Blog
Ideas & Inspiration
The Value of Collaborating in Networks to Create Innovative Solutions
During the third in a series of KOAN Conversations, Jennifer talked with best-selling author and changemaker Seth Godin about collaborative projects that call on us to experiment and reimagine systems and models, and how the KOAN method supports collective breakthroughs.
How a Supportive Network Can Drive Creative New Solutions
In their decades of work with entrepreneurs and other innovative business leaders, Jennifer and Vicki have seen up close how conventional leadership methods often fail to work in our new ever-shifting reality, and aren’t suited to produce the systemic shifts we need to create in the world. As Vicki said, “All of our systems and structures are designed for another time and place, and no longer serve us.”
Tragic Maui Wildfires Reinforce the Importance of Resilient, Empathetic Systems
Jennifer recently experienced systemic failure up close when she and her family were evacuated just ahead of the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century in Lahaina, Hawaii. As the tragedy unfolded, Jennifer witnessed the terrifying and tragic results of rigid, non-adaptive systems — and deepened her belief in the importance of the principles of the KOAN method. Here, she shares an account of their experience and ways to support the real and immediate needs of Maui residents.
Being Adaptive in the Moment: Encouraging Flexibility to Find Innovative Solutions
In a dynamic world, when both the challenges and their potential solutions shift and change much faster than any good policy manual can keep up with, it’s much more effective to have a clear direction and guidelines that allow people who are close to the work to make smart choices in the face of dynamic conditions.
Finding Inspiration in Connection for Leadership and Change
How does opening ourselves to connections with natural and human networks help us unlock breakthroughs and creativity? That question was at the heart of a recent KOAN Conversation between Integrated Work CEO and the KOAN method author Jennifer Simpson and Center for Nature and Leadership founder Beverly Winterscheid.
Fostering Open Systems: Practicing Transparency to Fuel Breakthrough Ideas
While cultivating (K)ind cultures creates the conditions in which bravery can occur, fostering truly Open systems requires a sufficient foundation of trust for team members to take personal risks and build common-good solutions. However, many organizations can’t shake the longstanding habit of withholding critical information, which mutes creativity and disempowers team members. Creating an environment of mutual trust opens people up to want to do their best work and gives them the tools to do so.
Cultivating (K)ind Cultures: Leading with Empathy and Connecting with Trust
Today more than ever, breakthrough leadership is required to unleash the creativity and innovation to solve our most pressing problems. Inspired by decades of experience studying organizations and how they operate, the KOAN method’s guiding principles — Be (K)ind, Be (O)pen, Be (A)daptive, Build a (N)etwork — draw from both ancient wisdom and cutting-edge research to evaluate and evolve how leaders can create the conditions that enable people to move beyond divisions and discover breakthrough solutions.
Driving Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI): Go Beyond the Checkbox to Enable True Transformative Change
By now, we all know the value of creating more diverse and equitable workplaces — but even with all of the available information, learning how to drive true change in our organizations can still be a challenge. In this article, hear from three JEDI experts about how a custom approach can help organizations achieve their goals and build more innovative and resilient workplaces.
The Power of CARE: Reflections on Mental Health Awareness Month
During this Mental Health Awareness Month, perhaps the most important thing we can do is understand the prevalence of mental illness. The last few years have been stressful for all of us. For those living with anxiety or depression, or who have experienced extreme isolation, the impacts of the pandemic are more pronounced. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 Americans experience mental illness; for 1 in 20 Americans, that experience is severe.