Perspective Shift:
- “Big pictures” are essential tools for change: Big-picture frameworks are not abstract or impractical, but powerful tools for navigating complex global challenges like the metacrisis. They help organize knowledge, align action, and reveal leverage points for systemic change.
- Coordination is critical for intellectual movements: Progress doesn’t happen in isolation; intentional coordination is crucial for unifying fragmented movements. Collaboration amplifies impact and brings coherence to intellectual efforts.
- The necessity of post-competitive collaboration: Competition within intellectual movements often limits their potential. A post-rivalrous approach prioritizes shared goals and collaboration, enabling greater systemic impact.
- The interplay between sense-making and meaning-making: Sense-making alone isn’t enough; it must be paired with meaning-making to guide individual and collective action. A new story of wholeness can reconnect fragmented worldviews and inspire hope.
The Institute of Applied Metatheory (IAM) is redefining how we address today’s most complex global challenges by leveraging integrative metatheories—comprehensive frameworks that unify knowledge across disciplines. In this insightful conversation, Robb Smith and Josh Leonard reflect on IAM’s groundbreaking work in 2024, from initiatives like the Metacrisis Mapping Project and the Cultural Complexity Index to innovative tools like Context AI, which revolutionize sense-making and meaning-making at the forefront of epistemology. Discover how leadership, collaboration, and storytelling play pivotal roles in driving transformational change, while exploring the ethical responsibilities that guide this impactful work.
Looking ahead to 2025, Robb and Josh outline an inspiring vision for IAM’s continued evolution. With a renewed focus on building a robust metatheory of change, fostering intergenerational collaboration, and advancing the integration of sense-making and meaning-making, IAM is crafting a new story of wholeness to address the crises of our time. Through this discussion, you’ll gain deeper insights into the transformative potential of integrative metatheories and practical ways to contribute to a more cohesive, resilient, and ethically grounded future.
What You’ll Discover:
- Transformative Initiatives: Explore projects like the Metacrisis Mapping Initiative, the Cultural Complexity Index, and SALT for Climate, which apply cutting-edge frameworks to tackle global issues.
- Big Picture Frameworks: Understand how integrative metatheories bridge disciplinary divides to offer innovative insights into social action, leadership, and systemic change.
- Lessons from 2024: Go behind the scenes to uncover key takeaways from IAM’s successes, challenges, and learnings in applying big-picture thinking to real-world problems.
- The Road Ahead: Learn how IAM plans to deepen its focus on storytelling, transformative education, and creating a unified vision in an increasingly fragmented world.
Why This Matters Now:
The world is at a crossroads, facing mounting crises from political polarization to the metacrisis of climate, meaning, and governance. IAM rises to this challenge by equipping individuals and organizations with the intellectual, practical, and emotional tools needed to navigate complexity and foster systemic change.
This episode illuminates how big-picture thinking provides a roadmap toward integration and resilience. By promoting collaboration, advancing transformative education, and creating a new story of wholeness, IAM offers not just an understanding of today’s crises but pathways to transcend them. This is more than a conversation — it’s a call to action for anyone seeking to contribute meaningfully to the challenges of our time.
Who Should Watch:
- Visionaries and changemakers committed to addressing global challenges with innovative approaches.
- Scholars, entrepreneurs, and leaders eager to explore fresh tools and frameworks for systemic change.
- Anyone passionate about merging philosophical insight with practical action to make a lasting impact.
Don’t Miss This Opportunity to:
- Broaden your understanding of integrative metatheories and their real-world applications.
- Learn from IAM’s efforts to foster collaboration and innovation within fragmented intellectual landscapes.
- Be inspired by a compelling vision of the future that harmonizes sense-making and meaning-making.
Tune in now to discover how IAM is paving the way for transformational change and a brighter future.
Get involved!
Support Our Mission: Help us advance the work of integrative metatheories and create meaningful change. Donate today to fund transformative initiatives and innovative tools that address the world’s most pressing challenges.
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About Robb Smith
Robb Smith is a leading thinker on the Transformation Age and the global Integral movement. He is the creator of the augmented leadership platform Context, co-founder and CEO of Integral Life and founder of the Institute of Applied Metatheory.
About Josh Leonard
Josh Leonard is a seasoned social impact organizational leader with more than two decades of real-world experience developing strategy, culture, programs, and leaders through an integral lens. He brings 10+ years of executive leadership with the YMCA and the Institute for Cultural Evolution to bear on the emerging challenges organizations face today in grappling with the complexity of the 21st century. Josh is a developmental leader who is adept at facilitating growth in individuals, teams, and organizations to achieve their goals for impact.