Kumu

At Kumu, we build tools for tackling tough problems ???? Find our current products below: - Kumu: a data visualization tool for relationship maps that are beautiful to look at and a pleasure to use (https://kumu.io/) - Sticky Studio: a collaborative space for complex discussions in real-time (https://sticky.studio/) You can sign up for our monthly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eA6JVX_P #datavisualization #community #collaboration #complexity

Hi there, Kumunity! Tomorrow is #worldwaterday, and this year’s theme is Glacier Preservation. Meltwater shifts are causing floods, droughts, and sea level rise. How do we manage meltwater sustainably? Members of our Kumunity tackle questions like these and they use Kumu to visually communicate their work through systems and stakeholder maps, from Burkina Faso and Azerbaijan, to Venezuela and California's Central Coast! See examples in our latest blog post! https://buff.ly/nJKKFbU With projects from: Monique van de Wetering Arup National Infrastructure Commission Tom Hughes Juliet Mian Ocean Sewage Alliance Leanne Wei Yi Ng Ashley Boren Bryony Bowman Davide Cotti International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC Amina Rabiah Guira Kajal Ramavat Vanessa Nichols, MScPH #worldwaterday #sustainability #dataviz #systemsmapping #stakeholdermapping #ecosystem #WASH #freshwater

March 27th: Join us for part two on multiscalar networks with June Holley! June will be joined by Christy Shi Day of Together WNC, Anne Palmer of Food Policy Network, Samantha Richardson of Teach for All Appalachia, and possibly more network leaders. This workshop will explore network of networks challenges using real-world stories, and we'll have plenty of time for Q and A. Learn more and register here: https://lu.ma/aypy6rnz Kumu Fito Network ?? please share with your networks!

"The design of VC funds prioritises exponential growth over sustainability, with consequences that are now undeniable. Continuing with “business as usual” will only exacerbate these crises. Systemic investing, by contrast, challenges these outdated structures. Instead of optimising within the current system, it calls for designing entirely new ones." Such a great read by Janina Tessarek on how Impact VC's can live up to their potential through systemic investing, including a list of VC's that are already leading the way ?? ?? Access the blog post here: https://lnkd.in/e-UjjhTd #systemsthinking #venturecapital #investing #sustainability

BUILD Networks for Good's mission is to enable normal people to have the funding, tools, resources, and knowledge they need to build collective power. Enter: BUILD Learning Labs -- a free monthly session teaching essential network building skills. In April, we're tackling network mapping. We have the wonderful Michel Alimasi teaching us how to use Kumu to map relationships and complex systems in an easy way. Date: 1 April Time: 11am EST// 4pm GMT Location: Zoom Comment ?? and I'll send you the sign-up! ps big thank you to Kumu for sponsoring this session. If you would like to sponsor the next learning lab please get in touch ??

I recently was recommended a book by Roberto Vassolo and Natalia Weisz called Strategy as Leadership. While some concepts were familiar to me (ex. Adaptive Leadership's framework), others were not. One of those new concepts was their breakdown on a Developmental Challenge - wherein a business's industry is approaching/reached the maturity stage of the market. Reading about this was quite insightful - but I felt that learning in action would help me better understand the concepts the authors are writing about. So, with the help of Kumu and Anthropic's Claude - I created Causal Loop diagram on the Developmental Challenge system! With patience and iteration, I felt brave enough to post what is my most recent draft of the Developmental Challenge. Is it 100% accurate and true to the vision of Vassolo and Weisz's analysis? Probably not (though not for lack of trying). But the learning that happens when people can map out complexity, play with it, and build onto it? I think that is just too cool not to share! Have you read Strategy as Leadership? (If not, you should). If so, and you're confused by these lines and loops- see the comments for the analysis of what I have learned through this process. ?? #OrganizationalChange #StrategicAdaptation #LeadershipChallenge #AdaptiveLeadership #BusinessStrategy #SystemsThinking #IndustryEvolution #ValueMigration #StrategyAsLeadership

Project of the Week! About a month ago, Kumunity member Bilal Attal published a systems map illustrating the unintended consequences of U.S. and European unilateral measures on Syria’s economy and how it has affected the population. https://buff.ly/6uRR5cQ Built with info from Samir Aita's paper published by The Carter Center, Bilal used our systems template to visualize key dynamics such as: - Conflict Vicious Cycle - Subsidization Collapse Cycle - Donor Fatigue Cycle - Economic Deterioration Cycle We really appreciate that by using Kumu's presentation feature, Bilal walks users through different aspects of the system – Kumu strives to be a platform where systems thinkers can communicate and collaborate on ideas about complex adaptive systems as easily as possible. See the original post: https://buff.ly/XxlhIzL See the paper: https://buff.ly/MHfKA6z We also noticed another really well done map by Bilal, around the Water Crisis in the Middle East, prepared as part of the System Practice Training at Acumen Academy. https://buff.ly/8GvOZuf Thanks so much for your incredible work Bilal! #systemsmapping #internationalrelations #unilateralcoercivemeasures #politicaleconomy #syria

