Dr. Luca Gatti, PhD
Dr. Luca Gatti is a transdisciplinary architect of systemic renewal. Blending Renaissance humanities with complexity science, he designs "Action Genomes" and Portfolio Stencils that empower global organizations to navigate uncertainty. Luca transforms systemic complexity into actionable intelligence, enabling resilient governance and profound institutional transformation in our rapidly changing world.
Main themes
Strategic Innovation & System Transformation: Designing pathways for organizations to "re-author" their identities.
The Governance of Strategic Risk: Reframing risk management as a constructive discipline for exploration.
Action Genomes & Portfolio Stencils: Using visuospatial instruments to govern strategic options under uncertainty.
Meaning as a Structuring Resource: How culture and identity shape the propensities of social systems.
Temporal Leadership: Navigating the distinction between Chronos (linear time) and Kairos (the opportune moment).
Simple!: On the Transformation of Human Social Systems
Bio
Luca is the Director of the CHÔRA Foundation and an Associate Research Scholar at Copenhagen Business School.
With a PhD in Art History from the University of London, his career spans prestigious appointments at Harvard University (Villa I Tatti) and the Collège de France.
Luca bridges the classical humanities with contemporary organizational science, serving as a senior advisor to global institutions—including the UNDP and UNESCO—and corporate leaders such as Generali and Pirelli.
His practice focuses on building "learning spaces" that help complex systems maintain coherence and purpose in turbulent times.
Media
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management: Collaborative Crisis Management Framework
Mélanges de l’École française de Rome
Click here for a detailed list of publications!
Books and Research Studies
Portfolio Stencils: Action Genomes for Theories of Change (2023)
This research introduces Portfolio Stencils as generative instruments for intelligence-based decision-making. Luca proposes a shift from linear planning to dynamic "action genomes," capturing intervention logics and dependencies.
These visuospatial tools allow social systems to explore possibilities and learn their way into self-transformation, providing a robust framework for navigating the radical uncertainty of contemporary global challenges.
Simple! On the Transformation of Human Social Systems (2026)
An ontological exploration of strategic design that challenges the "keep it simple" paradigm. Luca examines how meaning, time, and intelligence function as core resources for systemic renewal. He argues that effective transformation requires a gritty determination to move beyond the reductive allure of "simplicism," instead leveraging a reflective praxis to author new, resilient institutional identities.
Interviews
Agora Videocast: Thinking Through Complexity (2020)
Luca explores how organizations can unpack societal complexity during global crises. He discusses moving away from prescriptive "expert" models toward building community capabilities, allowing systems to make decisions about themselves through the management of living, "blurry" processes.
Portfolio Induction: Operationalizing Thinking (2021)
This session focuses on the principles of dynamically managing portfolios through sensemaking. Luca explains how innovation begins with rethinking organizational identity and roles, enabling the EU and UNDP to embrace complexity as a core capability for systemic work.
Photos
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