1. Welcome to HSD Essentials
Human Systems Dynamics
Welcome to HSD Essentials
(Date) (Location)
(Welcome the group and introduce yourself).
(2 min).
(Facilitator notes are included for each slide in the notes section. Quotation marks and bold text indicate what the facilitator says and directions/other information are in italics contained within parentheses. Timing is outlined for each slide and the total time represents the time from the beginning of the session. There is a 15 minute break in the morning and the afternoon and the time for the lunch break is not specified, although there is a recommended placement for this in the flow).

2. Objectives Learn the language of HSD Recognize and influence patterns
Explain how HSD can help transform our worlds
“Here’s what we will be covering today. Our goal is to equip you with information to start implementing HSD right away.”
(Review slide.
Learn the language of HSD
Be able to recognize and influence patterns—amplify desired
Explain what HSD is and how it can help us transform our workplace patterns, damp unwanted patterns, influence potential patterns
Can’t predict or control, but we can influence.
Experience select models and methods and engage with others to apply them in real life situations).
(2 min).
Apply selected models and methods in real-life situations

3. Agenda Introduce each other Identify your sticky issue
Name HSD core concepts
Influence patterns
Practice your learning
“Here’s our approach.”
(Review slide)
“We’ll break for lunch and take breaks when we need to“.
(Review materials and logistics for this one day session).
(3 min).

4. Who are we? (Explain that Human Systems Dynamics (HSD):
is a theory that offers a collection of models and methods
helps us make sense of the patterns that emerge when people work and play together in groups, families, organizations, and communities
HSD uses metaphors from the physical, mathematical, and computer sciences to help professionals and practitioners understand what is happening in the everyday interactions in organizations, groups, communities and families.
The concepts are grounded in science, and they continue to emerge as we explore the complex behaviors of human systems
In spite of their application to complex and challenging fields, these metaphors and applications are simple to understand and highly useful.
HSD helps you see and influence patterns in human relationships at a systems level so you can address address complex relationships for individuals, teams, organizations, and communities
The best way to know HSD is to live it, so we will be practicing using some HSD models and methods today for your own situation.
(3 min).

5. Sticky Issues Involve many dimensions of your organization
Pop up in new places after you thought they were addressed
Re-occur over time
Seem to have no solutions
Involve many dimensions of your organization
“Application is key for learning so we’ll focus the materials today on a sticky issue that you are currently working with. What do we mean by sticky issue? Who’s heard this term before?”
(Review slide, Share one of your sticky issues).
“HSD is great for challenges that have lots of shifting, interrelated parts where the basic cause is not clear; in other words, sticky issues”.
“Have you been in this situation?” (Raise your hand). “What examples do you have?”
(5 min; Total = 15 min).

6. What about you? Who are you? What brings you to this place?
What is your sticky issue?
“Let’s do some introductions and learn more about the sticky issues that you have. Please select a partner to work with that you have not met before today. Together, answer the questions and record your responses. We’ll reconvene in about 10 minutes and you will introduce your partner to the larger group and share their name, why they are here and what their sticky issue is. Be sure to select an issue that is safe to share.” (Ask group to agree on confidentiality – what is said in the room, stays in the room, for example). “Please take about 5 minutes each and we’ll come back to the large group in 10 minutes. I’ll set a timer to help keep us on track.”
(Set a timer. Give them a half-way point warning and a 2-minute warning.
Debrief: Set up a flipchart (T-diagram with 2 columns, vertical line down center). Same/Different.)
(Debrief). “As we share information, think about what is the same and different about this group. Think beyond the obvious.”
(Keep the debrief to min per person. Capture the group’s observations on a flipchart for Same/Different.) “Why are we charting same and different?” (To establish pattern). “Today we’ll see why this is important in characterizing human systems”.
(15 min for set up and pairs discussion, 30 min for debrief. Total = 60 min).

7. Core Concepts
“Let’s take a look at some foundational principles of HSD”.
(Include a 15 min break at about 1.5 hours into the session).

