Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation

This chapter begins with four stories of transformation as a way of introducing some key principles drawn from life experience. The field of transformation is interdisciplinary, informed by scholarship and practice in such diverse fields as theology, quantum physics, neurobiology, and management theory. Yet there are some common concepts and themes across disciplines. The body of this chapter is divided into five sections, based on some of these common concepts and themes: (1) transformation, (2) transformational leadership, (3) transformational learning, (4) spirituality, and (5) consciousness. Each section provides definitions, a literature review, and a summary of key points. The discussion of these five topics is based on a review of the chapters in this Handbook as well as related literature. Examples of theoretical and practitioner models are provided at the level of individual, group, and organizational transformation. The chapter concludes with a summary of key principles of transformation.

This chapter distinguishes transformation from change and explains how one person can transform an organization or department. The definition of an organization illuminates that relationships and the conversations people have with one another are key. A process and a model for transformation are described and illustrated with specific examples. A contrasting example of what is not transformation is offered. Sample exercises and overview of others’ application of the model and process are included. Distinctions that are relevant to transformation are described; they are choice, the often unconscious approach to business as a machine, speech acts, relationship with commitment, and advising others in the organization of changes before they are made. Challenges to be prepared for are illuminated, and the development of certain competencies is outlined and encouraged. An effective coaching or consulting relationship for transformational work is described. It is proposed that transformation is actually the opportunity to listen to what one is being called to do in the world and bring it forth.

In today’s turbulent business environment, people from all walks of life are counted on to help guide others successfully through change. The majority of these change practitioners – professional change agents, Human Resources business partners, project managers, and others – do an acceptable job. They are recognized as helpful tactical resources when executing incremental change initiatives and generally have only marginal influence with the leaders they support. A much small percentage of change practitioners, perhaps 10%, are recognized for their invaluable strategic contributions in support of the most difficult change initiatives and enjoy a disproportionate amount of leader influence.What accounts for the difference in the value these two kinds of practitioners generate? In this chapter, Daryl Conner makes the case that the real difference isn’t in the change methodologies they bring to the table. Rather, it’s in how they “show up.” It isn’t what you do, it’s who you are. Highly influential change practitioners are not only exceptionally skilled in the use of concepts and tools, they incorporate an authentic expression of their unique character and the presence it generates as part of the value they provide.

This chapter describes personal transformation as both the context for and product of choosing growth-promoting responses to challenges in life over self-protecting responses. The disposition to make this choice sets a trajectory of personal transformation throughout life which is experienced as the development of innate potential and general well-being.The growth and protection modes for life engagement are so holistic that they can be measured concurrently at behavioral, mind, and neurobiological levels. This chapter describes them at all three levels while focusing on the contributions of neurobiological research. Neurobiological patterns serve as reliable markers for the thoughts and actions that distinguish growth-promoting from self-protecting responses to challenges.Most day-to-day life engagement is carried out automatically through habitual patterns of thoughts and actions that require little reflective thought and personal change. This chapter explains how challenges are delineated as opportunities for transformation by the degree to which they drive the need for significant personal change. The need for personal change to address challenges sets up an emotional conflict which is resolved through personal transformation.Meeting challenges that provoke personal transformation requires reflective interpretations of situations and evaluations of oneself and intentional choices of growth responses. Reflective interpretations and intentional choices offset habitual thoughts and actions. They are both described in some detail, and practical skills and strategies are provided for their application to challenges.

Every life – and every organization – is mythic territory. I believe that breakthrough thinking cannot be taught; it can only be learned through experience. In order to create that learning experience we delve into myth, and archetypal psychology, the branch of psychology whose field of attention is image, images that spark the imagination and ignite the soul to find out what really works.Every corporate story begins with an idea that becomes an expanded and shared vision. Before that vision is well shared, much less completely implemented, the organization must pass through a developmental process that is similar to all human development. Along the road to success, many organizations lose awareness of foundational stories that contain fundamental operating principles, flounder in direction, lose market share, and disempower their brain trust. A mission statement that remains on a wall has no substance. It informs the reader of what is claimed. For a mission statement to be meaningful, it must come from a working belief, a mythos.In these pages I will use an archetype of transformation: the Hero’s Journey, initially described by mythologist Joseph Campbell (1968), as a working map, a tool for transformation in the corporate environment. Myths are not just told; they are felt as they resonate throughout the body as well as the heart and mind.This is for the social architects, the collaborative chemists, and the inspirational dreamers who believe that they can indeed, change the world.

