CTU Adjunct Professor Tonya Henderson, featured presenter at TEDx Colorado Springs
On October 17, Adjunct Professor Dr. Tonya Henderson ushered CTU into the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) community when she delivered her thought-provoking and engaging talk on “spotting patterns in organizational life and in society and creating patterns on purpose to make the world a better place.” Since 1984, more than 2,000 TED Talks have been presented and translated into more than 100 languages, archived, and available for online viewing.
Completing her CTU doctoral dissertation and continuing research for a book for Routledge Dr. Henderson co-authored with her doctoral mentor David Boje, the TED talk is a direct result of her efforts. Dr. Henderson calls these patterns “signature dance moves of society” and believes they can significantly impact business strategy. Fractals, organically occurring patterns that repeat regardless of scale, are the basis for making changes to patterns in which society participates. “In our efforts to control something natural like communication and sharing of resources, to create companies and government organizations in very contrived ways, we often end up copying the patterns of nature without even realizing it,” she adds.
While this blog acknowledges its inability to do proper justice to Dr. Henderson’s dynamic topic, she offers this advice. “When you spot one of these scalable repeating patterns (a signature dance move), ask yourself, ‘Is this good for the world if it continues?’ If the answer is no, then do something! You have a choice. You can create a new and compelling pattern that can ripple through your circle of friends, your workplace, the city, maybe even the world.” You can watch Dr. Henderson’s talk online when post-production wraps and it launches on the TEDx Colorado Springs website, tedxcoloradosprings.com.
As a key sponsor of the TED Talk in Colorado Springs, CTU pride shone brightly at the sold-out event courtesy of staff members who were on hand to interact with and answer questions about CTU degree programs for the event’s more than 300 attendees. This year’s focus for TED is “The Future of The Future.” At CTU, we’re always focused on the future and congratulate Dr. Henderson for helping to pave the way in bringing valuable change to the world.
Watch Tonya's TEDx talk here.