The subject "Our Founding Discipline" evolved to "The Heart of the Matter"
and during private communication Artur Silva rose the question:
>And by the way, do you know about any research on collective metanoia
>among the LO, OD, or SD communities ?
I think that this question leads directly to the frontiers of research on
LO, including the methodical question, how to perform research in this
field, that I am wondering, what we can collect on this issue here on the
LO-list.
So far the opening of this topic.
The following is my contribution to this:
Arturs question coinzides with that I finished reading the book
Synchronicity by Joseph Jaworski yesterday evening.
Basically it is an autobiography, telling the story of building up a law
firm for 20 years, leaving this firm to build up the American Leadership
Forum (ALF) in 1980 and later his work for the scenario planning group at
Royal Dutch Shell from 1990 to 1994. Then he worked closely together with
Peter Senge and is now founder and chairman of the Center for Generative
Leadership.
The underlying thesis of this book is, as I understand it, that leadership
is about leading a process of collective metanoia in order to shape or
generate a desired future rather than just react on anticipated changes
"out there". And that this task has more to do with the being of the
leader than his doing, because the "right" being ("authentic presence")
attracts what he calls "predictable miracles". ("Being" is meant to
contrast mere "doing", I read it as a being in the state of
"being-becoming")
Such predictable miracles are highly contingent and Jaworski did not miss
to include a chapter on those traps he tapped into, admitting that we
don't know very much about it. He cites Francisco Varela who compared our
knowledge on these issues (metanoia, synchronicity, predictable miracles)
with the knowledge about America in Europe 16th century: Columbus proved
that it is there, but very little more was known. And I wish to add that
knowing about the massacers on the way of conquering this new territory
until today, I am wondering how enthusiastic we should be when we find new
territory (even if it is "only" mental).
This makes the question about research and how to research the phenomenon
of collective metanoia vital - here you are surely lost, if you miss to
adress "the heart of the matter".
Research on collective metanoia should be descriptive and prescriptive.
The discriptive branch will report successes and failures and may for
instance deal with the questions why some organisations last for centuries
and others are terminated within two or three decades as Arie de Geus did.
Another fruitful field for description is the rise and fall of any social
movements - the vast field of history, including religously or
humanisticaly motivated undertakings. I am sure that there is endless
material available that only needs to be reread through the glasses of
"collective metanoia" (including "collective paranoia" to get the full
picture).
Based on this discriptive research, hypothesis will be formed on the
outcome of prescribed "actions" (in paranthesis, because I don't know how
to deal with the observation, that being is more important than doing).
This will lead to new experiences which can become subject to more
discriptive work, improving our matter hopefully. Formerly it was very
unsure whether one will arrive at America and survive there, when one
followed the prescription to enter one of those sailing ships. It was the
responsibility of those taking the risk, not of those suggesting a
possible way. Today... the airplanes... well its different.
Today, we are used to expect safety. I am afraid that this inhibits
creativity and quenches the heart. Both are needed for good research work.
The quest for collective metanoia will remain an adventure, with the real
risk that the hero who left for this journey may fail. This is part of the
nature of committment.
Liebe Gruesse,
Winfried
--"Winfried Dressler" <winfried.dressler@voith.de>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>