INSIGHTS | Connecting for Change

Connective Tissue: The Architecture of Connection Between Ground Truth and Global Change

Across water, climate, public health, and democracy, the same pattern repeats: intelligence lives at the edge, authority lives at scale, and the architecture connecting them has thinned. Connective Tissue argues that resilience is not a value but a system function—one restored when information and responsibility circulate without loss.

FIELD NOTES

George Schuler

3 days ago28 min read

The Shadow Side of Collaboration

Collaboration isn’t always virtuous. The same trust and alignment that make networks powerful can, under pressure, make them fragile. The Shadow Side of Collaboration explores how systems drift—from connection toward control—and how discernment, refusal, and renewal help networks stay alive. Because collaboration, at its best, isn’t compliance—it’s care.

FIELD NOTES

George Schuler

Nov 513 min read

The Network We Need vs. the Institutions We Have: Why Collaboration in Water So Often Feels Like Competition

This piece grew out of conversations during and shortly after New York Climate Week — and a recurring question: why do gatherings meant...

George Schuler

Oct 811 min read

From Fragmented Voices to a Movement: Why the SDGs Need a Network Lens

Every September, UNGA and Climate Week flood New York with pledges and press releases. The problem isn’t commitments, it’s fragmentation. Voices stay scattered, leaving more noise than movement. What’s missing is the connective tissue: the bridges and brokers who align climate, water, food, and health into real progress. A network lens reveals who connects, who bridges, and who’s missing, turning fragments into a movement that lasts.

George Schuler

Sep 173 min read

AI Will Show You the Map, But It Won’t Tell You Where to Go

(What AI Can — and Can’t — Do for System Insights) Opening: The Mirage of the Perfect Map We live in an age where AI can sketch out...

George Schuler

Sep 103 min read

Glossy Words, Murky Outcomes

How Water Stewardship Got Stuck in Its Own Language — And Why It Matters Author’s Note: On Where We’re Coming From Before diving in, we...

George Schuler

Aug 266 min read

Seeing Isn’t Leading: Why Uncertain Times Demand Connection, Capacity, and Clarity

In a world where volatility is the new normal, simply seeing the change isn’t enough. Leadership today requires the ability to connect across networks, build adaptive capacity, and act with clarity in the face of complexity. As political shocks, economic disruptions, and fractured trust reshape our systems, organizations that invest in real-time insight and resilient relationships will be the ones that shape what comes next.

NEWS & UPDATES

George Schuler

May 82 min read