> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.circudyne.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A Circudyne Odyssey - URL: https://www.circudyne.com/a-circudyne-odyssey/ - Published: 2025-12-29T13:03:00.000Z - Updated: 2025-12-29T13:02:59.000Z - Description: Closing out a season tracing a constellation of thinkers and ideas behind circular transformation — sharpening how we see perception, storytelling, and imagination, and preparing the ground for a harder question: what circularity must now deliver. - Author: Christian Rishel - Tags: Circudyne Odyssey, Circudynamics, Clayton Christensen, Dunkirk, George Lucas, Frank White, Joseph Campbell, Joy, Jobs To Be Done (JTBD), Marie Kondo, Marshall McLuhan, Modularity, Overview Effect, Perfect Days, Roger Martin, Self-Disruption, Sparking Joy, Wim Wenders, Storytelling, Cultural Mythology, Steve Jobs ## Autumn 2025 series conclusion Breaking *The Circudyne Letter* into quarterly seasons was my way of resolving a fundamental tension: how to go both broad and deep on a subject as expansive as circularity, and of circular transformation in particular. The previous season, [*Introduction to Circudyne*](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/introduction-to-circudyne/), surveyed the core ideas that have emerged over the roughly half decade I’ve been working on circularity as a transformation objective. That arc culminated in the [Circudynamics](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/circudynamics/) framework, which now serves as the architectural backbone of this work. This season, [*A Circudyne Odyssey*](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/circudyne-odyssey/), took a different approach. Rather than advancing my own ideas directly, it traced a path through a set of thinkers, makers, and moments that shaped how I came to see the problem in the first place. It is not an exhaustive lineage. It is closer to a personal thought experiment: who, from across history, would I invite to the table to think this through together? And what would we talk about? As the season unfolded, a unifying theme became clearer — one that was not planned at the outset. [Storytelling](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/storytelling/) emerged not merely as a topic within the letters, but as a connective tissue between them. More importantly, it became evident that storytelling itself is having a moment again in the broader cultural conversation. That convergence mattered. Stories shape not just what we believe, but what we perceive as possible. They condition how we coordinate, what futures we can imagine, and which paths feel viable before the analysis ever begins. 🔜 With the new year comes the beginning of the next series: **On the Bubble.* Circularity is on the bubble: rich with promise, heavy with expectation, and now under pressure to prove what it can deliver. Before we turn the page, it’s worth pausing to take stock of what this Odyssey set out to do—and what it made visible along the way. - [What Would Have To Be True?](#what-would-have-to-be-true) - [From Milkshakes to Meaning](#from-milkshakes-to-meaning) - [Modularity Theory: The Compass for Circular Innovation Strategy](#modularity-theory-the-compass-for-circular-innovation-strategy) - [Beyond Organizational Charts](#beyond-organizational-charts) - [Sparking Joy](#sparking-joy) - [The Overview Effect](#the-overview-effect) - [Toward Imagination](#toward-imagination) - [Dunkirk Spirit and Circular Transformation](#dunkirk-spirit-and-circular-transformation) - [Closing the Mythology Gap](#closing-the-mythology-gap) - [“Something Goes Wrong!”](#something-goes-wrong) - [You Don’t Need Better Storytellers](#you-dont-need-better-storytellers) - [McLuhan, Perception, and the Role of Brands Today](#mcluhan-perception-and-the-role-of-brands-today) --- ## What Would Have To Be True? *Beginning with the future, not the present* The season opened by rejecting incrementalism. Drawing on [Roger Martin](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/roger-martin/)’s future-back logic, this letter reframed strategy as a discipline of imagination—working backward from a future worth choosing rather than forward from present constraints. → Replacing optimization with future-first reasoning. [“What Would Have To Be True?”You cannot A|B test your way to system change. Why circular transformation requires asking ‘What Would Have to Be True?’ instead of ‘How Might We?’![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-22.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250401c-1-1.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/what-would-have-to-be-true/) --- ## From Milkshakes to Meaning *Demand is not a force to be harnessed, but a *job to be done** Building on that strategic stance, this letter revisited [Jobs To Be Done](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/jtbd/) theory as articulated by [Clayton Christensen](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/clayton-christensen/), showing why many sustainability and circular initiatives stall: they misunderstand demand as preference rather than purpose. → Demand as purpose, not preference. [From Milkshakes To MeaningClay Christensen showed us how to understand consumer preference beyond the A|B test. That key unlocks product-market fit for the Circular Century.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-23.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250402-1-1.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/from-milkshakes-to-meaning/) --- ## Modularity Theory: The Compass for Circular Innovation Strategy *Structure determines possibility* This essay extended Christensen’s work into [modularity theory](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/modularity/), revealing how system architecture governs innovation, resilience, and adaptability — and why circularity cannot simply be layered onto existing designs. → System architecture as a primary strategic lever. [Modularity Theory: The Compass for Circular Innovation StrategyChristensen’s modularity theory applied to circular economy. Why integration vs. modular is the wrong question—completion is everything.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-24.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250403d-2.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/modularity-theory-the-compass-for-circular-innovation-strategy/) --- ## Beyond Organizational Charts *Self-disruption is cultural before it is operational* Returning again to Christensen’s thinking — this time on [self-disruption](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/self-disruption/) — the focus shifted from structure to capability. The letter argued that genuine transformation depends on vision, culture, and shared values, not just incentives or reorgs. Together, these three Christensen essays formed a little mini-cycle within the season: *demand*, *structure*, and *self-disruption*. → Culture as enabling infrastructure, not ornament. [Self-DisruptionWhat practitioners miss about Christensen’s self-disruption theory—and why it matters for scaling circular innovation![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-25.