?????? ?????????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????? And three ways to respond: Many challenges of today are ???????????? ????????????????. They are deeply entangled, constantly evolving, and impossible to "solve". ?? Christian Sarkar & Philip Kotler’s work (see their brilliant visual) reveals why these challenges ???????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???????????????? ????????????: ? They are systemic. ? They resist linear solutions. ? They require us to act differently. So how do we engage with them? Certainly not through quick fixes. Let's explore ?? ?????????? (?????? ???? ????????) ???????? ???? ??????????????: 1?? ?????????????????? ???????????????? ?????????????? Wicked problems persist because of: Patriarchy, supremacy, coloniality, etc. These structures perpetuate violence. Instead of reproducing them, we can hospice their decline through unlearning harmful mindsets. It's vital to release what does not serve. 2?? ?????????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? Complexity cannot be rushed. When we pause and listen, (...) We allow emergence to take root. This requires ????????????????????—a practice of sensing what is shifting before it fully arrives. (For more on that, check out the Presencing Institute) 3?? ?????????????????? ????????-?????????????????? ?????????????????? We can nurture what is trying to be born. There are so many ways of organizing that are regenerative rather than extractive. Innovation is not about forcing change. It is about creating conditions where transformation can take root. ??????'?? ?????? ???? ????: Wicked problems are not obstacles. They are ???????????????????? ???? ??????????. We can ask: ?? What is ready to be released? ?? What is emerging that needs our care? This is the work. Not fixing, but weaving. Not rushing, but presencing. Not controlling, but stewarding. ?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ????????? Drop your thoughts below! Follow Christian Sarkar & Philip Kotler for more on their work. ? ???????? ???? ?????????? ????????? -> Connect with me & join the Systemic Shift Newsletter

Happy International Women's Day! Our Kumunity uses the platform to describe and understands systems that affect women's health and many other areas! These maps are more systemic: Gender Diversity: https://buff.ly/ZeiCZoK Corail Bourrelier Fabiani Women's Heart Health: https://buff.ly/LftrcpX Diana Lyman Girl's Sport Participation: https://buff.ly/yhlBLq3 Sarah Murray HPV Prevalence and Gender Based Violence: https://buff.ly/fNz8uTP Margaux Galli And this one looks at stakeholders in a specific network supporting women in Mexico: https://buff.ly/ARllfbq Celia Sánchez This one is a recent fun project to look at the players in the 2023 World Cup! https://buff.ly/GnGmgmI FIFA Women's World Cup? #internationalwomensday #womensday #iwd #systemsmapping #networkmapping #stakeholdermapping #womensworldcup #womenssoccer #womensfootball #dataviz

Question for everyone: would it be helpful to visually map out a challenge? Specifically, how about an adaptive challenge? Well thanks to the language of systems thinking, I believe you can! Thanks to the wonderful platform Kumu offers, it is easy for visual learners like me to map out what feels like a hodgepodge of words, theories, frameworks and concepts into something more orderly and structured. I decided - with the help AI, Kumu, and a White Board - to map out what the most basic adaptive challenges look like inside an organization. Here's what I found: ?? ?? The Leadership Paradox: Pushing harder for change often increases resistance, creating a balancing loop that maintains the status quo. Systems thinking shows us why "trying harder" often yields diminishing returns. ?? The Reinforcing Cycles of Change: Two critical reinforcing loops determine success or failure: The "Change Amplification Cycle" where leadership pressure → adaptive work → organizational learning → renewed leadership commitment The "Adaptation Momentum Loop" where initial adaptive work success reduces resistance, making further adaptation easier ?? Time Delays Matter: The model reveals why patience is crucial—many positive effects take time to materialize, while resistance is immediate. ?? Leadership Insight: The key leverage point isn't applying more pressure but activating these reinforcing loops early. Small wins in adaptive work can create momentum that overcomes initial resistance. Systems thinking doesn't just diagnose organizational challenges—it can reveal non-obvious intervention points that adaptive leaders can use to catalyze lasting change. What's been your experience with resistance to change? Have you seen these reinforcing loops in action? What other models could we create to help visually see an adaptive challenge in action? #AdaptiveLeadership #SystemsThinking #OrganizationalChange #LeadershipStrategy #CompanyCulture