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The Performance Center Symposium 2006: What Makes Transformation Flourish?

September 5-8, 2006

Skamania Lodge Stevenson, Washington

Proceedings By Linda Crafts

Contributions by Anne Murray Allen, John Blakinger, Rita Conrad, Stephen Hacker, Stephanie Holmes, Paul Krueger, Patti Maggiora, Mark Maggiora, Shauna Quistorff, Tammy Roberts, Glenn Rose, Jackie Rose, Ann Schauber

Tuesday Evening We came together in the late summer evening over good food by the great Columbia, old friends connected by their memories, telling stories of how they had passed the time between…and new friends waiting to be, wondering if they would fit, if this was a community in which they would find belonging. They worried over what stories to tell, how much to share, they were waiting…

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Wednesday Morning We started in the past, looking at the history of The Performance Center as a University sponsored group focused on doing action research and testing research in the field and the history of this community as it explored conflict, we-being, the role of spirit in transformational change, and community. When we arrived at our beginning we explored what brought us all here together to explore transformational ideas, processes, and communities. Walt Roberts helped us frame the context of our inquiry by putting forward the definition of transformational change as a step function change, which is breakthrough, revolutionary, sought after, and happens by design. We reviewed the Transformational Leadership model created by Tammy Roberts and Steve Hacker as a result of their work in the field. Our focus for the next three days was on what makes transformation flourish. We moved into an exploration of Living Systems with Anne Murray-Allen. She shared her learnings based largely upon the work of Umberto Maturana. There were many points to ponder, but one in particular that we tried on was Maturana’s definition of love: We talked about the points made on the Dropping Knowledge Website (http://www.droppingknowledge.org), which shifts the question from “What do we need to drive?” to “What do we want to accomplish?” and “How are we performing?” Organizations are not living systems per se, but rather networks of living systems and networks of ambition are not as effective as networks of knowledge.

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Wednesday Afternoon We split the afternoon into an exploration of transformation as a group. Walt Roberts presented us with a framing structure on the wall, under which we would work on our inquiry on what makes transformation flourish. The first area looked at the characteristics of transformation, the second looked at what were the characteristics of transformational communities, and the third focused on how we each could serve to facilitate transformation. We gathered in smaller groups by the parts of this transformational inquiry that was most compelling to us to define it further. Some of the questions we explored together:

− What is the nature of the space between the individual human will and the collective/organizational/community will? How would this conversation be different if we were a more diverse group?

− Psychology/anthropology/biology/sociology - is there a hierarchy of views…if so,

what is that hierarchy? Is there a place with more leverage towards transformation of human consciousness? How do we simplify all this so these hard to understand concepts can easily be understood?

− How is the power of language to create different from the power of language to

manipulate? How do we encourage transformation to flourish in an environment where “action” rather than “reflection” is valued (where time is money)? How does the system know itself and how do we tap into that knowing?

− What is the role of love in transformation? Love is the only emotion that expands

intelligence. We determined that transformational leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King integrate different viewpoints, wills, and needs. We also determined that if you want to create in trust, openness and creativity, you cannot punish for mistakes. Stephanie Holmes led an additional group in forming ‘the green questions’: What Makes Transformation Flourish?

Softening the ego (“We-ness”) Free-thinking and exploratory conversations that matter “Inspired Pragmatism” – vision based in our deepest aspirations and also

pragmatic to our senses. The will to transform “Consciousness-readiness” and connection to the emerging story (the

mystery) Relevance of the vision and action plan to all levels of the organization A whole systems design approach

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Humberto Maturana Defines:

Love is the domain of relational behaviors through which another (a person, being, or thing) arises as a legitimate other in coexistence with oneself.

Consciousness: Awakening and Staying Awake

What is consciousness? Why awaken? What gets in the way?

Questions for Further Inquiry 1. Social artists – how to help cultures to preserve their own story while growing

their new story tapped into the emerging story

2. Was something “designed in” that is the source of the emergent?

3. What is it about cultures that has them willing to “chuck it all” to get something that looks attractive? Why don’t we conserve?

4. What is the relationship of desire and will? What are the distinctions?

5. What are the distinctions of community of will, community of wisdom and community of knowledge?

6. What is the role of will; both individual human will and organizational will?

7. How different would the conversation be if this were a more diverse group?

8. What are the deeper distinctions between living systems, networks and communities?

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9. Which domain/area of study has more leverage for me in terms of understanding transformation (biology, sociology, anthropology)?

10. How do we incorporate new understanding of time in our work?

11. How does a system know itself? And how do individuals tap into existing models?

12. What is the role of love?

13. What is the role of the evolving consciousness in transformation?

14. If all possibilities already exist in a holographic universe, then is the network of people coming together as a conduit to bring forth transformation?

