Innovative approaches to solving large societal problems are producing some impressive results. Banks are teaming up with community groups to find ways to generate…

No systems thinker worthy of the name would argue that a single cause, close in time and space, produces a single result in any…

Jill is a manager in a large, multinational company who has been promoted rapidly. Senior executives have identified her as having high potential, and…

A discussion of the interrelations between food, health, and the environment is extremely topical today. Rising food prices together with the price of oil…

On the evening of February 27, 2008, the town of Reading, Massachusetts (population 23,708) held its first World Café conversation. The event, open to…

Why do some companies grow while others shrink? Why are some firms extraordinarily successful over the years while others even those in the same…

In my previous article, Confessions of a Recovering Knower(The Systems Thinker Vol. 16, No. 7), I described my journey from being a knower to…

This is the tale of a powerful, synergistic confluence of process and technology at a three-day strategic conversation last December that moved two large…

Empowerment is the process of enabling individuals to adopt new behaviors that further their individual aspirations and those of their organizations. This article presents…

In the popular science fiction TV series Star Trek, the Vulcans, an extraterrestrial species, possess a unique characteristic: They can wordlessly share thoughts, experiences,…