing Conference. lots of learning and having a ball over here. Chris writes here in depth about the process, the fun, the co-creation and the context – http://chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/?p=3629 Last night our team of 3 looked for patterns and themes across harvests from 3 Cafe Conversations. Today we are reporting back our findings to the conference using a visual and very interactive approach. As we burned the midnight oil, we all learned (or relearned) a lesson about the power of …

I have just finished facilitating a workshop on the fringes of Melbourne. Now sitting in a cafe and reflecting on how I do what I do. Imagine this … 60 people show up for a workshop designed to seek feedback on a draft strategy. They are queuing out the door and it’s clear that many have turned up seeking resolution on another purpose. The air is tense and my client is nervous. This is familiar territory for me. I am nervous too, but also confident enough change the plan and respond to the needs of the group. This is how …

As the World Indigenous Housing Conference fast approaches, I have been reflecting on what housing means in my own context. For me and my family, home is our sanctuary. It’s a place of safety and a retreat from the world around us. It’s a place of rest and recharge. A space where we can craft and express our own culture and passions. At home, we host others and share food, tell stories and dream about the future. Our home is connected in community. Our relationships with other families allow us to thrive and respond to unexpected events. When individual families …

Last week I was part of a learning conversation with practitioners, policy makers and researchers, all interested in diving deep into the complexity of behaviour change. We started by helping each other out with current problems, challenges and questions about our work – this was highly practical stuff and focused mainly on principles and practices. At the end of the conversation we created a map of the group’s current thinking about behaviour change in practice. I felt we were able to go beyond ‘talking’ and enter the realm if Dialogue … we were thinking together. Here’s the map I drew …