Is winter coming? A serious problem
by Tony Quinlan on Mar 11, 2020 3:42:00 PM
On the flight back from the Cultivating Leadership gathering, I finally watched Parasite. At one point, a ferocious rainstorm hits the city in which it takes place, and one of the members of a wealthy family comments on what a relief it is to have rain and how good it is for the garde …
Transforming organisations – slides from the Agile2019 workshop in DC
by Tony Quinlan on Aug 20, 2019 4:14:00 PM
A big thank you to everyone who came along to our workshop last week in Washington, DC. A whistle-stop hour-long session saw us sense-making – gathering about 80 experiences from people and signifying them on the walls (see the photos below), then visiting the Cynefin framework and ta …
Join Tony and Ken Power to hear about how to transform your organisation
by Tony Quinlan on May 9, 2019 10:56:00 AM
For three years, Narrate worked closely on a large-scale global organisation transformation programme with an in-house team led by Ken Power. As part of that programme, Tony ran in-house training courses on Cynefin and Complex Facilitation Techniques for dozens of in-house teams; desi …
Using SenseMaker to evaluate Sustainable Livelihoods programmes in Jordan
by Tony Quinlan on May 7, 2019 10:45:00 AM
It’s been long overdue, but I was reminded the other day that in November 2017, I presented at the annual conference for the American Evaluation Association in Washington DC on our use of SenseMaker for UNDP Jordan. [For sensitivity reasons (the project was not yet complete at that po …
Narrate at the UN Data Literacy workshop, November 2018
by Tony Quinlan on Nov 16, 2018 5:07:18 PM
Our CEO and Chief Storyteller, Tony Quinlan, spoke on Thursday 15th November 2018 at the Bangkok workshop on UN Data Literacy. Talking about using ethnography in-field, he discussed projects we’ve undertaken with Cognitive Edge’s SenseMaker tools. His slides from the conference are do …
Complexity in development - a new kind of course, booking open now
by Tony Quinlan on May 29, 2018 4:41:57 PM
For decision-makers and policy experts in aid and development, complexity in development has become a critical factor. It is both an opportunity for new approaches to old problems and a threat as standard approaches reach the limits of their effectiveness and efficacy. With that in mi …
Social cohesion or social coherence? Thoughts on identities in a fractured society
by Tony Quinlan on May 22, 2018 11:58:37 AM
I woke to the radio at 7am. My first thought as they read the news headlines was “I must have misheard that,” then as the slightly-longer version kicked in I realised that I hadn’t. It was 24th June 2016. The day after the UK referendum on staying in Europe. The close vote was “51.89% …
SenseMaker contours of narrative - how a culture might evolve, where a culture won't shift
by Tony Quinlan on Oct 12, 2017 9:20:03 AM
Moving cultural beliefs and patterns is tough - the way that people behave generates micro-narratives and stories that then inform (constrain) how other people behave. Feedback loops and patterns that can strengthen over time, making change seem impossible*. In our work with SenseMake …
UNDP Innovation Conversation on Complexity 27 September, 2017 - video available
by Tony Quinlan on Oct 4, 2017 9:51:52 AM
Last week, Tony gave a talk at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Navigating Complex Adaptive Systems. Brilliantly hosted by the UNDP Innovation team, particularly Malika, the video from the hour-long presentation is here
Resilience from weak links and acquaintances, not strong links and friends
by Tony Quinlan on Sep 5, 2017 3:23:29 PM
A recent conversation with client-turned-friend Kecia Bertermann*, Monitoring and Learning Director at GirlEffect, prompted some thoughts around global social networks - something Kecia's been working on generating for young girls in varying countries.