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250404d-2.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/beyond-organizational-charts-why-self-disruption-requires-vision-culture-and-values/) --- ## Sparking Joy *Why circular futures must feel desirable* With the strategic groundwork laid, the series turned toward experience. Drawing inspiration from [Marie Kondo](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/marie-kondo/), this letter challenged the assumption that seriousness and austerity are the only credible registers for sustainability. [Joy](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/joy/), here, became a diagnostic for what futures people will actually choose. → Joy as a functional design constraint. [Sparking Joy: The Circular Century’s Secret IngredientMarie Kondo was right. Why joy is the enabling condition of the circular economy.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-27.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250405c-2.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/sparking-joy-the-secret-ingredient-of-the-circular-century/) --- ## The Overview Effect *A moral context larger than any market* This essay widened the aperture, introducing [Frank White's](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/frank-white/) [Overview Effect](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/overview-effect/) as a way to situate circularity within a moral and temporal frame larger than any single organization or economy. → Enlarging the moral and temporal horizon of decision-making. [Overview Effect: Objective Moral Context for CircularityAstronaut testimony from space reveals an objective truth about Earth’s preciousness—and why circular economy is the response that proves our worthiness.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-28.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250406b-1.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/the-overview-effect-an-objective-moral-context-for-the-circular-century/) --- ## Toward Imagination *Why imagination has been systematically constrained* At the midpoint of the season, this letter examined how [imagination](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/imagination/) itself has been narrowed by modern institutions and incentives, and why restoring it is a collective design challenge, not a personal failing. → Imagination as a capability that can be designed for. [Toward ImaginationScientific management made imagination possible. Then it made imagination impossible.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-29.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250407b.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/toward-imagination-2/) --- ## Dunkirk Spirit and Circular Transformation *Coordination without command* Using [Dunkirk](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/dunkirk/) as a historical lens, this letter explored how distributed actors can coordinate effectively when formal institutions are no longer fit for purpose — offering a powerful analogy for circular transformation under real-world constraints. → Coherence as the precondition for collective action. [The Dunkirk Spirit: Why Circular Economy Needs Small BoatsLike the Royal Navy at Dunkirk, corporations are unfit for circular transformation. We need distributed action: 1,000 small boats. Find yours.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-30.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250408a.jpg)](https://www.circudyne.com/dunkirk-spirit-and-circular-transformation/) --- ## Closing the Mythology Gap *When stories lag behind reality* Here the series turned explicitly to [mythology](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/cultural-mythology/), drawing on [Joseph Campbell](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/joseph-campbell/), as interpreted through [George Lucas](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/george-lucas/), to diagnose what happens when inherited stories no longer match lived conditions. → Narrative misalignment as systemic risk. [Closing the Mythology GapWhen change outpaces our stories, organizations lose coherence. Here we explore how cultural renewal shapes fitness for the Circular Century.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-31.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250409-1.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/closing-the-mythology-gap/) --- ## “Something Goes Wrong!” *Why familiar story structures no longer work* This letter examined breakdown itself, drawing on the cinematic sensibility of [Wim Wenders](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/wim-wenders/) to question whether traditional narrative arcs are capable of holding contemporary complexity. → Linear stories obscuring nonlinear change. [Something Goes Wrong! Rethinking Story for a Circular FutureHow modern storytelling limits our ability to imagine circular futures—and what Perfect Days reveals about building worlds people can believe in.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-32.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250410c-2.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/20250410-something-goes-wrong-7/) --- ## You Don’t Need Better Storytellers *You need better structures for meaning* The critique sharpened here. The problem, the letter argued, is not a shortage of narrative skill, but the absence of coherent structures within which stories can function truthfully. → Structural coherence matters more than narrative polish. [You Don’t Need Better StorytellersBrands need coherent stories. Why perception, leadership, and joy shape the future.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-33.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250411b-2.jpeg)](https://www.circudyne.com/you-dont-need-better-storytellers/) --- ## McLuhan, Perception, and the Role of Brands Today *Perception comes before awareness* The season concluded with [Marshall McLuhan](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/marshall-mcluhan/), grounding the entire Odyssey in a final insight: perception shapes behavior before understanding. Brands, therefore, play a formative role in shaping what circular value can even be seen to be. [Steve Jobs](https://www.circudyne.com/tag/steve-jobs/) proved how to blend these elements in practice. → Perception as the primary lever of transformation. [McLuhan, Perception, and the Role of Brands TodayWhy experience shapes behavior before understanding—and what this means for brand leadership, perception, and agency today.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/icon/Circudyne-favicon-Original-blob_3-34.png)CircudyneChristian Rishel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4d/13/4d13b24a-b5de-4d53-956f-67061642aed8/content/images/thumbnail/20250412d-2.jpg)](https://www.circudyne.com/mcluhan-perception-and-the-role-of-brands-today/) --- > Happy New Year! 🥳