"In 1993 or 1994, a friend handed me Margaret Wheatley's book, Leadership and the New Science. Although I loved learning about quantum physics, I was at that time very into W. Edwards Deming and Total Quality Management (TQM). I handed back the book and said it seemed to have nothing to do with my work (oops!). In 1998 I was on a trip with my son to San Francisco. At the wonderful Exploratorium science museum, they had a featured exhibit on "turbulent landscapes." that included many hands-on displays about complex and chaotic forces in nature. Playing with a large pendulum with a magnet on its tip, and other magnets on the table below it (that could be set to attract or repel the pendulum) I had a literally life-changing moment. In the wild oscillations of the pendulum, I knew the laws of physics were still working. But I saw not just pendulums and magnets, but a physical model of how people interact with ideas and with each other. I was hooked. Applying ideas from complexity science to the work of dialogue, change, and leadership, has been my core focus for more than ten years. I am an avid associate of the Plexus Institute, vimeo.com/9339751 which is where I met Valdis Krebs, CEO Orgnet.com vimeo.com/6517978 and June Holley, vimeo.com/5512933 thought leader in Network Weaving."
Bruce Waltuck has an M.A. in Complexity, Chaos, and Creativity (yes, really); is an Associate at the Plexus Institute plexusinstitute.org/ and is a Member of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators njapm.org/.
Learn more about complexity, change, leadership and dialogue by following Bruce's blog at complexified.wordpress.com/
Follow Bruce on Twitter at twitter.com/complexified
Images © Alice Merkel on Flickr at flickr.com/photos/alice_merkels_photos/
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