Dear Colleague,

Thank you for your interest in presenting a concurrent session at the 2012 Systems Thinking in Action Conference, which will be held November 12–November 14, 2012, in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the Downtown Marriott Hotel. Below is material about the theme, the conference, and the application process. In order to facilitate consideration of your proposal, please read this material carefully before submitting your application by February 13.

Those of us familiar with systems thinking know that the focus on causal connections and relationships is at the heart of what makes this work so powerful. At the same time, when we gather with others to share our unique perspective on the systems of which we are part, we not only knit together a full, rich view of how they operate but also develop the collaborative skills needed to enact change.

At this year’s conference, we’ll explore questions such as, How can we build constructive, proactive collaborations when we are so far apart, either physically or in terms of our assumptions and views? How can we see through the complexity of the problems we face to find the key linkages—the leverage points—that allow us to make positive change? And how can our networks help us to stay the course in implementing the initiatives that matter most to our organizations and world?

At this conference, participants will:

• Take away proven methods for designing more effective organizations, interrupting destructive patterns of behavior, building on past successes, developing collective leadership, fostering team learning, and creating shared vision
• Share knowledge about how the dynamics of the systems they’re part of shape their performance
• Practice using systems thinking and organizational learning tools to understand and navigate increasingly complex environments
• Learn how systems thinking and related approaches are making a difference in organizations from all sectors and in initiatives around the world
• Connect with a community of practitioners passionate about creating successful, prosperous futures for our organizations, ourselves, and our children

Systems thinking and the disciplines of organizational learning provide a practical toolset for understanding and leveraging the complex relationships of which we are a part. At this year’s conference, we are looking for presentations—both skill-building workshops and stories of “lessons learned”—that will help conference participants make sense of their own dynamic challenges and give them the tools they need to develop robust strategies and tactics for success:

• Tools and approaches that have led to real and lasting results
• Methods that allow people to hear each other’s voices and build on each other’s unique perspectives to gain a better understanding of the whole
• Skills for helping an organization adopt lasting solutions rather than quick fixes
• Lessons learned from organizational successes and failures
• Ways that organizations have used systems understanding—reinforcing and balancing processes; delays; interdependence—to improve outcomes

The Systems Thinking in Action Conference serves leaders, managers, and teams from all industry segments, not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, governmental agencies, and consultants and trainers. Approximately 50 percent of the attendees are relatively new to the fields of systems thinking and organizational learning.

Skill-building workshop proposals should demonstrate how your session will help attendees develop a specific skill set related to the conference theme. Your proposal must clearly identify the insights, processes, and/or tools that people will be able to take home with them and start using immediately.

Stories of “lessons learned” should also include clear takeaways while demonstrating an organizational issue that is recognizable to a broad audience. The actual story should represent only a small part of the session. The majority of time should be spent on learnings, outcomes, practices, and methods that are transferable and highly useful in a variety of settings.

Lessons learned are most relevant when they are shared by individuals who were actually employed by the highlighted organization. For this reason, external consultants must partner with a co-presenter from the organization where the project took place. Stories presented by managers from their own organizational experience are encouraged.

Submit a preliminary proposal by February 13. If your preliminary proposal is selected, we will notify you by February 27 and ask you for a more detailed proposal, which is due on March 12. Because of the tight timeframe for the second stage, be sure you can meet the March 12 deadline before you submit your preliminary application. Please be aware there are a limited number of session spaces available.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Strength of the description
• Clear, practical takeaway
• Presenters’ knowledge, skill, and experience
• Organization of the content into a coherent session
• Creativity in content and design
• How well the session serves the theme of the conference, or how effectively it teaches a concept or skill set
• How the session “fits” with the other proposals (so that we may present a diverse group of sessions
  
  

Please note the following:

• Preliminary Application deadline is February 13, 2012.
• Notification of first-cut acceptance or decline will be sent by e-mail no later than February 27, 2012.
• Final Applications are due by March 12, 2012.
• Final acceptance will be made by April 2, 2012.
• Since only complete applications will be considered, please provide all information requested. If you have already presented at a Systems Thinking in Action Conference, references are not necessary.
• We prefer for at least one of the presenters to have attended a past Systems Thinking in Action Conference.
• No more than two submissions will be considered per presenter.
• We will provide a complimentary conference registration for one accepted presenter per session and invite this primary presenter to make a voluntary contribution of $200 to support scholarship applicants. Should you feel that your session requires additional presenters, they will be charged $650 per person as a registration fee, with a maximum of 3 being eligible for this rate. Presenters are responsible for their own accommodations, travel arrangements, and expenses. All accepted presenters are required to register by April 30, 2012.
• If presenting a case study, external consultants must partner with a co-presenter from the organization where the project took place.
• The conference design team may rename sessions and edit descriptions as necessary.
• Acceptance of a proposal is based on the information provided in your application. Should a change in presenter, format, or content occur, Pegasus must be notified immediately and may reconsider whether the presentation should still be included in the conference.

The application is available here. Please complete it by February 13 and submit it by email. Call Nancy Daugherty at 781-398-9700, x805 if you have questions.

We look forward to the possibility of partnering with you to create a dynamic program for the 2012 Systems Thinking in Action Conference!

With warm regards,

The Systems Thinking in Action Conference Design Team