Philosophy

We are living in a time of significant change. All around us, systems are giving way and new routes forward have yet to be discovered. Leadership is more important than ever—and it needs to evolve.

We see this as a time of great potential. We have dedicated our work to supporting leadership teams, organizations, and global collaborators who are exploring bold questions and taking creative action in their sphere of influence.

Team

Mary Stacey


Founder and Managing Director

Edward Kelly


Associate

Nelisha Wickremasinghe


Associate

Reilly Dow


Associate

Dana Carman


Associate

Samina Hashmi


Associate

Gayle Karen Young


Associate

Ira Morris


Associate

Marie Legault


Associate

Iman Masud Omar


Associate

Herb Stevenson


Associate

Mariam Hashemi


Associate

Collaborators


Bateson Institute
The focus of Bateson Institute’s inquiry is on the interrelational dynamics between and interdependencies among systems. Mary Stacey and Reilly Dow are certified hosts of the IBI’s Warm Data Labs, which help groups to strengthen their individual and collective capacity to work with complex issues. Website


Action Inquiry Fellowship
The AIF is founded on the theory and practice of adult development and vertical development, known for radically improving a leader’s ability to navigate today’s highly complex environment while generating the organizational transformation that is required. Mary Stacey co-founded the AIF with a global network of academics and practitioners who work with the Global Leadership Profile.


Artists Collaborations
Artists are society’s most daring visionaries. Never knowing precisely where their actions will lead, they creatively embrace emerging realities. Over the years we have partnered with Arawana Hayashi, Padraig O Tuama, David WhyteMartin HayesMichael Jones, and Sandy McMullen to cultivate forms of leadership that are more spontaneous, systemic, and adaptive.


Burren College of Art
The Burren, a microcosm of society, provides a rich context from which to connect with wider issues. BCA is a hothouse for artists, and the artist’s ability to access spontaneous action and true creativity offers a great deal to leadership practice. Context’s partnerships with BCA around issues of global significance have included the 2013 Climate Gathering and the Burren Executive Leadership Retreat. Website


Centre for Social Innovation
A social enterprise with a mission to catalyze social innovation around the world. CSI believes that new innovations are key to turning society’s unprecedented challenges into opportunities to improve our communities and our planet. Context is an active member of the CSI community. Website


The Leadership Circle
The Leadership Circle Profile is a leadership assessment that measures and provides leaders feedback through the lens of the Universal Model. It is the only instrument that measures the two primary leadership domains – Creative Competencies and Reactive Tendencies – and integrates this information so that key opportunities for leadership development immediately rise to the surface. At Context, we are active members of the Leadership Circle Community of practitioners. Website


The World Café Community Foundation
Today’s business strategies require approaches that support leadership at every level of the organization. Innovative approaches such as The World Café to ‘bring the whole system into the room’ to build commitment and strategic alignment. We partner with organizations such as The World Cafe Community Foundation,  is dedicated to enabling the development and innovative dialogue and collective intelligences practices. Website


The Presencing Institute
Founded to create profound social and organizational change, The Presencing Insitutute has  developed Theory U as a change framework, led cross-sector leadership, change and innovation initiatives worldwide, and created an innovation platform called u.lab. See Mary Stacey’s chapter about Interweaving U in Advances in Presencing (2019) available on Amazon. Website


The Art of Hosting
The Art of Hosting is an approach to leadership that scales up from the personal to the systemic using personal practice, dialogue, facilitation and the co-creation of innovation to address complex challenges. We work with Art of Hosting principles as we help leadership teams create post-heroic cultures and participatory team environments. Website