Self-knowledge and relationship management are vital to success. A large percentage of high performers score high in self-awareness. What’s the correlation? It is the human connection that is overlooked. Self-awareness facilitates resilience, engagement, conflict management, and effective decision-making. Benefits of being self-aware include awareness of strengths, weaknesses, and unresolved life issues. In this chapter, the advantages of self-awareness will be highlighted and explored. They include the ability to adapt and manage emotions, making decisions based on or aligned with your values, and maintaining business and personal relationships for greater fulfillment. Self-aware business leaders can be more effective and efficient managers. They encourage and enhance others to excel in their strengths, which improves satisfaction, increases productivity, and positively affects all of life.

The psychological framework of Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung offers a dynamic system approach to understanding the complex concepts of ego identity and personal transformation. It also offers a compelling conception of meaning associated with the phenomenon of synchronicity with ramifications for individuals and organizations. Organizational dynamics are notoriously messy and complex and require approaches that recognize the interconnectedness and interrelationships of the nested systems inherent to human situations. Synchronicity and objective meaning are phenomena that are best understood within a much larger psychological framework. Leveraging Jung’s perspective as a foundational framework for organizational transformation yields insight and value because it incorporates within its paradigm a fuller spectrum of reality in which human systems occur. Specifically, a Jungian understanding of organizational structures includes what is visible and invisible, conscious and unconscious, and individual and collective.

This chapter takes it as axiomatic that Self-knowledge is the master key to personal transformation and fulfillment. All wisdom traditions of the world have upheld the importance of Self-knowledge as a prelude to every pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. Since “self” is everyone’s most favorite subject and since happiness is sought for the sake of the self, it stands to reason that any quest for transformation and fulfillment should verily begin with knowing the self. Self-knowledge deals with who and what we truly are. Self-knowledge is not a journey of becoming; it is a matter of beingBeing. It is a journey from “me” to the real “I.” Self-transformation is the fruit of Self-knowledge. The Self, our true nature, is the ever-present awarenessAwareness of our own being.The chapter is divided into three broad sections. The first section discusses the need and importance of Self-knowledge for personal transformation. The second section deals with establishing that fulfillment is voyage of inner discovery and that Self-knowledge is the key to abiding happiness. The third section introduces the philosophy of Advaita Vedānta, as enunciated in the Indian wisdom texts called Upaniṣads and the Bhagavad Gītā, to discover Self-knowledge and fulfillment, right here and now, as our essential nature. The chapter shows that Self-knowledge, as the knowledge of our true nature, is a self-evident, self-established fact. Due to Self-ignorance, we are unaware of this vital fact. Through the medium of teaching stories, metaphorical poems, and illustrative vignettes, this chapter presents clear pointers to cognize our true nature.

Transformational change is most useful when you have audacious commitments, without a clue as to how they will be achieved. This chapter begins with the meaning of transformation, which informs us that a necessary component of transformation is a substantive change in context, or way of being. Next we explore elements of the language of transformation, including change, commitment, choice, declaration, assessments, and desire. Since each of these distinctions plays a key role in our ability to transform, we want to make sure we have a common understanding of terms. A model to illuminate three intertwined aspects of our way of being is explained as a way to undertake the journey of transforming our way of being. Examples of transformation are provided, including (1) a relationship with a particular aspect of life, which herein is commitment; (2) accomplishing major life aspirations; and (3) its application to a short-term, immediate goal. There are challenges to be aware of as well, including our personal history, identification with our identity, cultural pressure, and our ability to be devoted to our path through discipline. This chapter concludes with the potential future of transformation as a lifelong path for the evolution of individual lives as well as for the Universe.

The basic premise of transformative leadership is that everyone can lead, and that particularly in this transformative moment, everybody contributes to, and in fact cocreates, the world we live in, whether conscious of their agency or not. Every choice, every action, every discussion, every interaction is a reflection of how we are leading our own lives. Transformative leadership invites everybody to ask what kind of a world they are creating through their thoughts, beliefs, actions, and interactions. Transformative leadership is, at its heart, a participatory process of creative collaboration and transformation for mutual benefit. At the core of transformative leadership are four orienting concepts, being, relating, knowing, and doing that assist in the framing and development of our understanding of the world, and our own approach to living and leaving.

