The Butterfly Effect

Many people have heard about the butterfly effect. It suggests that the butterfly, when flapping its wings, could either stop or cause a tornado. This term was coined by Edward Lorenz when he worked with weather models. In his research, he found that a very small change in initial conditions … Read More

The Stunning Effect of Liberating Structures

Givens as Prerequisite for Maximum Freedom, Maximum Choice When I did my Genuine Contact training in 2003 I learned from Birgitt Williams about what she referred to as “givens”. The “non-negotiables” for Open Space Technology meetings or any other meetings in which people participate. These givens, provide them with orientation … Read More

What’s your worldview – sink or swim?

Years ago I moved to the Netherlands to work at a Dutch professional University. I was surprised that many students had real difficulty with even the basics of writing academic papers. In talking to my colleagues, I found out that they were very frustrated about this. Their explanation was that … Read More