9/10/2014 Schumacher College: Addressing Complexity Theory and Sustainability in Practice

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Addressing Complexity Theory and Sustainability in Practice

June 6 10, 2011

Eve Mitleton-Kelly

This course is open for bookings.

During this course participants will learn some key principles of complexity theory and explore how they can be applied in

organisations. Through this work participants will address how to build sustainability on different scales, from workplace and

community settings to global issues.

Course detail

In order to take informed action to facilitate resilience and long-term sustainability, it is vital that one understands the

interdependence, interconnectivity and co-evolution of complex human and ecological systems. During this course, participants

will learn how to understand organisations as complex social systems within a social ecosystem. This will enable them to work

with and apply principles of complexity in their own workplaces or communities with remarkable results.

The group will engage with the ten principles of complexity theory and discuss practical examples that illustrate these principles. They will then use real-life case

studies to demonstrate different models of organisation and leadership and to explore how different enabling environments can promote or hinder sustainability.

Throughout the course, participants will work in small groups to explore practical challenges and reflect together on why they appear intractable and how a complexity

perspective can address them more successfully.

Who is the course for?

Practitioners involved in change and development strategy within business, other organisations and communities.

Those would like to explore effective alternatives to traditional approaches to management and sustainability.

Academics who would like to study the application of complexity theory in practice.

Previous knowledge of complexity theory is NOT required and the course does not include any mathematics.

Teacher

Prof. Eve Mitleton-Kelly is Director of the Complexity Research Programme at the London School of Economics and visiting Professor at the Open University. She

was Executive Coodinator of the Society for Organisational Learning-London from 1977-2008, and has been Policy Advisor to European and USA organisations, the

European Commission, and several UK Government Departments. Her research has concentrated on addressing apparently intractable problems in business and the

public sector and the creation of enabling environments based on complexity science. She has developed a theory of complex social systems and a methodology to

address complex social problems which is being used for teaching at universities around the world. Publications and the work of the LSE Complexity Group is at

http://www.lse.ac.uk/complexity

Course Fees

750

All course fees include accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions.

For further information about Schumacher College please see About the College

Apply

Click here to access our on-line booking system

click here to find out how to book by fax or mail

Reserve your place now

To provisionally reserve a place for 5 days, email us your contact details and the name of the course admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

We will hold the place for five working days for reservations three weeks before a course or earlier. After five days we will automatically offer your place to someone

else if we have not received your application.