Technological savvy people know that to get the most out of the latest software program, it is necessary to have the appropriate hardware architecture with which to maximize its use. Simply put, the effectiveness of the most robust software without the adequate hardware is disappointing.Equally, leaders who solely focus on developing leadership competencies without upgrading their thinking will fail to adapt to the rapidly changing business environment. Upgrading thinking means that leaders can no longer rely on logic alone to resolve the current complex systemic problems organizations face. Logic alone will not help humanity survive the current planetary voracious exploitation.The chapter suggests there is a scientific approach that enhances the interplay of three human primary neural biological centers (i.e., cerebral, cardiac, and enteric), resulting in an improved neural congruence and a state of coherence. It is from this state of coherence that the highest practical expressions of creativity, compassion, and courage in leadership emerge and give access to a source of wisdom that logic alone cannot apprehend (Soosalu and Oka 2012).Leaders who simultaneously practice multibrain leadership and improve leadership competency converge the inner and outer dimensions of leadership into a single powerful beam of light. I theorize such convergent leaders can create in organizations a global coherent positive environment where teams – with the aid of greater than human intelligent machines – provide solutions to what today seems unsolvable problems.

This chapter describes a transformational methodology called “the way of awakening” that draws upon the concept of “the new leader as spiritual hero.” This approach helps participants connect with their true identity, expand their consciousness, and transform their personal and management development. It is an invitation to awaken the hero within, making a challenging journey of self-leadership and consciousness. Starting from the hero’s journey, integrating myths, tales, movie fictions, and other symbolic forms of language, participants move into creative states where ideas, new vision, projects, and dreams appear.On the practical side, “the way of awakening” combines tools taken from yoga, creativity, drama, meditation, mindfulness, NPL (neurolinguistic programming), and Gestalt psychology. Taking its inspiration from myths and heroes like Perceval, Ulysses, or Gilgamesh and movies like Star Wars, American Beauty, The Wizard of Oz, The Social Network, or The Matrix, the concept of “the new leader as spiritual hero” is an invitation to participants to have the courage to dare, to enter into the mystery of the mythic image and emerge with new creative and integrative resources from the center of their spiritual identity, sharing with their teams and community.

Recently there has been a great deal of focus on creating sustainable organizations. A commonly cited definition of sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In this chapter, I take the notion of sustainability and apply it to individual leaders by addressing these questions: How can leaders meet their current responsibilities without compromising their future capacity to lead? How can leaders excel in their leadership roles without sacrificing family and personal well-being? I approach these questions from a Biblical perspective, and this chapter begins with a comprehensive definition of leadership that is based on scriptures. Drawing on my own experience and using life lessons from several leaders, I then discuss a set of spiritual disciplines that can prevent leader derailment and set the leader up for a sustainable leadership that has positive impact now and for generations to come.

The global work environment is placing increasing demands on leaders to develop and actualize more of their potential. However, these growing demands require more than acquiring new general knowledge and skills. They require turning inward and embarking on a transformative journey of psychological maturation and vertical development. Consequently, there is a growing interest in transformative practices, to include mindfulness meditation, to support and facilitate the type of deep changes needed for leaders to effectively navigate our increasingly complex, uncertain, and interconnected world.

We believe the starting point of any personal and organizational transformation is the individual itself. This chapter aims to link Western philosophical perspectives with the Latin notion of exemplarity as a vector for self-transformation and organizational transformation. The quasi-mythical notion of Exemplarity is in Latin cultures, which refers to individuals who exhibit exemplary behavior. Intrigued by the impact exemplary management behaviors produce in organizations, we will see how Exemplarity is essentially intentional, attitudinal, and behavioral.Positing personal transformation as an imperative to transform the world around us, we will distinguish virtue ethics from consequentialist and deontological ethics. Thus, this chapter mainly focuses on virtue ethics as the philosophical foundation of our Perceived Managerial Exemplarity conceptual framework. Studying notions such as Example, Imitation and Exemplarity from ancient Greece through the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment period will bring us to our postmodern era.We will identify two dynamics of exemplarity: on one hand, collective, normed mimetic processes that facilitate socialization, cultural assimilation, and the transmission of knowledge and skills. We associate these with Aristotle’s (Rhetoric) pragmatic, rhetorical, and inductive Example. On the other hand we find individuals who are sources of inspiration, appealing to what is best within human beings, encouraging agents to become better associates, better managers, and better people. We interpret this aspect as Plato’s (Republic) ontological, idealized, and abductive Example. These distinctions will help delve into both the normative and transformational qualities of exemplarity.

Most of the challenges in organizations don’t need problem-solving but benefit from building and maintaining relationships. Therefore, a relational, conversational, social constructive approach to leadership is needed. Such a concept of leadership focuses on mobilizing our creative potential and returning to our creative source. This chapter proposes pathways into the power of our presence that will help us develop our full potential as appreciative leaders, coaches, or thinking partners.

