An Intervention for Binary Thinking

How do we transform the tension of a binary, polarized world into creative potential?

both/and is an operating system that begins with how we perceive our differences and fundamentally shifts the way we think, collaborate, and design new systems.

We are experiencing the tension of binary thinking in the extreme…

In a binary model, we are asked to choose: new or old, left or right, radical or traditional? This either/or divide increases polarity in our systems until they become unstable, no longer able to hold the tension of opposites. This is the moment we find ourselves in now.

We believe that the critical work in this moment is not to choose a side, but to change how we relate to difference and division.

Our task is to become equipped with the tools to engage with the opposites. Not to reinforce existing beliefs, but to cultivate creative relationships so that something new can emerge, beyond the binary.

both/and is the relational practice that fundamentally shifts how we perceive, think, design, and collaborate. We see it as installing a new “operating system” from which to create a more functional, creative, and regenerative systems. both/and is process-oriented. It’s an investment in the right kinds of interaction that leads to new outcomes entirely.

When we relate through a both/and, we are on the path to address the fragmentation in our systems that emerged through institutional and cultural conditioning.

We believe both/and is the answer to the question: Where do we go from here? It’s a living model for the future that reframes our current challenges as material for creative breakthroughs.

Alexander Deleuse & Nikki Peyraud, partners at both/and

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About Us

We are a systems change company that begins with the fundamental way we perceive and interact.

Shifting outcomes means shifting our perception, creating the modes of thinking that become our modes of interaction. We design dynamic systems at every level – from leadership training to brand identity and storytelling, all rooted in both/and practice.

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Recent Work

Going forward, the ability to work with others who have radically different perspectives than our own will be the most valuable skill we can cultivate.