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Program Information
Program Faculty
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Solving Tough Problems: Co-creating New Realities in Complex Systemswith Mille Bojer and LeAnne Grillo; guest appearances by Adam Kahane and Marianne KnuthToday's most pressing challenges are characterized by enormously high complexity. Relying on past experience to figure out what to do is no longer sufficient. We need to find new ways to problem solve that allow us to uncover powerful innovations with the potential to bring forth a better, more robust future. We have to shift how we think and act-from mechanistic to systemic, from closed to open, from downloading and debating to reflective and generative dialogue, from a heroic leadership model to one of shared or collective leadership. But most importantly, we have to be willing to change ourselves before we can change the system. In this module, we will explore an advanced problem-solving approach called the "Change Lab." A practical application of the U-Process, the Change Lab gives us tools that enable us to
The Change Lab has been developed over the past decade in the context of projects addressing challenges in finance, health, education, food, justice, regional development, climate change, and services to children, in North, Central and South America, Europe, Southern Africa, Asia, and Australasia. Through the courses we have run over the past five years, it has been our clear experience that the best way to understand the Change Lab approach and practice the tools is to work with an actual case study. This June, we will work with the challenge of sustainable consumption, or more specifically, the question of "How can we change our consumption habits to increase economic, environmental, and social sustainability?" This is a theme that has been used in Brazil and the U.S. previously in Change Lab courses, and works very well because we are all part of the system and have a role in creating this problem, and so we all have personal knowledge and experience to offer. A word of advice in engaging with the case: For some participants, this may be an issue of primary concern and a main reason for signing up for the module. For others, it may not be the issue that keeps you up at night. No matter how you feel about the issue of sustainable consumption, our overriding workshop objective is to create an experience that gives you both a firsthand experience of using the tools (including briefings, dialogue interviews, and learning journeys in Halifax) and an understanding of how you can apply the methodology to your own work. Adam Kahane will join us for part of the module time to share his perspectives, experiences, and understandings of the Change Lab process. Participants in this module will receive a copy of Adam's newest book, Power and Love: Creating New Social Realities, published by Berrett-Koehler. “Our current institutions and systems are at a breaking point, and traditional change methodologies are insufficient to address these complex challenges. The Change Lab takes stakeholders on a journey that has the potential to unleash creativity, innovation, and real solutions. I would recommend this module to leaders dealing with complex problems within organizations or with large-systems problems within regions and beyond.” —Georgina Veldhorst, Vice President, (now retired) North York General Hospital, ON
Mille Bojer is an experienced facilitator and designer of group dialogue and change processes. She is a founder of the Reos Partners office in São Paulo, Brazil. Her current work is focused on two "Change Lab" projects: one on Sustainable Business engaging 13 major Brazilian companies and their key stakeholders, and a multi-local project on Metropolitan Agriculture which is taking place in parallel in six different cities around the world. Before moving to Brazil, she lived in South Africa for eight years. Her most recent work in South Africa was focused on three extensive multi-stakeholder projects addressing the challenges of HIV/AIDS and vulnerable children at community and national level. In her capacity as a professional facilitator, she has worked with a variety of clients internationally. She is co-author of "Mapping Dialogue: Essential Tools for Social Change", developed with Nelson Mandela Foundation, GTZ, and the Taos Institute, which outlines a variety of dialogue methodologies and important principles and approaches to dialogue. She is alsoÊone of the founders of Pioneers of Change, a learning community of young change agents across the world. Born in Denmark, she has spent more than half her life abroad in Egypt, the United States, Burkina Faso, The Netherlands, Brazil, and South Africa. She lives in São Paulo wth her husband Maikel Lieuw-Kie-Song and their three-year old son Felix.
LeAnne Grillo helps diverse groups of people act together to address issues they are frustrated with and passionate to change. Whether designing a learning journey, managing a project or a project meeting, or facilitating a workshop, LeAnne's focus is on creating the conditions for people to connect in meaningful ways. She has worked with Reos Partners LLC (and its predecessor company, Generon Consulting) for eight years, contributing to a range of projects using the Change Lab and U-Process methodologies, including a community healthcare initiative in Columbus, Ohio, a Fortune 50 corporate transformation process in Europe, and the global Sustainable Food Lab. Before joining Reos Partners, LeAnne was vice president and conference director for Pegasus Communications, the premier resource provider in the fields of systems thinking and organizational learning, and spent over ten years designing conferences and gatherings that brought people together using a systems thinking lens to address issues that mattered to their organizations, communities, and the world. The Pegasus Conference is known for its finely-honed integration of content with design that creates the container in which deep learning can happen. Module ListAction Inquiry: Transforming Leadership in the Midst of Action Adaptive Action, Artful Perception Building Capacity for Wise and Skillful Action with Circle, Brush, and Sword Catalyzing Organizational Change Embodying Power and Love: Two Essentials for Effective Leadership Leader as Shambhala Warrior Solving Tough Problems: Co-creating New Realities in Complex Systems Women and Leadership: Life Cycles, Power, and Work |
“Many conferences are like a restaurant; you go and sample the menu. This event is more like a cooking class.” Sustain and integrate the learning, deepen the impact. Pathways for Authentic Leadership is a nine-month course that begins with the Summer Institute and continues in your home organization. |
