Addressing Complexity in Real-World Ecosystems

Plexus Institute is a totally volunteer organization, dependent on the commitment and energy of  network members who continue to roll up their sleeves to help shape the future of complexity thinking and doing in organizations, academic institutions and large scale systems.

Let us know how you would like to be involved. Are you interested in adding your professional experience and insight to update our content libraries, develop new programs and continue to offer virtual spaces and engagements for network participants to build new models and practices. Send us a note!

OUR MISSION

“Fostering the health of organizations, communities, individuals and our natural environment by helping people recognize, understand and use concepts emerging from the science of complexity.”

Our definition of “health” is broad, holistic, relative and targets the potential in everyone and in every system.

  • A healthy organization generates more than material success; it creates an ecosystem where opportunities to share and gain knowledge, to experiment and to contribute freely are accepted and applied universally.
  • A healthy community is one in which its members are nurtured and valued, where information flows freely, where there is active interaction among diverse groups, and where institutions support the growth and development of all.
  • A healthy person is one who is poised for learning, growth and adaptability.

At Plexus Institute the pillars of community, research, and application provide the framework that guides our mission. By sharing and creating knowledge we acknowledge the power of a well-informed community to influence thoughtful research, and engage in the development and application of practices designed to deliver a deeper understanding of the issues and problems we face today, point to new solutions that are sustainable, and lead to better outcomes for people, organizations and communities.

Plexus Institute Board of Directors

Denise EastonPresident & Board Chairman
“Making complexity work!”

Denise Easton is a consultant, author & business entrepreneur who finds inspiration at the “complex and emerging intersections” of strategy, ecosystems and innovation. In addition to her role at Plexus, she is a co-founder and managing partner at Awareful Systems Group Consulting, where she is developing a research based ecosystem development framework for analysis, process innovation, organization design, and change management..  She co-authored several books including, Complexity Works! Influencing Pattern-Based Change in Teams & Organizations, a complexity model for organizations.

Mike TaylorBoard Member
“Take care of yourself, we need you!”

Mike Taylor RN, MHA, CDE is an independent theorist specializing in the application of complexity science to health and compassion. His Unified Theory of Meaning Emergence takes a major stride in connecting the mathematics of complexity with self-transcendence and compassion. He has spoken at international, national and regional conferences on complexity in health, business and nursing and is developing the platform of social compassion as a method of rapid social change.

Barb SiegelBoard Member
“What’s the systems thinking view?”

Barb Siegel helps clients see and understand the big picture, the detail, and the system. As a visual practitioner Barb reveals the hidden for her clients so that they can figure out how to respond to complex problems in this volatile and uncertain world. The path from her past to the present includes getting things built as a registered architect in solo practice, running a speaker series on breakthroughs in learning, and being a visual artist.

Bruce WaltuckBoard Member
“How can we achieve better outcomes together?”

Bruce is an award-winning designer and facilitator of organizational change initiatives. Bruce brings a unique perspective and approach informed by his deep understanding of the complexity inherent in human systems. He has taught and presented to more than 25,000 people throughout the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and Southeast Asia, helping others achieve improved Adaptive Response Capacity.

Brook RolterBoard Member
“What do you mean by that?”

Brook is a management and organizational development consultant assisting organizations with strategic and operational changes through his company, Rolter Associates. At the crux of his consulting work is a simple focus on helping clients improve performance and make progress on their strategies. His approach involves clarifying direction and strategy, which are all too often a bit vague, into clear intended results with actionable specifics allowing people in the organization to recognize, implement, and measure success.

Frank Maletz, MDBoard Member
“Looking Forward, Always Further”

Frank was a practicing Orthopedic Surgeon in CT and in the US Navy for 37 years. His work as a global futurist led to the founding of HEALTHspital, a platform organization dedicated to become the epicenter for promoting new models of true Healthcare practice, replacing the current community hospital model, while promoting and expediting, nor optimally effective. He believes that sustainable health incorporates health promotion, prevention, rejuvenation strategies and practical applications.