ComPlexus podcast, host Bruce Waltuck is joined by a true pioneer in the field of seeking meaningful insights in complex human situations, Cynthia Kurtz. From her early work as an Ethologist, studying animal behavior as an “evolutionarily adaptive trait,” Cynthia went on to work at IBM, where she co-developed the globally-known Cynefin Framework with Dave Snowden, Sharon Darwen, and others. From there, Cynthia developed her own approach to what she termed Participatory Narrative Inquiry, creating her own open-source narrative inquiry software, Narra Firma, and writing her first book, “Working With Stories.”
Cynthia has consulted on more than eighty narrative projects for a variety of government agencies and for-profit and non-profit corporations. Working with a series of collaborators, she developed an approach to story work that helps communities and organizations make better, more grounded decisions by making sense of their own stories.
During this episode, Cynthia talks about her journey into working with complexity and Narrative Inquiry, and talks about her new book, “Confluence,” which offers frameworks for convening groups and exploring complex situations common in our lives. Enjoy the podcast, and check out Cynthia and her work at her website, www.cfkurtz.com
