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Glenda Eoyang, the Founder and Executive Director of Human Systems Dynamics (HSD) Institute, returns to the podcast, in this episode, to talk about a grand and important transition and transformation that is happening in the near future.
Press play to hear firsthand what Glenda has been seeing, understanding, and influencing through and with HSD for over 20 years, why it matters, and what she and people everywhere are doing about it right now.
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After January 1, 2025, the Human Systems Dynamics Institute will emerge into the world as a new, co-creative, global, massively diverse community of theory and practice. This new complex system has been evolving over the past 20 years. It includes individuals from all parts of the world, disciplines, and walks of life. It includes institutions from business, government, philanthropy, education, nonprofit, and sectors yet to be imagined. A coherent whole emerges from these diverse agents because they all find hope and power in the foundations of HSD: Vision, Simple Rules, and core models and methods (Adaptive Action, Inquiry, Pattern Logic).
In this Blog Post, Glenda and Royce Holladay, Director of HSD Services, share their thoughts and thanks for what the last twenty-two years has allowed to emerge!
Curious learners have an opportunity to attend âHSD Gathering 2025,â which will be held in the beautiful university city of Guelph, (near Toronto, Ontario) Canada from May 29 â 30, 2025. This two-day gathering will focus on the practice of applying HSD to the sticky issues we all face today in our teams, organizations, families, and communities.
NOW WHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT?
Save the date - May 29 - 30, 2025 in Guelph (pronounced gwelf), Ontario
Complete this brief survey to share your thoughts and ideas for initial program design.
The HSD Gathering 2025 registration link is live and there is early bird pricing until January 31, 2025. Check back periodically for more details.
If you have any questions about the Gathering, please send an email to [email protected] or use the Contact Us form on the website.
Thank you for investing in this vibrant HSD community of curious scholars and for listening to Patterns and Possibilities.
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The holidays are considered the most wonderful time of the year. Itâs the time when we gather most with friends, family and colleagues at work to celebrate life in joyous ways. Celebrations with friends and family who know us well give us opportunities to let our hair down without judgment. The celebrations that happen with the people we work with, and around, often have to be navigated with more poise and composure than we would typically display with friends and family especially when alcohol is being served.
If youâve ever been to an after hours holiday party sponsored by the company or organization that you work for, you may have observed uncharacteristic and peculiar behavior from your colleagues as well as the people you report to and/or whom report to you. Perhaps you were the person demonstrating uncharacteristic and peculiar behavior that one wouldnât consider professional amongst professionals. Itâs easy to resort to judgments about the human beings we work with and around when they courageously step outside of their office personas and transform into human beings that we no longer recognize and didnât know existed.
The definition of having a good time is broader than some would expect when parties are centered around the human beings who work at âThe Office.â Itâs important to celebrate life professionally, but itâs even more important to tread lightly and avoid the needles of unprofessionalism when youâre surrounded by people who rate your job performance and for whom you do the same.
How comfortable are you navigating after hours work celebrations?
How much of your whole self, if any, do you bring into those spaces and places?
Have you ever gone beyond whatâs professionally acceptable at a work celebration and if so, how did you determine youâd gone too far?
How can you help your team to self-police themselves after hours by seeing and adhering to reasonable boundary lines when they havenât been established?
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Puuttuva jakso?
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Iâve always been fascinated by cities and how they work and every time I get an opportunity to travel to a new one, Iâm always hoping to have an adventure. My first trip to Nashville , Tennessee, in 2016 was adventurous in a horrific sort of way. Iâve never forgotten it, and I had to face that reality head on just a few days ago when I traveled back to Nashville for the second time. I seized the opportunity to transform some painful memories into something impactful and meaningful. Press play to hear how the city of Nashville impacted me and what I decided to do about it.
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How often do you use virtual meeting platforms to connect with others?
If virtual meetings are a regular pattern of communication in your personal and/or professional life, how do you make sure youâre giving your absolute best?
How do you virtually invest in a room full of people youâve never met in person?
