Learning Peace to Resolve Conflict, not Remove It - A Conversation with Dr Luke Roberts

Sep 20, 2025

Dr. Luke Roberts, Founder and CEO of Resolve Consultants and an expert in conflict resolution, delves into innovative approaches for achieving peace. He explores how systems thinking reveals deep-rooted issues that perpetuate violence and the importance of nurturing personal and systemic peace. Luke emphasizes the role of education in teaching young people to manage and resolve conflict constructively. Additionally, he shares insights on how narratives can shift towards peaceful outcomes and highlights the need for leaders sensitive to context over rigid metrics.

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INSIGHT

Complexity Fuels Polarization

Complex systems drive polarization by offering simple narratives that ignore complexity.
Peace requires imagining multiple coexistence options rather than win-lose outcomes.

ADVICE

Use Metaphors To Reveal Systems

Use metaphors and rich pictures to surface system behaviors and relationships.
Translate systems language into accessible creative tools without dumbing it down.

INSIGHT

Systems Can Produce Violence

Systems can embed violence by design or produce it unintentionally through incentives.
Values and policies can be weaponized if history and behaviors in the system are ignored.

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In 1981, the UN established the International Day of Peace to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace. In a time when both the influence of multilateral institutions like the UN is being questioned, and the peace we need is in rapidly shortening supply as violence becomes the norm, my guest this week is doing amazing work with communities to find more peaceful paths through questions of conflict resolution by taking a systemic and complexity-informed approach. How we engage our young people in responding peacefully to the inevitable conflict they experience in their own lives feels like a critical part of what we do as educators, but so is being open to question the way in which violence and harm can also be normalised by the systems in which we live and work.

Dr Luke Roberts is the founder and Chief Executive Officer at Resolve Consultants (https://resolveconsultants.com/ ) and the author of ‘Leading Schools and Sustaining Innovation: How to Think Big and Differently in Complex Systems’ (https://www.routledge.com/Leading-Schools-and-Sustaining-Innovation-How-to-Think-Big-and-Differently/Roberts/p/book/9781032015620?utm_source=link&utm_medium=society_association&utm_campaign=B052718_pb1_5ll_6rm_t012_1al_9781032015620). Throughout his career, he has focused on conflict resolution, systems change and sustaining innovation. He completed his PhD at Cambridge in 2020. The focus of his research was the sustainability of innovation in organisations when viewed as socially Complex Adaptive Systems. He is an applied social scientist who uses System Thinking and Complexity Theory to address messy and ambiguous challenges which organisations and society face.

He works across the private, and public sector helping leaders to understand their ecosystem and apply creative solutions to ill-defined and systemic issues in policy and practice. His work often involves understanding the creativity within organisations and communities which allows them to thrive. Conversations often focus on points of conflict in the system and what are the ways in this hinders opportunity and benefits.

Luke has worked in the policy space with APPGs, Parliamentarians and Ministers, he has also advised policy leaders on multi-departmental working to address system issues. He is presently developming a leadership model which aligns with complex systems.