What influences personal and small group transformation for classical chamber musicians? In this chapter, I explore the context of classical chamber music ensembles and how embodied awareness and reflexivity contribute to personal and small group transformation, or collective virtuosity. According to Marotto et al. (J Manag Stud 44(3):388–413, 2007), collective virtuosity occurs when “individual virtuosity becomes collective in groups through a reflexive process in which group members are transformed by their own peak performance” (p. 395). During my research with classical chamber musicians, I observed personal transformation take place as individuals broadened and deepened their awareness by practicing a set of rehearsal techniques. Each technique helped musicians to expand and embody awareness, mirror gestures and entrain energies, to enter into a mutual tuning-in process, and to ultimately form a We Presence in which musicians experienced collective virtuosity. This chapter contains examples of several chamber music rehearsal techniques with explanations of how they contribute to personal and small group transformation. I provide a model that illustrates a transformation process which results in collective virtuosity.

Team development has become a vital part of organizational productivity. Agreement on perceptions of reality and potential project plans can vary based on individual experiences, including unresolved emotional traumas. Any path forward can be met with resistance, when fear, stemming from emotional blocks, are not resolved. As a team facilitator, I encourage collaboration to include calling out emotional challenges, learning transformational energy healing as an emotional regulation tool, and developing strategies to support team members to process emotions as part of the team development process. This new norm adds value to the individual and the team as a whole. In this chapter, I share how energy healing can be introduced to enhance individual leadership and team development.

Increasingly both in the theory and practice of organizational development, themes of connecting with the other, participation and co-creation, leveraging “We Spaces” are becoming more common. How then can music bring a positive contribution to transformation within organizations? This chapter discusses the potential role that contemplating self and other through the frame of music can give to the transformation of consciousness. A pioneering approach to personal transformation is introduced in which music amplifies personal narratives in small groups and is the primary lens for self- awareness and mutual discovery. Theorists and practitioners from diverse disciplines inform a theoretical backdrop: from John Dewey (The later works of John Dewey (Volume 10, 1925 – 1953): 1934, Art as experience. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1989) and Maxine Greene (Active learning and aesthetic encounters, 1st edn. NCREST, New York, 1995) in aesthetic education; David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney (Collaborating for change: appreciative inquiry. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Oakland, 1999) – appreciative inquiry; integral organizational development; integral philosophy of Steven McIntosh (Integral consciousness and the future of evolution: how the integral worldview is transforming politics, culture and spirituality. Paragon House, St Paul, 2007) and Ken Wilber (A brief theory of everything. Shambala Press, Boston, 2000), and the African philosophy of Ubuntu Dion Forster (HTS Theol Stud 66(1):1–12, 2010). The integration of diverse perspectives paints a picture of how and why such music-centric approaches hold relevance for personal and group transformation in twenty-first-century organizations. This chapter is intended to make a small contribution to sparking inquiry and inspiring innovative practices, locally and globally in the evolving field of organizational development. We live during a time when finding viable and engaging approaches to heal and transform the many divides within organizations and societies globally are sorely needed.

In today’s global environment of accelerated change and exponential technological growth, historic methods of continuous improvement and traditional organizational change initiatives are not sufficient for organizations (and individuals) to keep up with that pace. Whole System Transformation (WST) is an established methodology for facilitating whole system change and adaptation utilizing the existing resources and knowledge of the current system in creating a new system that deploys those resources and knowledge on a new level of functionality, efficiency, effectiveness, and harmony. It is also designed to define and implement change in a rapid and discontinuous manner.Music, on the corporate stage, has been employed typically in a “team building” context, where working groups do a drum circle or leadership metaphor program (your team as a jazz combo or orchestra for instance), where the objective is to have some fun together, connect, and blow off steam. Music, however, has a larger potential as an experiential learning tool, awareness shifter, and facilitator of collective resonance that can help groups access new possibilities, see their current system clearly, and align quickly and effectively.This chapter defines an approach for using WST with music to attain organizational transformation, and in the process, facilitate each participant’s personal transformation process. It also includes four brief case studies on how the approach has been used in organizations.

There is an urgent need and a growing desire for a serious transformation in our workplace. However, this must be preceded by a personal transformation of our ego-based mental consciousness which by its self-limiting nature inhibits any real ethically sound changes. In this chapter, the author, who was the CEO of several major corporations, promotes a practical, integral approach which incorporates the tenets of several philosophies, including Depth Psychology, assisting us toward the psychological and spiritual maturity necessary for increasing our awareness. During this process, we diminish the limitations of our ego-consciousness and expand the horizons of our holistic consciousness. This will empower us to be leaders in effecting change in our professional lives.

