28th April 2026
Engagement and exploration
Since the publication of The Dao of Complexity I continue to have interesting engagements and connections with people from all over the world. I love it! And it allows for the furtherment of ideas – and angles on ideas – and practice – and plays a role in building a diverse yet appreciative community of exchange and exploration amongst people who are largely focused on creating a just and sustainable future.
Some of these emerging thoughts are appearing in blogs, but for this, I just want to list a few upcoming events, and finish with links to some new recordings of talks I’ve done in the last few months that may be of interest.
Future events
On May 28th, 5-7pm, I am being hosted by the Systems Innovation Network in London. The discussion is entitled Navigating a Complex World: surfacing patterns, developing strategy, engendering change. Here is the link to sign up to attend in person and here is the link to attend online.
On June 3rd, in Newcastle, I’m going to be in conversation with retired Professor David Byrne (author of Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences – an introduction (1996), Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences: the state of the art (with Gill Callaghan 2014 and 2023). We are going to be discussing the difference between the ontologies of restricted and general complexity, why it matters and what it means for research practice. This should be a very interesting event , hosted by Melissa Hawkins and Max French of Northumbria University. It is by invitation only and in-person only, but please contact me if you are interested.
Then, on Jun 5th – 7th, at Roffey Park, I have been invited to be the keynote speaker at the Complexity and Management Conference organised and held by Professor Chris Mowles. The title is: What does it mean to say the world is complex? Implications for practice.
Chris tells me that it is nearly fully subscribed but do contact him if you are interested as there may be options for using other accommodation and people always drop out. This is the link.
Recordings of past events
Ways of Knowing in a Complex World: imagination, intuition and the re-enchantment of science, April 2026. This short lecture (20 mins) was part of an ongoing series organised by Dr Penny Hay, Professor of Imagination at Bath Spa University. I explored the role of art, poetry and the imagination to uncover the complexity of the ‘real world’ in a way that reaches beyond models and mathematics.
Navigating Uncertainty and Shaping Change: with Cathy Hobbs, December 2025. This webinar is the third webinar in the 2025-26 series celebrating the 10th birthday of the Integration and Implementation Insights blog series curated by Gabriele Bammer. I highly recommend the blog series too. Cathy Hobbs was great to converse with – we have much in common but have different backgrounds, so it made for a good discussion.
Leadership in Complex Systems: in conversation with Garin and Dani of the OrgDev Podcast, Nov 2025. My discussion was Garin and Dani’s 97th podcast and they are very good at interviewing – it was great fun!
Finally…
A few more things coming up in July – including another gig with Garin and Dani – to be shared soon – and please check out blogs on this website .
Very best wishes to you,
Jean