About
Transdisciplinary collaboration
The rapidly evolving challenges we face In the 21st century are deeply interconnected, defying the neat categories of traditional academic and professional disciplines. A world defined by complexity, ambiguity and information overload cannot be navigated with the siloed and reductionist methods of the past, but demands a new transdisciplinary approach to sensemaking. Reality has also always been more interdependent than Modernity has allowed, and a more holistic worldview, particularly one which better integrates the individual, collective, inner and outer domains of human systems, is in ascendance. To make important choices wisely in this context requires the ability to synthesise different types of information, and different ways of knowing, to discern the signals from the noise, drawing on the skills of diverse collaborators.
Thinking in systems
Wise decision-making also requires the capacity to think in systems, and treat these as complex and adaptive wholes. Like most sectors, social impact organisations have tended to focus on immediate effects or individual parts of a system, often neglecting the broader context, long-term consequences, and complex interdependencies. A shift in thinking towards greater complexity is not merely an academic exercise—it is a strategic imperative for any organisation that seeks to remain agile and effective in the face of accelerating change, or for catalytic organisations wishing to fund, build or shape a sector.
Integrating inner and outer
One of the most fundamental sources of complexity, and biggest blindspots in reductionist thinking, is the unavoidable interplay between our interior lives and the external systems that we’re embedded within. Our politics, social structures and built environment cannot be fully understood without also considering the messy world of neurobiology, psychology and culture. Although our world has always been tightly bound by interdependence, only now—spurred by the mounting costs of ignoring it—are we witnessing a broad awakening to its far-reaching implications. The ‘paradigm shift’ model, with its implication of a singular, linear change of beliefs, is inadequate for understanding this phenomenon, however. To comprehend and accelerate the shift we must move beyond purely cognitive approaches and embrace the full spectrum of human experience, integrating inner dimensions like emotion, values, imagination and social identity with outer, embodied practices and group processes.
Embedded interveners
In an era defined by intricate networks and emergent properties, those seeking to reshape systems are beginning to recognise that they are not external architects but active participants in the systems they aim to transform. Their cognitive and emotional tendencies—marked by biases and conditioned reactivity—play a critical role in both constraining and enabling change. As such, the ability to intervene in systems hinges not only on external strategies and knowledge but also on self-awareness and personal development. By developing an understanding of one's mental models and psychological patterns, leaders can better discern the subtle interdependencies at play and craft strategies that better reflect the complexity of the real world.
Emergent tools
Thankfully, as our challenges have evolved so too have the tools at our disposal - particularly in the domains of information technology, communication and psycho-social development. AI allows us to digest and interrogate data at a scale previously unimaginable - helping us, for instance, to surface the deep sentiment and cohering narratives flowing through an unlimited number of individual perspectives. Communication and education approaches are now better at going with the grain of our cognitive, emotional and somatic tendencies, helping us to find the elegant simplicity on the other side of complexity rather than overwhelming audiences or making crude shortcuts. Finally, a deepening understanding of our psychology underpins evidence-based capacity-building methods, such as leadership education about cognitive bias combined with self-awareness practices, supporting better-informed decision-making by better-resourced decision-makers.
The Limits of Traditional Analysis
Traditional research methods have tended to break down complex problems into discrete, manageable parts, assuming that each element can be studied in isolation. However, this methodology falls short when dealing with dynamic systems where feedback loops, emergent behaviors, and non-linear interactions are the norm. Linear models often miss critical variables and interactions, leading to solutions that are, at best, partial and, at worst, counterproductive. For example, policy interventions that address economic indicators without considering environmental, psychological and social dimensions can inadvertently exacerbate underlying problems.
The Role of the Sensemaking Studio
The Life Itself Sensemaking Studio is designed to facilitate the integration of knowledge across traditional disciplinary boundaries. It acts as a collaborative hub where experts from diverse fields come together to synthesise data, explore new ecosystems of theory and practice and develop strategic foresight. The studio consists of a core team and a satellite system of expert associates, allowing us to draw in the skills and experience that most fit the brief at hand and very consciously combining contrasting specialisations. For example, facilitation practices and principles from the arts can support "sensing the whole", whilst not at all rejecting the timely application of analytics and engineering approaches. With a finger on the pulse of emergent trends using AI-powered narrative tools, we enable organisations to adapt their activities to better fit the world they operate in. In essence, a sensemaking studio acts as both interpreter and navigator of complexity, transforming disparate data points into wise, coherent, actionable strategies.
Social and ecological impact at the core
We are looking for aligned partners to support their positive impact. The Sensemaking Studio is a vehicle for its core team to sustain work on important topics that serve Life and a more just world, not a private wealth creation exercise. Any surplus will be reinvested in our sensemaking work and to support the evolution of the wider field.
Contact
Let's Get in Touch
Whether you are in early stage exploration or have a detailed plan of work, we are happy to hear from you and explore how we can collaborate. Just drop us a line below and we’ll be in touch.