8. Complex Adaptive Systems
“HSD attempts to look at systems as a whole, rather than break them down and analyze each piece separately, These are called complex adaptive systems. There are many things going on at once and they are all interrelated and complex. If we make a change in the system, it affects many parts of the system and we have no way of knowing what parts will be affected or how they will be affected.
How do we typically look at systems now? As a whole or in parts? What are you most comfortable doing?” (Large group discussion). “So, this might be a new approach or concept for you.”
(Illustrate CAS diagram on flipchart to reinforce interconnectedness of systems).
“An important component of a CAS is that there are rules. HSD refers to these as Simple Rules. As you watch this video, pay attention to what the rules are.”
(Show the bird video to illustrate CAS. Can use any of these videos to generate discussion. Or go to YouTube and type in “birds flying in formation’
‘What rules were at play for this flock of birds?”
(Large group discussion.
Fly toward the centre of the flock
Match the speed of other birds
Avoid running into other birds
Avoid predators)
“Did you notice any patterns? What is the pattern in this video? Was it predictable or unpredictable? How were the agents or birds interconnected? How did the pattern they form influence their behavior? Was the pattern pre-determined or did it emerge?”
(20 min) Continued on next page…

9. Patterns
Similarities, differences, and connections that have meaning across space and/or time.
“Let’s take a closer look at what we mean by patterns. Here’s a definition.”
(Review slide). “They are similarities, differences, and connections that have meaning across space and/or time”.
“What would be some examples of patterns on your team?” (Being early of late for meetings; the leader making all the decisions; solving problems as a team, etc).
“Let’s look at some other examples to illustrate this point”.
(5 min).

10. Patterns
“What patterns do you see in the image on the left? Similarities, differences, relationships?
What patterns do you see in the image on the right? Similarities, differences, relationships?
How about the image in the middle?
What patterns exist with your sticky issue?“
(10 min).

11. HSD Theory of Change
I make sense of my world and choose informed options as I ask:
What? So what? Now what?
I see and experience patterns of interaction in my world.
“When our patterns are interrupted, we have change. In other words, how we make sense of our world has changed and we experience a shift. Here’s a high-level view of the HSD approach to change. The person in the picture at the bottom is trying to make sense of what he sees. Each of us makes sense of our world through our experiences and interactions. This creates our personal ‘pattern’. The experience is ‘the what?’, how we interpret the experience is the ‘so, what?’ and what we choose to do with that experience is the ‘now, what?’. He is likely wondering what made this footprint and what that means to him, and what he needs to do with that information. We can use HSD models and methods to help us make sense of the complex system, the chaos. We use these to feed information into how we make sense of our world and this may shift our ‘personal pattern or view’ and cause us to look at things differently. In other words, our pattern shifts and we make sense of things in a new and hopefully more effective way. Based on his interpretation, he may be thinking Run! or he may be staying curious to explore the nature of the footprint.
Of course, things don’t stay the same in a complex adaptive system. Things are constantly changing. The ‘what?’ is a moving target, so our story is also constantly changing.
Let’s take a look at change and them come back to patterns and look at how change affects our patterns and our stories”.
(15 min. Total = 2 hours, 45 min).
I use models and methods as tools for understanding

12. Traffic in India
“Sometimes life feels like this video”. (Show Traffic in India video at
and ask the group to watch for patterns as they focus on similarities, differences, relationships).
“What patterns do you see?”
(List answers on flipchart. Conduct large group discussion on how their lives are like the video, asking questions below to cover key points.
Key Point #1 = We want to be able to shift patterns in our lives so we can experience positive change and be more effective).
“How are these patterns we listed on the flipchart formed? How are these the same or different as the patterns in your life? In other words, how is your life like Traffic in India? What can we do to be better at spotting patterns in our lives? Why do we need to do that?”
(Key Point #2 = Change in complex systems, such as organizations, is massively entangled and multiple so very difficult to predict, even though we often think it is easy to predict).
“When you know the pattern, and enough about the forces at play, can you predict the outcome?
How easy is it for us to change? Is it possible for us to go back to how we were before a specific change happened? What are some of the patterns with your sticky issue?”
(Make the point that when dynamic change happens, the system always tries to return to the level of stability it was at before the change, but not the place or specific point. This would not work in human systems. If you call someone a liar at a meeting, it’s not possible to go back and undo that!

13. Lunch Break (Take lunch break at 3.5 hours into session approx).
“Take a few minutes over lunch to journal about your experience this morning. What did you learn about yourself that you can use to shift a pattern with your sticky issue?”

14. Speak and Listen
Pick one concept from the morning that was new for you
Using a personal example to illustrate, teach the concept to someone else
Work with someone at another table that you haven’t worked with yet
Take 3 minutes each
(After lunch activity. This is a very quick, fast review to give participants a chance to put some of the materials into their own words. Keep the exercise fast and light. Participants stand and talk. Review slide).
(Debrief). “How did that go? What is the value of teaching someone else?” The teacher learns twice – you have to really understand the concept in order to put it in your own words. ”What come out of your discussion that you’d like to share with the group? Questions?”
(2 min set up, 6 min practice, 5 min recap = 15 min).

15. Influencing Patterns
“Our goal is to influence patterns for positive change. Let’s take a look at a couple of methods to help us do this”.
(1 min).

