Emergent Learning Publications

Guide to the Principles of Emergent Learning

The Guide to the Principles of Emergent Learning illustrates what it looks like when teams, organizations, or whole communities apply EL principles to help them think for themselves about how to address the unique, real-life situations they are up against every day.

The Guide to the Principles of Emergent Learning is made available electronically for free thanks to the generosity of The Skillman Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Foundation.

Click here to get your copy.

Articles

Learning in the Thick of It

Harvard Business Review, 2005. By Marilyn Darling, Charles Perry, and Joe Moore

Compass pointing toward the word "Strategy"

Emergent Learning: A Framework for Whole-System Strategy, Learning, and Adaptation

Foundation Review, 2016. By Marilyn Darling, Heidi Guber, Jillaine Smith, and James Stiles

A Compass in the Woods: Learning Through Grantmaking to Improve Impact

By Marilyn Darling

A Whole Greater than Its Parts: Exploring the Role of Emergence in Complex Social Change

By Marilyn Darling, Heidi Guber, and Jillaine Smith

Case studies, blogs, and impact stories from the community

Shifting Relationships with Grantees: Advancing Trust-Based Philanthropy Through Emergent Learning by Brittney Gaspari

The Intersection of Evaluation and Emergent Learning, by Veena Pankaj

Cohort Zero: How Humanity United “walked alongside” young leaders to find a new path toward peace by Jesse Eaves

Using EL Tables to bring Diverse Voices to the Table by Karen Stornelli

Using AARs to build a learning cycle around strategic planning by Rebecca Ochtera

Making Thinking Visible for Emergent Strategy and Aligned action by Parv Santhosh-Kumar