About
Transdisciplinary collaboration
The rapidly evolving challenges we face In the 21st century are deeply interconnected, defying the neat categories of traditional academic and professional disciplines. A world defined by complexity, ambiguity and information overload cannot be navigated with the siloed and reductionist methods of the past, but demands a new transdisciplinary approach to sensemaking. Reality has also always been more interdependent than Modernity has allowed, and a more holistic worldview, particularly one which better integrates the individual, collective, inner and outer domains of human systems, is in ascendance. To make important choices wisely in this context requires the ability to synthesise different types of information, and different ways of knowing, to discern the signals from the noise, drawing on the skills of diverse collaborators.
Thinking in systems
Wise decision-making also requires the capacity to think in systems, and treat these as complex and adaptive wholes. Like most sectors, social impact organisations have tended to focus on immediate effects or individual parts of a system, often neglecting the broader context, long-term consequences, and complex interdependencies. A shift in thinking towards greater complexity is not merely an academic exercise—it is a strategic imperative for any organisation that seeks to remain agile and effective in the face of accelerating change, or for catalytic organisations wishing to fund, build or shape a sector.
Integrating inner and outer
One of the most fundamental sources of complexity, and biggest blindspots in reductionist thinking, is the unavoidable interplay between our interior lives and the external systems that we’re embedded within. Our politics, social structures and built environment cannot be fully understood without also considering the messy world of neurobiology, psychology and culture. Although our world has always been tightly bound by interdependence, only now—spurred by the mounting costs of ignoring it—are we witnessing a broad awakening to its far-reaching implications. The ‘paradigm shift’ model, with its implication of a singular, linear change of beliefs, is inadequate for understanding this phenomenon, however. To comprehend and accelerate the shift we must move beyond purely cognitive approaches and embrace the full spectrum of human experience, integrating inner dimensions like emotion, values, imagination and social identity with outer, embodied practices and group processes.
Embedded interveners
In an era defined by intricate networks and emergent properties, those seeking to reshape systems are beginning to recognise that they are not external architects but active participants in the systems they aim to transform. Their cognitive and emotional tendencies—marked by biases and conditioned reactivity—play a critical role in both constraining and enabling change. As such, the ability to intervene in systems hinges not only on external strategies and knowledge but also on self-awareness and personal development. By developing an understanding of one's mental models and psychological patterns, leaders can better discern the subtle interdependencies at play and craft strategies that better reflect the complexity of the real world.
Emergent tools
Thankfully, as our challenges have evolved so too have the tools at our disposal - particularly in the domains of information technology, communication and psycho-social development. AI allows us to digest and interrogate data at a scale previously unimaginable - helping us, for instance, to surface the deep sentiment and cohering narratives flowing through an unlimited number of individual perspectives. Communication and education approaches are now better at going with the grain of our cognitive, emotional and somatic tendencies, helping us to find the elegant simplicity on the other side of complexity rather than overwhelming audiences or making crude shortcuts. Finally, a deepening understanding of our psychology underpins evidence-based capacity-building methods, such as leadership education about cognitive bias combined with self-awareness practices, supporting better-informed decision-making by better-resourced decision-makers.
The Limits of Traditional Analysis
Traditional research methods have tended to break down complex problems into discrete, manageable parts, assuming that each element can be studied in isolation. However, this methodology falls short when dealing with dynamic systems where feedback loops, emergent behaviors, and non-linear interactions are the norm. Linear models often miss critical variables and interactions, leading to solutions that are, at best, partial and, at worst, counterproductive. For example, policy interventions that address economic indicators without considering environmental, psychological and social dimensions can inadvertently exacerbate underlying problems.
The Role of the Sensemaking Studio
The Life Itself Sensemaking Studio is designed to facilitate the integration of knowledge across traditional disciplinary boundaries. It acts as a collaborative hub where experts from diverse fields come together to synthesise data, explore new ecosystems of theory and practice and develop strategic foresight. The studio consists of a core team and a satellite system of expert associates, allowing us to draw in the skills and experience that most fit the brief at hand and very consciously combining contrasting specialisations. For example, facilitation practices and principles from the arts can support "sensing the whole", whilst not at all rejecting the timely application of analytics and engineering approaches. With a finger on the pulse of emergent trends using AI-powered narrative tools, we enable organisations to adapt their activities to better fit the world they operate in. In essence, a sensemaking studio acts as both interpreter and navigator of complexity, transforming disparate data points into wise, coherent, actionable strategies.
Social and ecological impact at the core
We are looking for aligned partners to support their positive impact. The Sensemaking Studio is a vehicle for its core team to sustain work on important topics that serve Life and a more just world, not a private wealth creation exercise. Any surplus will be reinvested in our sensemaking work and to support the evolution of the wider field.
Contact
Let's Get in Touch
Whether you are in early stage exploration or have a detailed plan of work, we are happy to hear from you and explore how we can collaborate. Just drop us a line below and we’ll be in touch.