The field of organizational change has chiefly been studied from a teleological perspective. Most models of change emphasize action that is rational and goal oriented. What often gets overlooked and under theorized is the continuous, iterative nature of organizational life, the unplanned and serendipitous actions by and between people that lead to new discoveries and innovation. Recent research on organizational improvisation seeks to explore this area. In this chapter we will address two questions – what is the experience of improvisation and what are the conditions that support improvisation to flourish in organizations?In the first part of this paper, we look at the phenomenology of improvisation, the actual lived experience of those who improvise in the face of the unknown or in the midst of chaotic conditions. We will explore the strategies that some professional improvisers employ to deliberately create the improvisatory moment. We will then look at the dynamics of organizational life and explore the cultural beliefs, organizational structures, and leadership practices that support improvisation. We will draw primarily upon the model from Barrett (2012) that focuses on the how the nature of jazz improvisation and the factors that support improvisation can be transferred to leadership activities. This falls in the tradition of others who draw upon arts-based metaphors, including jazz music and theatrical improvisation, to suggest insights for leadership and ways of organizing.Since this is a book devoted to individual transformation as well as organizational transformation, we will also touch on the topic of how improvisation is a developmental project and explore the potential for improvisation to lead to personal transformation. We will attempt to move back and forth between both themes – organizational and personal transformation. Ultimately the two topics are not separate. Any significant organizational transformation begins with an improvisation. And any meaningful improvisatory move by a person is potentially a moment of self-discovery and an identity-shaping eventIdentity-shaping event.

Having transitioned from a locally confined endeavor to a complex nonlinear dynamic system, our global economic environment increasingly requires organizations to constantly transform. But more and more often traditional change projects fall short of expectations as huge amounts of energy are burned in fighting internal resistance or employees’ disconnect in the process. Transforming companies from inside instead of enforcing change from outside can lead to a much more lasting impact but requires a new evolutionary level of leadership that transcends our traditional mental models of management.Soul-driven Leadership is able to activate the core elements of the Corporate Soul through an inclusive process, setting free the necessary self-stimulating inner drive for integral change to happen. It helps a collaborative culture to emerge and aligns the organization towards a common purpose, making transformation “exothermic” and sustainable. Through a process of “Merging the Souls,” it can even ensure that in acquisitions and merger processes, relationships are rapidly rebuilt “below the waterline” so that a new organization can instantly pick up momentum.

Our traditional command-control-based business organizations seem less and less able to keep pace with the increasing complexity and growing dynamics induced by our globally connected economy. Success and resilience on this new level of societal evolution require organizational competences that are fundamentally different from transactional optimization and get rather undermined by our yet largely contest-based corporate cultures. System consciousness, corporate agility, and proactive collaboration can only emerge from an authentic collective focus and need to be fueled by intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation – ultimately from a place of flow. The Gross Corporate Happiness® model represents the first integral framework that integrates all the key conditions for such a Flow Organization and provides the means to identify the relevant “acupuncture points” for an effective organizational transformation. In order to achieve a lasting shift in the traditional mental models, its introduction process ideally follows five distinct phases of a “Hero’s Journey” that ensure that the change is fully embedded into the DNA of the organization: Identifying the Organizational Soul, Creating a Movement, Shifting from Control to Trust, Transforming the Organization into a Community, and Focusing Energy on a process of Continuous Evolution.

Despite the deluge of innovation knowledge, processes, models, tools and resources… Is it possible we are still in a nascent stage of comprehending the true nature of innovation, and how to enable it across the organization? Can innovation be a catalyst for personal as well as organizational transformation?Methods of enabling innovation have evolved over the last decades into three distinct yet interconnected versions. The time has arrived for the emergence of Innovation Enablement (IE) 3.0, which puts the power, responsibility, knowledge, and tools for innovation at the fingertips of every employee – with a common language and understanding, integrated productivity tools, and processes that can be used throughout the organization.Innovation Enablement 3.0 is a game changer. It will first be a means of industry leadership, but eventually it will become a required core competency for any organization just to be in the game. However, changing the game does not necessarily mean transforming it. Human values elevate Innovation Enablement 3.0 from a game changer into a transformative force. They provide the “hard stuff” of good character and courage it takes to transform the what, why, and how of innovation.How do we enable innovation with human values as a recipe for transformation… fostering the mindset, behaviors and opportunities for people to innovate to their highest capacity?After setting the stage for Innovation Enablement 3.0, this chapter answers those questions with a recipe that can transform the way we innovate. Each of the 10 ingredients is suffused with human values, the driving force for moving Innovation Enablement 3.0 into the transformational realm of a quadruple bottom line: people, planet, prosperity, and principles.