How do you help others to get comfortable speaking in virtual spaces?
Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a Zoom meeting? If so, did you remain present, turn off your camera, or simply log off altogether?
How can we help the human beings who lead and participate in virtual meetings to have a great human experience?
These are some of the questions that have crossed my curious mind lately.
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I love to read, and I stumbled upon a book recently that caused me to Stand in Inquiry in a deep and imaginative way.
The words on the page led me to more wonderment about life and the patterns that we exhibit as badges of honor.
Iâm curious if youâve ever read a book that made you less certain about what you thought you knew? Have you ever been inspired or influenced to move from holding on to your beliefs to letting go of them so something new can take shape?
How has reading impacted the way you see, hear and experience life and the patterns that live in and around you?
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Iâm thankful that Iâve been able to use Human Systems Dynamics to transform wicked patterns in my life. Thereâs one pattern that I havenât been able to transform - not because I donât have the tools - itâs because I havenât had the desire and courage to deal with it until now.
An unexpected and powerful question from a loving friend and critic recently inspired me to deal with my ugly truths and the company they keep. Staring at it in the face reminds me just how ignorant Iâve been. Fortunately, Iâm not ignorant anymore, and I refuse to allow what I once didnât know to be my forever excuse for not moving past it.
Are you holding tightly to unhealthy patterns because theyâve been part of your life for so long that it would feel uncomfortable to live without them? If that is part of your story, I invite you to zoom in and zoom out of your ugly truths with deep curiosity and envision what your life would be like if you had the courage to walk away from whatâs kept you safely stuck in a wicked pattern.
Overcoming wicked issues can be a tough process, but nothing is intractable when we use Human Systems Dynamics.
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Have you ever walked into a room full of empty tables and chairs? People are in the room and yet no one is sitting down. Conversations are happening all around you, but all of the chairs are still empty.
Who is going to be the first to take a seat? Which table do you choose? What makes one empty table more appealing than another?
I was recently faced with an opportunity to choose from several empty tables in a large room. I was the first to take a seat at the table, and I was joined by human beings Iâd never met before, and it was the most magical experience!
Empty tables are an invitation to delve into the possibilities that exist because we are human beings with lived experiences.
What have you discovered from the tables at which youâve chosen take a seat? What opportunities did you cease and were there any that you missed out on? What will you do differently the next time youâre at the table?
Living Cities is an organization that intentionally and collaboratively brings human beings to the table to center the topics that help us to thrive individually and collectively. To learn more about the work and the change they are committed to, visit https://livingcities.org/.
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Do you remember what life was like before social media?
What was your primary method for connecting and socializing with others?
Do you find it easy or difficult to form connections with people via social media?
Is it possible to develop and maintain rich and fulfilling connections with people you follow on social media and may never meet or interact with outside of an app?
Think about your social media connections and the connections youâve formed outside of the digital world. What makes them different and similar?
How open are you to developing connections with people no matter where they happen?
When youâre not logged into your social media accounts, how do you connect with the people you like and love?
How often do you make new connections that donât involve social media?
What would your life be like without social media? How would you make social investments in others?
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Human Systems Dynamics (HSD) has been around for more than twenty years. There are associates, around the globe, who have been certified in it and countless learners who have attended one or many HSD non-certification courses.
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The hope is that those that learn HSD are sharing it with others and that sharing will attract more human beings to touch HSD and make it a pattern of being.
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Just recently, I realized that HSD may be part of an individualâs way of living and being without them being formally or informally introduced to HSD. Imagine that!
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It made me wonder where HSD begins and where it ends?
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Press play to hear some of the ways HSD is being practiced by human beings as a pattern who donât know anything about HSD.
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The 2024 Paris Olympics is over now, but itâs still a popular topic of conversation around the world. I watched this round of the Olympics more than any other and became sort of addicted to it, but not in the way that you may think.
The question that came to mind as I observed the pattern of victory and celebrating life in different events, was where did this notion of being the best come from?
How is it helping and/or hindering us both in and outside of sports?
What do you think?
