Complexity theories and strategic thinking; leadership development and creative problem solving; team performance and innovation strategies; brain science and adult development.
We love exploring anything we find across the blurred boundaries of these domains.
Participants of our Labs are invited to experiment with this wide range of approaches, concepts and frameworks.
Developed by influential scholars, practiced by remarkable leaders, deployed by extraordinary organizations and lively communities. (If you see an asterisk next to their name: it means that we have worked on a project together or studied with them.)
deep work
Exploring how our mind works and how we can enhance our effectiveness, presence and intensity.
Based on the work of: Cal Newport (computer science professor); Daniel Goleman* (clinical psychologist); John Medina (molecular biologist); Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (psychologist); Todd Siler (artist and educator).
leading in the messy middle
Building the capacity to lead through ambiguity, conflicts and paradoxes, and becoming more skilled Social Architects.
Based on the work of: Prof. Ron Heifetz* (Harvard Kennedy School); Prof. Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School); Dr. Brené Brown (University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work); Scott Snook* (Harvard Business School); Peter Block (consultant and author of Community).
complexity and entanglement
Expanding our capacity to diagnose challenges, observe and sense the context, deal with social complexity.
Based on the work of: Prof. Ralph Stacey, Douglas Griffin* and Patricia Shaw (University of Hertfordshire); Danny Hillis and Neri Oxman (MIT MediaLab); Jeff Conklin (author of Dialogue Mapping).
collective genius
Developing high-performance teams that are willing and able to innovate not just once, but time and again.
Based on the work of: Prof. Linda Hill* and Prof. Ryan Raffaelli* (Harvard Business School); Ed Catmull* and Greg Brandeau* (Pixar and Disney Animation Studios); Prof. Keith Sawyer (University of North Carolina).
innovation and change strategy
Accelerating the amount, frequency and magnitude of innovation throughout the whole organization.
Based on the work of: Richard Pascale* (Stanford Business School); Steven Johnson (science and history author); Prof. Rakesh Khurana* (Harvard College); Prof. Nitin Nohria* (Harvard Business School); Atul Gawande (surgeon and public health innovator); Jim Collins (researcher, author of From Good to Great).
co-design
Approaching problem solving as “creative problem solving”, mobilizing and supporting people to conceive interventions with an experimental mindset.
Based on the work of: Matt and Gail Taylor* (creators of the DesignShop methodology); Frank O. Gehry (architect); Christopher Alexander (architect and writer); Rick Rubin (music producer); Robert R. Carkhuff (social scientist); Kevin Kelly (writer; researcher); Hal Gregersen* (researcher, former executive director of the MIT Leadership Center).
the life of a knowledge worker
Reflecting on our lived experience to deepen our self-understanding: our roles, our defaults, our strengths, our developmental edge.
Based on the work of: Bob Kegan* and Lisa Laskow Lahey* (Harvard Graduate School of Education); Jay Allison* (independent radio producer and journalist); Robert Pirsig (writer and philosopher); Hugh MacLeod* (cartoonist and live-tooner); Malcolm Gladwell (journalist and writer); Seth Godin (author and entrepreneur); Peter Drucker (father of modern management).