Lab (Labrador) with a new perspective on nature and the human world

A new perspective on sustainability & impact

Ensuring investors and the companies in their portfolios are fit for the future by advancing new thinking.

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Welcome to The Rethink Lab.
By Ammy Vogtlander.

The Rethink Lab is built on the core belief that broadening our thinking—the basis on which we operate—is the key to a sustainable future.

Complexity, the science of ecosystems, has reshaped our understanding of what it takes to build a resilient world. Sustainability is not just about solving specific problems like climate change. It is about strengthening our collective capacity to tackle present and future issues, whatever they may be. For long-term value creation, the vitality of a sector—how businesses, investors and consumers interact and co-evolve—matters more than the success of any single company or solution.

The Rethink Lab equips companies with essential insights and practices, helping them to improve their performance by improving their broader impact.

Despite breakthrough technologies, broader purpose and better metrics, businesses and investors struggle to achieve their sustainability goals. Why is that?
To paraphrase MIT Sloan Professor John Sterman: what holds us back is not a lack of resources, commitment or a resistance to change but a gap in understanding how our complex world works.
To build a more sustainable world we need to broaden our thinking; this is where complexity comes in.
Derived from the Latin complexus (meaning "interwoven"), Complexity emphasises how interactions shape outcomes—be it stock prices resulting from the interactions between traders, the end product of a value chain, or opinions emerging on social media.
Complexity doesn’t just put the parts together but also considers the strong dependencies between them. This kind of thinking is especially useful when tackling complex challenges like sustainability.
Companies both influence and are influenced by the sectors they operate in. Their long-term value creation depends on the resilience and adaptability of their sector.
Most businesses and investors excel at maximising value in today’s market. But, they often miss how their choices today affect the risks and opportunities they’ll face tomorrow.
The Rethink Lab helps companies improve their long-term performance by improving their broader impact.
Complexity Thinking is key to transforming purposeful goals into lasting impact.
The Rethink Lab is a simple but powerful framework designed to familiarise business leaders and investors with the essentials of Complexity. It introduces a fundamentally new perspective on sustainability, helping companies better understand, improve and broaden their role in the ecosystem.
Most strategy consulting and leadership programs outline HOW to tackle a complex situation and help define WHAT actions to take. The Rethink Lab offers a more profound approach, describing WHY complexity arises in the first place. If you understand the WHY, you can scale and continuously refine the HOW and WHAT more effectively.

What I offer

The Rethink Lab helps organisations broaden their thinking and upgrade their operating models.

You can choose between three levels of engagement: a Focused Session, The Full Rethink Lab and Custom Labs.

All engagements benefit from the structured approach I developed over the years—The Rethink Lab, a uniquely effective method to introduce Complexity and New Economic Thinking to business leaders and investors.

Focused session

During an inspiring lecture or workshop, we will explore a topic or issue of your choice.
Tapping into a rich collection of theoretical models, inspiring concepts and relevant business examples, I will share two or three key insights that fundamentally change how you view your business challenges.
The Full Rethink Lab

This multi-day program introduces Complexity Thinking and its critical role in sustainability.
The program helps you and your team identify barriers to long-term value creation and offers essential strategies to overcome these road-blocks.
The Full Rethink Lab is an ideal starting point for those who seek a deep understanding of the complex and uncertain dynamics dominating today’s markets and need more effective ways to navigate them.
The program is held in-house and is tailored to your sector.
Custom Labs

If your company wants to tackle a specific challenge, you can partner with me for an extended period of time.
I will equip you and your team with essential insights and relevant practices, guiding you through the process of how to integrate them into your operating models.
Together we will explore effective strategies to improve your impact and ensure your company’s sustained success.