16. Constraints
Limitations that emerge from within the system that influence how the pattern forms
“What shapes patterns? Constraints are the limitations or restrictions that emerge from within the system that influence how the pattern forms. They’re like borders or boundaries for the pattern. If a team has a strong set of rules or expectations that everyone follows, this would be an example of a tightly constrained group. If there are few rules, the team is less constrained. What would it be like to work on each of these teams?” (Group discussion. Talk about Overly Constrained – system is held too tightly, causing conflict and turbulence as parts of the system compete for time, space, and resources. Under Constrained – system is not held tightly enough and loses energy and productivity as a result. Ideally Constrained – system has appropriate freedom to respond in coherent and productive ways. Key point is that it is neither good or bad, it just is what it is and must fit the purpose of the team).
What are some constraints for our session today?” (Room size, physical layout, time, etc.) “What would happen if we were in a bigger room? What new pattern could that influence?
What are some constraints in this picture? Looking back to the ‘Traffic in India’ video, what were some constraints?
Why do we need to be aware of constraints? How can we work with constraints to shift patterns?
Our next model, The Landscape Diagram, is a good way to illustrate how constraints influence patterns.”

(15 min. Total = 4 hours)

17. Landscape Diagram Model
“Here’s what the landscape diagram looks like. Note that it is derived from the intersection of two dimensions that shape patterns. In the container where the pattern is emerging, what is the level of agreement among the agents? What is the level of certainty? Agreement is how closely they all see what is happening or what is expected. Certainty is about the level of predictability in the system around this pattern or situation. It’s important to look at each of these separately in order to best describe the pattern. When we are close to agreement on something and are close to certain of the requirements, etc, we’re down in the bottom left hand corner. In this organized system, everyone agrees and there is a high degree of certainty. Agreement is just the level of agreement on anything and certainty speaks to the level of understanding in the group that something is predictable. Examples might be the accounting or payroll function at work. People need to agree to have their time sheets handed in on time and if they do, they are certain they’ll be paid on schedule. Can you think of other examples of stable systems that you work with?
As we move away from the lower left hand corner, we move into areas of decreasing agreement and certainty. In emergent systems, patterns and relationships emerge as the people interact and respond to their environment. Flexibility and adaptability are key as we adjust constantly to changes. An example might be a promotion at work, or introducing a new member on a team. We are close to a set of team rules to work together, although we may not follow them all the time and we are close to certain that these are the rules we agreed on but are far from certain they are the ones that will allow us to function most effectively as a team.
Can we be close to agreement and far from certainty? What would that be like? Examples?” (For example, we agree that the new supplier program is good for the company but not sure how it will affect our current system or team).
“Can we be far from agreement and close to certainty? Who has an example of that?” ( An example might be that we are certain a supplier management program will be implemented as dictated by the corporate office but we are far from agreement on how that will happen. Hold a large group discussion to illustrate that you can be on many different places on the model and that this is a not a proportionate relationship re: agreement and certainty).
“The Landscape Diagram represents the impact of constraints on a system. What happens when we add constraints to the system?” (We move towards an organized state).
“As we decrease or remove constraints, we move towards a more unorganized or chaotic state. Think about a micromanager. They attempt to control the department by making more rules = move close to agreement and certainty. What can happen in this situation?” (Make the point that people are all at different levels of agreement with the new rules, may feel too tightly constrained and this will affect both agreement and certainty for them.
Emphasize that regardless of what you want to do, you have basically 2 choices – increase or decrease constraints to shift the patterns).
(This slide is meant to be an introduction so keep to 15 min maximum. See next slide and exercise for deep learning and discussion).
(15 min).
Unstable
Seek Patterns
Far From
Where are you now?
Where do you want to be?
How do you get there?
Emergent
Agreement
Close To
Stable
Plan, Control
Close To
Far From
Certainty

18. Landscape Diagram in Action
Where are you now?
Where do you want to be?
How will you get there?
(This is a large group exercise to experience the Landscape Diagram. Tape out the LD on the floor with masking tape. Ask people to think of their sticky issue and go stand where they would be on the LD as they are in the middle of this sticky issue.)
“ What is it like to work here? What is the effect on performance – yours and the team’s? What feelings and behaviours do you experience and see?”
(Ask them to move to where they want to shift their sticky issue to on the LD).
“Is there a disconnect or difference from the first position you were at? What does that tell you? Are the constraints different in the new place? How will you change the constraints and what will the effect be? What else do you need to do to shift the pattern to the new place?
Where are you most comfortable on the landscape diagram?” (Ask them to move there). “Why? Does your perspective impact your sticky issue? What can you do with that information?
What questions do you have about the landscape diagram? How might you use this model?”
(30 min. Take a 15 min break. Total = 5 hours).
What is your preference and how does that influence the current and future pattern you want to create?