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Ego is often the primary driver in the life choices and decisions of people that we interact with everyday.
Has your ego ever told you that youâre more qualified or better than you are? How often are you making decisions influenced by ego rather reality?
How much can your ego be trusted to lead you to the best decision for you and the people living , playing, and working with and around you?
Is your ego a little or big influence in your life?
How does ego impact three of the most important decisions of our lives?
Press play to discover three common adult decisions you may be soon be faced with and learn how our egos can impact the outcome of those critical decisions.
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When you finally meet the romantic partner you’ve been dreaming about, love is a splendored thing! If you’re lucky, you can fall in love and stay there forever.
If something happens to cause you to fall out of love with the person of your dreams, it can suddenly feel like your heart has been pierced with splinters.
I’ve developed a Relationship Math Quiz to help you and your mate determine if your relationship is thriving or just surviving. I invite you and your mate to take the quiz independently so you can see, hear and experience how your partner views your relationship and if it’s in alignment with how you see it. -
I have always been afraid of birds, especially those that flock together. On a recent trip to Chicago, I had an epiphany about why everything in the bird species terrifies me, and it took me back to my past when I first read, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou. I was inspired to figure out why the caged bird sings at work, and I now know why their lyrics bother me so much.
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I had an amazing four-day vacation that was sandwiched by two wicked issues. Both created major tension between me and the other people that were involved.
Rather than remain a victim of my circumstances, I took time to think about what transpired in an HSD type of way. I figured out how I can open a doorway to empathy even when I’m dealing with unreasonable human beings.
I realize that there are bad apples out there, but I prefer to beat them with a pattern of self-awareness rather than join them. -
In March 2001, I was granted a five-day opportunity to be locked in a room on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Dr. Phil McGraw and 41 other human beings, from around the country, for five days, in The Get Real Challenge.
The 42 of us were filmed from morning to night even while we were just interacting with one another, on an informal basis, outside of Harpo Studios. Those five days felt like a lifetime and by the time we were preparing to head home, I had transformed into someone else…who was ready to bring my creative side out of hiding so it could live and breathe real air.
At the end of that journey, myself and the other 41 human beings who were participating in the experiment, were required to make a written contractual declaration about who we’d evolved into after spending time with Dr. Phil.
In this episode, I’ll share my declaration and reveal how it and HSD are helping me to navigate the restless waters flowing through my life right now. -
I’m delighted to announce the relaunch of this podcast, and it’s happening in just a few days.
I wouldn’t be here, doing something I love and in this fashion, without loyal listeners like YOU. Press play to learn more about the What, So What, and Now What of this new version of the podcast, and how WE can continue THRIVING together. -
It’s been awhile since we had a curious conversation, so we wanted to reunite with all of you for some important news from Glenda Eoyang, Founder and Executive Director of Human Systems Dynamics Institute.
The Human Systems Dynamics Institute is hosting a Gathering of Curious Minds in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Friday and Saturday, April 5-6. This is an in-person opportunity to meet people from everywhere, who lightly and deeply touch and use HSD to see, understand, and influence patterns personally and professionally.
Glenda reveals:
1. Why now is an opportune time for people everywhere to gather around the patterns that disrupt our daily lives;
2. What people everywhere should bring to the gathering table; and
3. What people everywhere can expect to gain and leave with after the HSD Gathering.
If you’re curious about HSD and want to create the patterns that help you and everyone around the globe to thrive, then register for the HSD Gathering and meet us in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 5. -
This episode completes our pattern of curious conversations with members of the Human Systems Dynamics (HSD) Community. We couldn’t think of a better way to end the season and podcast than inviting, Glenda Eoyang, Founder and Executive Director of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute, back as our special guest.
In our first episode, Glenda shared: the history behind HSD, why HSD matters, and advice that anyone new to and familiar with HSD can use now.
In this episode, we’ve asked Glenda to explain something many of us are curious about and that is the HSD Vision. She also shares details about the issue that’s at the top of her wicked list.