15. Can we leverage the notion of improving our knowledge to increase rate of transformation?

16. Are leaders simply recognizing the readiness of the system to transform?

17. What are the distinctions between community and pseudo community?

18. Can we look beyond a single transformation to a series of transformations?

19. What are the key ingredients to a healthy community?

20. Can we be naked (vulnerable) in community?

21. What is the relationship between size and the experience of community I am in?

22. Is it effective to substitute paradigms of change (living systems) or should we integrate into existing methods?

23. How do we take Maturana’s work and make it more easily understood (reduce to practice in organizations)

24. Are there biological observations about how language can be more effective or useful?

25. What is the power of language in developing coordinated action without manipulation and usurping of individual will?

26. How does taking the “conservation” approach versus driving change impact the leader’s role?

27. How does transformation flourish in a culture of “there is no time” to reflect?

28. Is there a definition of love that is “the Truth” such as Maturana’s? What are the ramifications of this?

29. What is the powerful way of relating to the world given that it is the nature of life to change and we are all in networks of relations?

We ended our day in a meditation drawing upon the meaning of community to us.

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Thursday Morning We reconvened Thursday morning by reflecting on what the previous day meant to each of us. Tammy Roberts and Steven Hacker shared their experience of using World Café methodologies to foster transformation change with “One World Lab.” This methodology hold to the tenets that :

− The wisdom is in the room − Small intimate conversations link and build on one another − The format moves people rapidly from ordinary conversations to conversations

that matter − Creates an experience of how we naturally self –organize to think together,

strengthen community, share information, and ignite innovation Thursday Afternoon After lunch and a refreshing walk outside, Paul Krueger started us out by presented his model of transformation.

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We broke up into smaller groups again to explore the parts of the model. The groups developed the following models to make sense of what we were discovering.

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By the end of the day we felt that what made transformation flourish was; open-mindedness, detachment from set ways and commitment to community, time for reflection/conversation and big ideas and the will to accomplish tem, sourced from a place of spirit…to quote Gandhi “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Friday morning We summarized what we worked at for two and one-half days and closed our time together by reflecting on the meaning that time for each of us and by sharing what we most appreciated about our time spent together. …there were hugs and heartfelt goodbyes. This community of friends and colleagues left the river to go about there ways in the world. They had connected and renewed themselves and were leaving filled with thoughts and feelings that they will reflect upon and work with in the years to come.

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Personal Reflections Linda Crafts By the time I finished my doctoral program, I knew within the depth of me that I needed to do my consulting work in a different way. My partner, Ed Warnock, and I were trying to find communities of like-minded spirits. On Tuesday night, we wondered if this was to be one of them. By Friday morning we felt that we had come upon many good people to be in inquiry with. I felt that people were working hard to listen and to reflect and that the group was capable of doing good work together… and I felt heard. I am not sure where this will all lead, but I am pleased to know that spending my time in community by the river, has touched me in ways that will leave their mark upon my spirit. Ann Schauber Learning:

Conservation: In the change process, be clear about what we want to keep! It is not “what”, but “how” we think that is important for us to focus on as we go

through the change process We live in the emotional and social domain with love expanding intelligence and

fear focusing and narrowing our intelligence It is in our nature to collaborate and there is power in the coordinated action. Organizations are networks of living systems.

Reflection:

An affirmation that there is a growing number of people who are coming to the realization that “spirit” and connection to the “the great mystery” is essential for this work to move to the next level. I am in good company.

The value of dialogue and staying in the inquiry leads to new insights – the sum is greater than the parts. I loved how we took the “I-We” insights to a new level.

Greater clarity that I don’t want to work alone, but in partnership with others. Shauna Quistorff The greatest take away for me was that it is extremely difficult to define transformational movements and transformational leaders. The characteristics that we came up with, for the most part, would be applicable for any successful movement or leader. However, towards the end of the symposium we introduced the possibility that transformational leaders embody the change they want to see in the world. Such a complete embodiment of purpose and intention radiates outward acting like a magnet and attracting other to the purpose. I feel that this is what sets a great leader apart from a leader capable of transformation (for better or worse).

