I cannot resist to add a few ideas on this:
1.) System-Thinking approach: The organisation exists in a coevolutionary
context with its environment. Selflessness could mean, that one should
avoid to pick a part of this System and call it "Self" to distinguish self
from "Others".
2.) In "Images of Organisation", Gareth Morgan discribes what he calles
the "egocentric organisation" that wants to realise their vision at any
rate. The opposite would be a wise organisation, which is able to
incorporate environmental feedback. I recommend to look at this - I think
its in the 8th chapter (flow and change).
3.) I also like the "Holon"-approach and the "ladder of consciousness" by
Ken Wilber and other concepts of developmental psychologists like Eric
Erickson ("Entwicklungspsychologie") Self is to identify oneself with the
current state of consciousness. At the end of the process of
selftranscendence, a transition or transformation (is there any difference
in these two words?) with high entropy production takes place in which the
old self "dies" and a new, higher self emerges. A neverending process of
differentiation and integration.
Winfried
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>