This past year was a powerful example of embracing resilience to make space for emergence, as institutions and ecosystems prioritized new ways to understand opportunities and challenges inherent in the complex adaptive ecosystems we all live and work in. Access to the Plexus libraries of articles, research and media became an even more valuable resource for both seasoned and new complexity practitioners.
The value of a diverse community of professionals researching, developing and sharing new applications, models and learning for understanding complexity showed up in real-life work and engagements.
In 2017 Lisa Kimball, a Plexus Institute founder, invited me to lead Plexus through its next iteration as an open and self-organizing professional network. Her passing in late 2017 left a void in Plexus and the greater networks of complexity thinkers.
Lisa's commitment to seek new connections and invite new people and thinking into conversations about complexity has become a guiding principle for everything we do in the Plexus network.
The past five years have been both challenging and exhilarating. Personally, my life and work have been deeply impacted and enriched by the connections, collaborations and friendships that stemmed from the Plexus community.
I share the following as a special tribute to both Lisa and my friend and business partner Alistair Brett, who unexpectedly passed away this past week. Our recent work included a new visual language and definitions of applied dynamics including “disruption” and I offer it as a reminder of how to remain resilient and hopeful.
“The effect of disruptions can be reduced by having sufficient resources to match those of the disrupting event, including access to many underdeveloped “weak links” in the broader ecosystem’s network that may suggest alternative or new paths to recovery.”
As you to reflect on your experiences I invite you to seek new "weak links" for collaboration and support in the coming year because that is when something unexpected and important can emerge.
With gratitude,
Denise Easton
President & Board Chairman