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Glenn Rose I am extremely grateful to have participated in the TPC 2006 Symposium. It felt like I entered a rich garden of conversation, interaction, reflection, stimulation, support, openness, and growth. I had and am continuing to have a significant and profound transformation. What has been resonating with me since the Symposium and has emerged as a key lesson for me involves creating the space and environment for transformation to occur. Listening, watching, sensing, waiting for, and honoring others are key ingredients for me to be a more effective leader. I am finding that the magic happens when I allow these aspects (feminine) into the foreground of my awareness and slow down the (masculine) ways of thrusting, probing, suggesting, dissecting, analyzing, and directing. When I am in this balance I notice that it is less about me and more about the connection. I am manifesting this way in all aspects of my life (when graced with self awareness) and in particular with my 23 yr. old son, Aaron. This relationship is showing measurable new growth and budding. As I develop my theoretical framework for transformation I find myself coming back to several concepts and questions that seem important and may even be instrumental to this process. What role does ego have in helping/hindering transformation? A recurrent thought for me is that transformation occurs in egoless moments. There is also an energy connection to this. We are energetic entities and energy is always flowing in motion ever changing. Energy shifts of some sort must be part of transformational occurrences. Is ego and energy flow connected? I wonder if ego focus contracts the energetic possibilities and an egoless or connection oriented focus is expansive. It sure seems to work that way for me. How do we begin to measure this? If this is truth and we can develop concrete skills for individuals and organizations to grasp their egoness and learn to detach then we are instantly morphing into another reality. They would be able to align themselves in thought and energy and create a transformational current to ride. Most of us spend most of our time and attention in our ego worlds. Only a minor shift from say 99% of the time to 96 % could stimulate enormous change. Imagine an Egoless world. Compassion and Cooperation in abundance. What could be accomplished for Humankind and Gaia? Think about how energy would flow. Can you feel it? Our work is unfinished and I look forward to further conversation and exploration with you. Thank you all for your contributions. Jackie Rose Thinking back over my time at the symposium my most intense feelings revolved around fear of how others would perceive me. Wanting to feel an equal and feeling an outsider. As the symposium started, I wanted only to be an observer, looking and listening and free to not participate or contribute and knowing that in fact the very reason for being present was to participate. Not acting, not speaking, not contributing out of fear is choice based on fear. I recognize this fear as egoistically driven by the illusion of self-protection. And in fact, the very act of sitting back keeps me an outsider. Choice based on love supports transformational change and may require just diving in! Transformation flourishes where love based choices are amplified through authentic communications, relationships and shared visions. To observe and contribute, to take and give from a foundation of love is the path that I am striving to find. Thank you all for this gift of focused reflection and inquiry. It was an honor to be included in the symposium.

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Rita Conrad Learning: Transformational leadership requires personal integrity. We humans, with divinely-endowed free will, can choose (or not) to cooperate with emerging opportunities for transformation - inevitable opportunities flowing from a constantly evolving cosmos. The more we attune ourselves with Spirit/Love and embody the transformation(s) that we see and are passionate about, the more we can, in turn, help transform the thought and life patterns of individuals and communities around us. Without this spiritual attunement and personal embodiment, our tools and “tricks of the trade” may ring hollow.

Reflections: 1. STATUS QUO COMMUNITY - Status quo is typically hidebound by egos of individuals, organizations (I consciousness). Transformation threatens the status quo. Ego “softening” is critical to opening individual and collective consciousness to new ways of thinking, working and living. Ego softening can happen out of fear (burning platform) and/or love (inspired ideas and people).

2. TRANSFORMING COMMUNITY - Ego softening facilitates “we” consciousness, an elevated awareness of and respect for something larger than the individual or collective “I”. We-consciousness helps to neutralize fear, allowing individuals and communities to less painfully confront how they must change for the greater good – what ideas/habits/paradigms they must conserve, let go of, and/or accept.

3. TRANSFORMED COMMUNITY - The transformed community settles into an “I-We” consciousness in which individuals and community can sustain their I-lives in harmony within a larger We-life of the greater good. Individual and community goals, aspirations, beliefs and values that align vertically with those of the greater good result in transformed communities that are more in harmony, more willing, more productive, more giving and more loving.

1. STATUS QUO 2. TRANSFORMING 3. TRANSFORMED

Greater Good

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Stephen Hacker 1. It is critical to understand from where your will is sourced. The concept of

moving from a zombie state, to egocentric, to ethnic centric, to world centric to divine centric offers clues to what sources will. In the life planning process, we can be more effective in bringing to consciousness this aspect of will development.

2. There is much to learn concerning movements and how they are successful in transforming reality. A future symposium would be well served to take on such a topic in earnest.

3. The people who attended this symposium were the right people at the right time. Invaluable dialog.

John Blakinger It is only through interactions within the social system that the novel occurs. A transformative leader cares for the social network by nurturing an environment of authentic relationships. By focusing on creating and strengthening connections within the social network the transformative leader fosters an environment of free-exchange. When an idea has resonance among some of the people within a network its presence in the system begins to grow.

As the new ideas and behaviors are transmitted throughout the social network through the interactions of the members the transformative behaviors and eventually beliefs become part of the way the system is. This system can be viewed at a local level, but at the top the universe is the all inclusive social system. To change the larger system create change in the ‘local’ system and nurture the change and the social network so that the desired change spreads (somewhat like a virus) across the universal system.

Local

Local Regional

2 Network Reach

Universal

1 Care for the network