About
Transdisciplinary collaboration
The rapidly evolving challenges we face In the 21st century are deeply interconnected, defying the neat categories of traditional academic and professional disciplines. A world defined by complexity, ambiguity and information overload cannot be navigated with the siloed and reductionist methods of the past, but demands a new transdisciplinary approach to sensemaking. Reality has also always been more interdependent than Modernity has allowed, and a more holistic worldview, particularly one which better integrates the individual, collective, inner and outer domains of human systems, is in ascendance. To make important choices wisely in this context requires the ability to synthesise different types of information, and different ways of knowing, to discern the signals from the noise, drawing on the skills of diverse collaborators.
Thinking in systems
Wise decision-making also requires the capacity to think in systems, and treat these as complex and adaptive wholes. Like most sectors, social impact organisations have tended to focus on immediate effects or individual parts of a system, often neglecting the broader context, long-term consequences, and complex interdependencies. A shift in thinking towards greater complexity is not merely an academic exercise—it is a strategic imperative for any organisation that seeks to remain agile and effective in the face of accelerating change, or for catalytic organisations wishing to fund, build or shape a sector.
Integrating inner and outer
One of the most fundamental sources of complexity, and biggest blindspots in reductionist thinking, is the unavoidable interplay between our interior lives and the external systems that we’re embedded within. Our politics, social structures and built environment cannot be fully understood without also considering the messy world of neurobiology, psychology and culture. Although our world has always been tightly bound by interdependence, only now—spurred by the mounting costs of ignoring it—are we witnessing a broad awakening to its far-reaching implications. The ‘paradigm shift’ model, with its implication of a singular, linear change of beliefs, is inadequate for understanding this phenomenon, however. To comprehend and accelerate the shift we must move beyond purely cognitive approaches and embrace the full spectrum of human experience, integrating inner dimensions like emotion, values, imagination and social identity with outer, embodied practices and group processes.
Embedded interveners
In an era defined by intricate networks and emergent properties, those seeking to reshape systems are beginning to recognise that they are not external architects but active participants in the systems they aim to transform. Their cognitive and emotional tendencies—marked by biases and conditioned reactivity—play a critical role in both constraining and enabling change. As such, the ability to intervene in systems hinges not only on external strategies and knowledge but also on self-awareness and personal development. By developing an understanding of one's mental models and psychological patterns, leaders can better discern the subtle interdependencies at play and craft strategies that better reflect the complexity of the real world.
Emergent tools
Thankfully, as our challenges have evolved so too have the tools at our disposal - particularly in the domains of information technology, communication and psycho-social development. AI allows us to digest and interrogate data at a scale previously unimaginable - helping us, for instance, to surface the deep sentiment and cohering narratives flowing through an unlimited number of individual perspectives. Communication and education approaches are now better at going with the grain of our cognitive, emotional and somatic tendencies, helping us to find the elegant simplicity on the other side of complexity rather than overwhelming audiences or making crude shortcuts. Finally, a deepening understanding of our psychology underpins evidence-based capacity-building methods, such as leadership education about cognitive bias combined with self-awareness practices, supporting better-informed decision-making by better-resourced decision-makers.
The Limits of Traditional Analysis
Traditional research methods have tended to break down complex problems into discrete, manageable parts, assuming that each element can be studied in isolation. However, this methodology falls short when dealing with dynamic systems where feedback loops, emergent behaviors, and non-linear interactions are the norm. Linear models often miss critical variables and interactions, leading to solutions that are, at best, partial and, at worst, counterproductive. For example, policy interventions that address economic indicators without considering environmental, psychological and social dimensions can inadvertently exacerbate underlying problems.
The Role of the Sensemaking Studio
The Life Itself Sensemaking Studio is designed to facilitate the integration of knowledge across traditional disciplinary boundaries. It acts as a collaborative hub where experts from diverse fields come together to synthesise data, explore new ecosystems of theory and practice and develop strategic foresight. The studio consists of a core team and a satellite system of expert associates, allowing us to draw in the skills and experience that most fit the brief at hand and very consciously combining contrasting specialisations. For example, facilitation practices and principles from the arts can support "sensing the whole", whilst not at all rejecting the timely application of analytics and engineering approaches. With a finger on the pulse of emergent trends using AI-powered narrative tools, we enable organisations to adapt their activities to better fit the world they operate in. In essence, a sensemaking studio acts as both interpreter and navigator of complexity, transforming disparate data points into wise, coherent, actionable strategies.
Social and ecological impact at the core
We are looking for aligned partners to support their positive impact. The Sensemaking Studio is a vehicle for its core team to sustain work on important topics that serve Life and a more just world, not a private wealth creation exercise. Any surplus will be reinvested in our sensemaking work and to support the evolution of the wider field.
Contact
Let's Get in Touch
Whether you are in early stage exploration or have a detailed plan of work, we are happy to hear from you and explore how we can collaborate. Just drop us a line below and we’ll be in touch.