We often connect with others to address common interests or commitments, only to find how difficult it is to sustain such a network over time.
Usually we assume that the network's structure needs to be changed to help it function better. So we turn to the evolutionary patterns seen in formal network structures, looking for what 'ought to be' the next stage in our own network's development. We create hubs and replace missing connections, move from a hub-and-spoke structure to small world, to scale-free . . .
But not all networks respond to this approach. Some networks seem to exist as a pool of potential connections, coming alive only when action is called for and creating temporary structures which serve that action. Unlike formal networks, where structure is designed as a container for action, in self-organising networks structure is created when the network wants to act, and disappears when the action is complete.
This kind of network is often found where individual participation is not in some way contractual, for example in internal staff networks intended to provide support or generate learning, or skill-based networks where no commercial obligation drives collaboration but a common interest and history holds the group lightly together.
In this Adaptive Action Lab, you will learn ways to 1) see the usefulness in these connections; 2) understand how to create the best fit between the patterns of connections and the work to be done; and 3) take action to set the conditions for your emergent network to accomplish its work.
Join Griff and Royce as they take you on this shared journey to explore the potential and promise of emergent networks.
It is beneficial to participate live, but we know you have busy schedules! All sessions will be hosted on Zoom.us, and are recorded and made available to you, in case you are unable to attend. The recordings are not shared with anyone who is not enrolled in the course. For more information contact info@hsdinstitute.org.
Faculty & Coaches
Jennifer Jones-Patulli, MA, works with private and public organizations to facilitate constructive conflict and influence positive change. Jennifer helps organizations establish flexible conditions, within a solid framework, to confidently adapt to ongoing change.
As a skilled facilitator, mediator, and coach, Jennifer brings over a decade of practice in conflict resolution and application of conflict theory into her work with the Human Systems Dynamics Institute. Using human systems dynamics Models and Methods, Jennifer designs and delivers tailored approaches to support groups through complex challenges. Her work helps groups and individuals let go of non-productive ways of behaving, and brings them to a place of creativity.
Jennifer’s approach is innovative and creative. She believes that complex challenges require an adaptive, interdisciplinary approach to achieve lasting results.
Griff Griffiths first encountered complexity science at the age of nineteen, studying for a degree in Environmental Sciences. Much later, after a career in the IT industry - which was merely complicated - he picked up the complexity thread again, this time as a change-agent working with human systems inside organisations. His current activities include organisational change projects, coaching senior managers and leaders, and facilitating learning about complexity.
In addition to being a Consulting Associate at the HSD Institute, he is an Associate at the Roffey Park Institute, a graduate of the NTL Organisation Development programme, and an accredited coach. He won ODN Europe’s Community Development Award in 2014 for his experiments in creating a self-organising network of coaches.
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