Making sense of a rapidly changing world
“I feel inspired with new tools to understand change.”
Department Director, rapidly-growing city
The Allison Group provides accessible, actionable, and inspiring insights through briefings and workshops.
A good model can increase your understanding and save you time, energy, and money. And give you increased clarity about opportunities and threats.
Our model of social change, developed by Mary Ann Allison, MBA, PhD, is backed by award-winning research and practical experience. You can use this expertise to improve your organization’s capacity to recognize important trends and change more effectively with the times.
We believe we learn more when we are having fun. In her presentations, Mary Ann uses pictures and stories to engage interest and inspire action.
“Mary Ann is a big-picture thinker and skilled communicator able to spin complex concepts — such as whole eras of human history – into accessible, actionable insights that can help anyone make sense of a rapidly changing world.”
Jeff Carr, Executive Director, Museum of Idaho
Our presentations and tools
We all know we are facing enormous problems locally and globally. And that they are interconnected and getting worse. More important than competitive advantage is realistic hope and inspiration.
We believe in the human capacity to solve next-level challenges, those challenges created by our successes in a prior historical era. Our research supports this belief. Our presentations and tools provide practical support.
Briefings and Workshops
Designed for organizations, typically for government or business leadership teams who want to lead their teams skillfully during rapid social change.
Local and Regional Challenges
Designed for community and regional groups — alliances of Intention — that are working to address wide-ranging problems, often including next-level problems. Often hosted by a sponsoring agency.
Individuals (“Library talks”)
Designed to engage parents and grandparents, and anyone interested in understanding how social change is affecting our everyday lives.
“I left this presentation with an improved and updated toolbox of skills that help my daily interactions as an employer, friend, father, and, unexpectedly, as a grandfather. Time very well spent.”
Merrill Huntsman, Owner, Design Gallery
Lame duck politician? Corporate officer retiring soon?
You want to leave your organization in good hands which means your leadership team knows how to look at the future.
Comments from an executive briefing:
“This takes thinking big picture to an era level. Very insightful.”
“Working with, instead of against, social pressures.”
“One of the best seminars I have attended.”
“{I will be better] at recognizing cultural /informational change/impacts to life.”
“Kept my attention…and helped me think of how I will use this with my team.”
“[I understand more} how my daily choices make a difference in the community.”
Hot topics
From time to time, there are topics of intense common interest where we think the Allison Group can contribute to the public conversation. In those cases, we offer 90-minute presentations. Not with answers, but with frameworks and thought experiments. Artificial intelligence is one example.
Ideas, thought experiments, and models
Here are some of the things we are thinking about.
“That’s a deep fake:” Balancing power in the AI world
AI governance, Social Dynamics
Governing AI series: Part 2 This article is Part 2 of a series about the power of using multiple methods of regulating AI. This is not, for example, about the content of a law or a policy recommendation from an AI developer industry group. It is about what types of governance have a chance of […]
Better lives: Using AI to transform ourselves and society
AI governance, Happiness, Participation, Social Dynamics
Governing AI series: Part 3 This article is Part 3 of a series about the power of using multiple methods of regulating AI. This is not, for example, about the content of a law or a policy recommendation from an AI developer industry group. It is about what types of governance have a chance of […]
Fool me once: AI and the balance of power
AI governance, Social Dynamics
Governing AI series: Part 1 This article is Part 1 of a series about the power of using multiple methods of regulating AI. This is not, for example, about the content of a law or a policy recommendation from an AI developer industry group. It is about what types of governance have a chance of […]
