Timothy G. Staub, in fulfilling the requirements for a PhD in Leadership and Change at Antioch University, has written and published a dissertation titled“Complexity, Polycentricity, and Climate Change: An Embedded, Multi-Level Case Study of a Climate Meta-Network.”
Staub investigates how large climate action networks can mobilize collective leadership to meet the cascading impacts of climate change. Using an embedded, multi-level case study of a well-established climate meta-network in Washington, D.C., he analyzes how complexity leadership, complex adaptive systems, and polycentric governance interact to enable coordination, learning, and action across organizations and scales. The study maps structures and practices—distributed decision-making, boundary-spanning roles, feedback loops, and adaptive routines—that help networks respond to systemic risks such as displacement, resource insecurity, and public health threats. Staub argues that cultivating adaptive, polycentric meta-networks can strengthen climate governance, accelerate collaborative problem-solving, and improve the capacity of institutions to navigate uncertainty and drive meaningful social change.
Staub is a practitioner/scholar focused on collective leadership, networked governance, and complexity-informed strategy for climate action. His work focuses on cross-sector collaboration, meta-network design, and practical tools that enable organizations and coalitions to coordinate at scale.
Read and download Staub’s dissertation, Complexity, Polycentricity, and Climate Change: An Embedded, Multi-Level Case Study of a Climate Meta-Network, here.
