09/09/2026
Giorgio Parisi studied the starlings flying over Rome. Thousands of individuals changing direction together in a fraction of a second, with no one leading the movement. Each starling coordinates its movement with six or seven neighbours. And it keeps doing so even as the flock changes shape and the distances between them grow. More than proximity, what matters is how many others you are connected to.
In September, organisations start moving again too, almost always from the same starting points: goals, priorities, calendars. All necessary. But a group’s ability to respond to the unexpected also depends on the conversations that have remained alive and the connections that continue to form, including some that may have been left behind before the summer.
Before getting started again, it is worth taking stock. Then, at some point, we have to leave the metaphor behind. Starlings have one goal and no conflicting interests. Organisations do.
Their flight shows us how movement can spread through a network of relationships. Deciding which direction to take remains a collective task.
