This brief article explains how to create a SparkMap on Hunome's platform, describing it as a tool for exploring complex themes and connecting fragmented thoughts. The process involves six steps: choosing a focus area that genuinely interests you, establishing a central idea or hypothesis, branching out into subtopics and related concepts, connecting seemingly unrelated ideas, regularly reviewing and refining the map, and finally inviting others to contribute their perspectives. Building SparkMaps solo helps develop reasoning skills and creates a tangible representation of your thinking, while also serving as a foundation for collaborative, multidimensional understanding when shared with others.

This article argues for a shift from linear to nonlinear thinking to better navigate our rapidly changing, interconnected world. It explains that nonlinear thinking is essential for understanding complex systems where small changes can have disproportionate effects, recognizing global interconnectedness and ripple effects, and adapting to unprecedented uncertainty from technological advances and global crises.

This article identifies societal polarization as a "wicked problem"—complex social issues that are difficult to solve due to incomplete knowledge, numerous stakeholders, and interconnected nature with other problems. The author argues that social media's advertising model has deepened societal divisions, creating echo chambers where different viewpoints become sources of hostility rather than understanding. Drawing on design theorist Richard Buchanan's work, the piece suggests that wicked problems like polarization, climate change, and inequality require systems thinking combined with collaborative, iterative approaches that understand both big picture and contextual details.

This article discusses the concept of perspectives and human ingenuity, referencing political scientist Thomas Homer-Dixon's "ingenuity gap" theory—the idea that as we solve problems, new and more complex issues emerge that outpace our ability to address them. The piece explains how human perspectives are formed through combining emotional responses, personal experiences, sensory feedback, and input from others and the environment. It describes how humans can understand and adopt other people's perspectives, which enhances collective problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

This article announces a SparkMap project titled "The Future of Work – What's Next?" that examines the evolving workplace landscape characterized by flexibility, adaptability, and increased technology integration. The project explores shifts away from traditional 9-5 office jobs toward remote work and automation, examining various perspectives on these changes and their impacts. Led by Nicky Dries, who heads the Future of Work Lab at KU Leuven's Faculty of Economics, the SparkMap aims to interconnect global examples, innovative practices, and experiences with concepts like the gig economy and zero-hour contracts. The lab focuses on social imaginaries for the future and developing insights for tomorrow's workforce.

This article argues that leaders should balance data-driven decision-making with understanding human factors affecting customers, employees, and communities. It contrasts "leading with people" versus "leading with data," suggesting that while metrics like productivity and revenue are readily available and useful, they miss crucial human motivations and needs. The piece uses examples like furniture sales data (showing increased sales but missing customer preference for sustainable materials) and Dan Price's decision to implement a $70,000 minimum wage at Gravity Payments after learning about employee financial struggles. The article claims that human-aware leadership leads to better employee motivation, customer engagement, and business outcomes, recommending that leaders actively seek diverse perspectives and look beyond numerical data to understand the people their decisions impact.

This article discusses applying human-centered design principles to help businesses build resilience during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines four core principles: understanding the fundamental problem rather than just symptoms (using the example of remote work solutions that address broader business continuity rather than just providing laptops), focusing on all impacted people by understanding their needs and involving them in solution development, considering entire systems rather than isolated components (illustrated by chatbot implementation that might solve wait times but create misdirected queries), and iterating quickly through prototyping and testing. The piece references examples like Zoom's rapid scaling and Airbnb's pivot to homestays, emphasizing that companies following human-centered approaches during uncertain times should shift perspective from what's right for the company to what's right for the people surrounding it.