19. Adaptive Action Adaptive Action What? Now what will we do?
“We influence emergent systems through what HSD calls Adaptive Action -What? So what? Now what?.
This is an iterative planning process involving three questions.
What? – We gather pertinent data from across the environment to develop a picture of our current status.
So What? – We examine data to make sense of it. We come to understand what the “picture” of our current status means and begin to explore and plan next steps.
Now What? – We take action and then pause for a second check to measure our impact. By following up and asking where we are now and what is to be done next, we start the next cycle in the iterative process – back to What? Progressing through the three steps to collect and analyze data that informs next steps becomes an ongoing cycle that can be carried out at all levels of the system.
Have you seen or used this approach before?” (Ask group for examples and details. Talk about how, if they have used it before, they recognize the value. Now have them think about the value of everyone using this cycle...and point out the value of the collecting, and analyzing information at a much deeper level –patterns and constraints and the fact that this is an iterative cycle...what you learn in the Now What phase influences the what phase of the next cycle.
“This is what AA looks like – know the 3 questions and that it is iterative”.
(10 min).
So what does it mean?

20. Your Adaptive Action What? So what? Now what?
Is the challenge, the history your role?
Are the constraints?
Patterns do you see?
So what?
Is the impact of those patterns?
What other patterns do you want?
How can you change the constraints of this pattern to get to the other pattern?
Are your options for action?
Now what?
Will you do?
Will tell you it worked?
“With HSD models and methods you can uncover simple options for action in the midst of overwhelming uncertainty.
What? …is the challenge? …are the constraints? …is the history? …is your role?
So what? …patterns do you see? …patterns will be useful? …HSD concepts, models, and methods would help? …are your options for action to shift the patterns—increasing or decreasing constraints?
Now what? …will you do? …will tell you it worked?
Let’s go back to your sticky issue and look at it in the context of HSD.
I invite you to address it at a systems level – What is the pattern you see? Similarities? Differences? Connections? Who are the players? What are the constraints? Where is your sticky issue on the LD?
Work with a partner. Take 10 minutes each, share your sticky issue and work it through these questions. I’ll set a timer. Please be back in 20 min”.
(Set a timer. Debrief. Generate large group discussion). “What did you discover? What did you do that was different than your usual approach? What models and methods did you use? Did anyone slip into their old habits for problem solving? What can you take from this exercise to move forward with using this new approach? How will you make that happen?”
(5 min set up; 20 min practice; 10 min debrief = 35 min).

21. The Final Word! Pick one idea from today
How will you integrate or use it in your world?
What do you think will be the outcome or result?
How will you and others benefit?
(Summary and Close).
“Today we looked at a few of the HSD models and methods as an introduction to how we can influence patterns in complex systems to help us achieve what we need to to be successful in leading organizations and change. Individually, please take a few minutes to pick one concept, model or method from today…” (Review the slide. Give them a few minutes formulate their action plan. Then go around the room (large group) and ask individuals to share their responses in 30 seconds or less)
“What final questions do you have?”
“How will you/can you share what you have learned today with others in your network?”
(20 min).

22. We looked at…
(Use this slide for a quick review of the concepts covered today.
Review:
Complex adaptive systems
Patterns
Theory of Change
Constraints
Landscape Diagram
Point to a picture and ask the group to tell you what it is – give just enough info to jog their memories)
(10 min. Total = 6 hours, 15 min).

23. Resources Visit our website at www.hsdinstitute.org
Visit our Wiki at
Visit our NING site at
us at and subscribe to
ATTRACTORS, a monthly info-letter, and
Change the World, a monthly free download of models and methods for applying HSD
(Review slide)
(1 min).

24. Books about HSD
Adaptive Action: Leveraging Uncertainty in Your Organization
(Eoyang & Holladay, 2013)
Influencing Patterns for Change:
An HSD Primer for Leaders
(Holladay & Quade, 2008)
Coping with Chaos: Seven Simple Tools
(Eoyang, 1997)
Facilitating Organization Change:
Lessons from Complexity Science
(Olson & Eoyang, 2001)
“Here are some reference books if you’d like to do more research on HSD”.
(1 min).

25. Additional Resources
For more about the HSD Institute:
For more about Adaptive Action and applications:
For more HSD-based models, methods, and info:

26. Thanks!
(Thank the group for their time and attention and adjourn the session.)
(1 min. Total = 6.5 hours approx. for content and two 15 min breaks. If you add one hour for lunch break, the day will be 8 hours).