Glenda Eoyang

Biography

Glenda Eoyang helps people thrive in the face of overwhelming complexity and uncertainty. She is a pioneer in the applications of complexity science to human systems. As the Founding Executive Director of Human Systems Dynamics Institute, Glenda develops adaptive capacity in others, so they see patterns in the chaos that surrounds them, understand the patterns in simple and powerful ways, and take practical steps to shift chaos toward coherence.

Her published works include scholarly articles in a variety of fields and Radical Rules for Schools  (HSD Institute, March 2013), Coping with Chaos (Lagumo Press, 1996). Adaptive Action: Leveraging Uncertainty in Your Organization (Stanford University Press, 2013). All of her writings provide a roadmap for anyone who chooses to work at the intersection of order and chaos. Recent clients include the Finnish Research Institute (VTT), US Environmental Protection Agency, Oxfam International, Yukon Territorial Government, Catholic Charities, the Association for Medical Education in Europe.

The HSD Associate Network includes 800 scholar-practitioners around the world in diverse sectors including education, health care, business, government, and philanthropy. Her work relates to human systems at all scales and contexts from individual health and wellness to performance evaluation and international patterns of leadership, sustainability, corruption, and conflict.

In 2019, Glenda led her community in a global, virtual process of Strategic Foresight. They focused on the question: What is the impact of human systems dynamics on the world in 2051? A variety of online tools supported the work, including Joel Barker’s Implications Wheel, Menitmeter, Zoom, and HowSpace.  Over 75 members of the HSD Community of Praxis participated to create a vision for 2051, Simple Rules to guide engagement, and Adaptive Action plans to make the vision a reality

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