In the GLI’s “Ecological Perspective” module led by David K. Hurst FRSA (Hill and Levene Schools of Business at University of Regina), fellows delve into what it means to assess organizational challenges and opportunities in the field. According to Hurst, ecology means a down-to-earth perspective — viewing systems within their context and avoiding abstractions that impede local understanding.
Why do neighboring countries so often measure the length of their borders differently? The Portuguese once measured their border with Spain as 1214 KM, while the Spanish measured the same perimeter as 987 KM. According to David Hurst, this discrepancy comes from differences in scale and purpose. “Entrepreneurs work up close to see much more detail. Entrepreneurial success is about picking information no one has considered because no one has worked at that level. Scale matters, and purpose matters.”
Hurst’s ecological perspective is a sensemaking framework derived from nature’s patterns. Applied to the arts, this means understanding the relationship between the analytical and analogical. While business theory traditionally favors an analytical approach, arts leaders must also delve into physical, emotional, and intellectual ways of understanding their world. Art is indeed a powerful form of inquiry.▣
