Continuums, complexities, contexts

Yesterday, I introduced my plan to share a number of sparks of engagement and reflections that have been stimulated by my recent explorations in embracing complexity, nurturing relationships and catalysing collaborative learning for social change.

I’m sharing these as bite-sized pieces, with my sparks of engagement reformulated as learning questions. For each question, I’ve included links to the initial spark of engagement, and then shared my subsequent reflections.

I hope that you find something of interest. More ambitiously, my hope is that over time, the various questions, reflections and related conversations they are part of will cross-fertilise, growing an evolving network of thought, or a garden of ideas, to inform more effective systemic and collaborative action for social change. That’s the plan!

So, question 1:

How can thinking in terms of continuums help us to understand and act more effectively in the contexts of complex systems?

Engagement: My comment on Rachel Botsman’s recent piece on how to be strong and weak, and on the transformative value of thinking in terms of continuums. Rachel’s piece? was a recent edition of her thoughtful and practical “Rethink with Rachel” newsletter.

I was particularly struck by the emphasis Rachel places on context, situational awareness and deciding how to act, and most especially by the encouragement to think in terms of continuums, rather than opposites or binaries.

This resonated strongly with me, reminding me of a rich period of personal and professional exploration and growth that was informed by the work of Barry Johnson on what he refers to as “polarities”. (See From polarized to energized for a good introduction, this video discussion with Barry Johnson for a fuller explanation, and the Polarity Partnerships website for more).? If you’re really interested, I might even share the dynamic diagram I used to help me get from where I was in 2021 to where I am now!

Somebody might tell me that this is just user-friendly dialectics, complexity science 101, and timeless yin and yang, and perhaps it is. But my sense is that thinking about things in terms of continuums, and the relationships between the two (or more, if we up the dimensions) ends of a continuum, is an important step towards getting a feel for the dynamics of systems and being able make good decisions about how to act with systemic awareness.

More specifically, it seems to me that the integrity (meaning how well a system is integrated, and the ways in which it is more than the sum of its parts) and effectiveness of a system - and perhaps how compassionate and loving it is - is shaped by the balance that emerges between the interdependence and autonomy of its constituent parts. If this strikes a chord with you, or you’re keen to explore more, please do give me a shout.

Jump to my reflections on question 2 - To what extent can new models of governance, and different organisational forms, help to shift the power dynamics that hold systems in place? - here.

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