History

In 1987, Glenda Eoyang and her business partner began to notice significant changes in the challenges they faced in their computer-based training company. Coincidentally, around that time, Glenda began reading about complexity science and chaos theory. The more she read, the more she recognized similarities between what those authors were describing in nonlinear systems and what she was experiencing in her own company.  She looked for and found a small group of people who were engaged in those explorations.

Human systems dynamics, as a field of study, began in 1990 with the first meeting of the Chaos Network. Though the field was not named until 2001, the work began when forty practitioners and academics met in Washington, D.C., under the guise of the Chaos Network, to explore the theory and practice of applying chaos and complexity theory to the arena of human interactions. That gathering, organized and hosted by Mark Michaels, was the first time a public meeting was held to convene people who were working at the boundary between social sciences and what was known then as chaos theory. Since those thrilling early days, the field has developed quickly and in many fascinating directions. Published works have covered a range of areas from quantitative analysis and design to sheer poetry. Practical applications have ranged from nonlinear time series analysis and agent-based simulation models to metaphorical tools and techniques for planning and problem solving. The field is rich with possibilities and creative, committed stakeholders.

Along with other early explorers, Glenda recognized the nonlinear dynamics of human systems, and she applied science and mathematics to leverage emergent patterns for her clients, employees, students, and colleagues. Her knowledge of history and philosophy of science, her pragmatic commitment to the bottom line, and her gift for simplicity make her work in complexity both ground-breaking and accessible. 

In 2001, Glenda completed her Ph.D. and proposed 'human systems dynamics' as a name to capture the primary characteristics of this field of study that partakes in many different traditional social sciences and many threads of research into complex systems dynamics. Work in this field uses metaphors from chaos theory and complexity science to understand how individuals and groups live, work, and play together in groups, communities, and organizations. Founded by Glenda Eoyang in 2000, this field is based in both theory and practice. The Human Systems Dynamics Institute, founded by Glenda in 2003, is dedicated to expanding the field through research, teaching, consulting, and coaching.

To understand more about the field and Glenda’s early research, follow this link to her dissertation, Conditions for Self-organizing in Human Systems.