Glenda helps public and private organizations thrive in the face of overwhelming complexity and uncertainty. She is a pioneer in the applications of complexity science to human systems, and she founded the field of HSD in 2001.
As founding executive director of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute, she leads a global network of scholar-practitioners who use her models and methods to see patterns in the chaos that surrounds them, understand the patterns in simple and powerful ways, and take practical steps to shift chaos toward coherence. Her recent clients include the Finnish Research Institute (VTT), US Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, British Columbia Ministry of Health, Oxfam International, The International Baccalaureate Organization, The Sustainability Consortium, the Association for Medical Education in Europe, UK National Health Service, and Roffey Park Institute.
Glenda received her doctorate in HSD from the Union Institute and University in 2001, studying under Drs. Donald Klein and Kevin Dooley. There she discovered three fundamental factors that influence the dynamics of self-organizing change in human systems. This research forms the foundation for the body of work that helps individuals, institutions, and communities respond to complex change. With colleagues around the world, Glenda delivers a hybrid of education and consulting in the form of Adaptive Action Laboratories. Individuals and teams bring their most wicked problems, learn and practice human systems dynamics approaches, and leave with plans for next wise action. Groups from Vancouver to Sao Paulo and Boston to Delhi have used this method to break through apparently intractable issues.
Her published works include scholarly articles in a variety of fields and Radical Rules for Schools: Adaptive Action for Complex Change (HSD Institute, March 2013), and Coping with Chaos: Seven Simple Tools (Lagumo Press, 1996). Glenda’s latest book, with co-author Royce Holladay, is Adaptive Action: Leveraging Uncertainty in Your Organization (Stanford University Press, April 2013). It is a roadmap for anyone who chooses to work at the intersection of order and chaos.
Glenda grew up in the Texas Panhandle, where there is more sky than ground and the wind “has been blowing for a very long time.” She lives now near the headwaters of the Mississippi River, on a little lake in Circle Pines, Minnesota. Thanks to Zoom, she engages with global partners in local action. For more information about Glenda and the HSD Institute, visit www.hsdinstitute.org. You can reach Glenda via email @[email protected]. -
In this episode, we’re continuing our pattern of inquiry with active members of the HSD community but this time Glenda Eoyang, Founder and Executive Director of Human Systems Dynamics Institute, is taking over the conversational reins to ask the questions that have her curious.
Our next special guest is Tamela Handie, the host of Patterns & Possibilities - Curious Conversations with Miss Handie.
Tamela’s passion is helping others fulfill the highest expression of themselves. She is a Corporate Trainer, Organizational Development and Leadership Strategist, Certified Facilitator and Human Systems Dynamics Practitioner.
Tamela uses her skills and experience to disrupt status quo workplace culture and transform lackluster engagement, communication, and leadership into impactful, energetic and creative breakthroughs.
In addition to hosting and producing the Patterns & Possibilities podcast, Tamela serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Human Systems Dynamics Institute.
Tamela’s first love is writing. She is a published author and poet and has written numerous blogs and poems about a wide variety of interesting topics, from racism to heartbreak, on the popular Medium platform.
Tamela comes from a family of seasoned educators and orators. Fueled by deep pride in her family surname, she truly believes that “Courage Comes in Handie.”
In her spare time, she lends her talents as a voiceover artist, on-air personality, and inspirational speaker. Tamela’s celebrates life with long walks, solo vacations, dancing, hula hooping and a good lemon drop martini.
Her voice can be heard delivering travel announcements at Kansas City International (KCI) Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, and on her podcast, “Gumbo Nights with Miss Handie.”
Tamela earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and an MBA in Management from Avila University, where she’s served as a guest lecturer on personal branding for many years.
She previously served in the Office of former Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, Sly James, as Senior Advisor for Operations. She’s also served on numerous boards and commissions including the Kansas City Credit Union’s Supervisory Committee, the Kansas City AIDS Foundation, and the Avila University Alumni Board.
You can connect with Tamela on LinkedIn and follow her courageous blend of extroverted introversion on Instagram and TikTok. - Näytä enemmän