Every organization is subject to an ongoing process of change. Modern leadership theories such as transformational leadership and the management concept of a learning organization provide the framework for transformation processes in today’s professional world, referring to structures, processes, and technology. However, to be sustainably successful and creative requires an approach that places people at the center in connection to the system where he or she is living. The example of St. Francis of Assisi and his 800-year-old religious movement can be a significant stimulus for integrative individual and collective transformation in organizations. St. Francis himself represented a radical way of life. He established an attitude based on love towards people and God and considered it his mission in life to live the gospel. This is defined as a state of constant personal development, a state of being in motion, which forms the basis of his life philosophy and that of the Franciscan community to this day. He combines personal and collective transformation. The combination of modern management approaches and the Franciscan ideal can therefore be an approach that can provide new potential for a successful transformation process. In this chapter, essential statements of management concepts and the Franciscan tradition on change management will be presented and first attempts for a collation will be discussed.

In order to solve the complex and multidimensional problems of today’s world, we need a radical imaginary, a new way to restructure and transform our society, its institutions, its organizations, and its inhabitants. One such radical imaginary can be provided by Islamic mysticism or Sufism in the form of ishq-i haqiqi or love of the divine. This new imaginary has a distinct epistemology, ontology, and cosmology which needs to be understood within the boundaries of its own discourse and praxis. It has the power to infuse the social world with universal meanings of love, brotherhood, and divinity. This can then help us to question, contest, and restructure our relationships with each other, this universe, and God, our creator. Finally, this new imaginary of ishq-i haqiqi can also be used to transform organizational realities especially with relevance to their purpose and mission and can reverse the existing moral degradation of the workplace.

Imagine an organization where people’s visions and commitments for the future are not compromised and where they can work together aligned in what they see and understand. This chapter is an exploration of how such an organization could become possible. This chapter presents a theory of organizations based on decades of experience working to bring out the full potential of organizational systems. I describe three interdependent sub-systems of organizations – human systems, business systems, and developmental systems. I then describe three organizational disciplines – leadership, management, and development. Other key concepts discussed are the nature of reality in relationship to organizations, organizations as systems, and organizations as field phenomena. The chapter concludes with a discussion about the importance of integration of the human systems, the business systems, and the developmental systems.

Full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees into the workplace continues to be a challenge, despite progress in legal protections and social acceptance in the last two decades. A new transformational, developmental model for managing LGBT diversity in organizations is proposed, applying Spiral Dynamics Integral (SDi), where multiple value systems exist within employee groups. Several diversity management paradigms are integrated with seven value systems levels of SDi to explain how organizations differ in their approaches to LGBT workplace equality. A process model of change is proposed to show how individuals and organizations transform their thinking and strategies under certain life conditions. The next evolutionary diversity management paradigm is also hypothesized. Specific diversity management and communication strategies for LGBT workplace inclusion are proposed for each of the seven levels. Lastly, a process model for applying SDi principles to LGBT workplace advocacy is proposed.

Our valuable words reflect our view of work, life, and culture. They also reflect basic underlying assumptions, the most important cultural element, encompassing unconscious beliefs and values that are taken for granted and that determine our behaviors, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. This chapter explains Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, as basic underlying assumptions in management practice in Japan. Specifically, the chapter studies the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean among the four Chinese classics, which serve as the main textbooks of Neo-Confucianism. Their theories show the relationship between culture and finance, and the link between personal and organizational transformation. Next, this chapter demonstrates Neo-Confucianism in Japan, and culture and finance in Japan, related to Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism. In summary, this chapter shows that some nonprofit motivations underlying Japanese business activities derive from Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism.

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing today’s global leaders is the need to address the demand for a new strategic business orientation that effectively perceives the nature of complex markets and maximizes global business opportunities. This has given rise to the call for cultivating a global mindset (GM) as a foundation for global leadership. In this chapter we introduce a process for cultivating a GM based on a theory of Being-centered leadership that proposes multiple levels of being as a context for effective global leadership. First, we explore the concept of global mindset and focus on a classification of its core properties. Second, we review the theory of Being-centered leadership, which incorporates five levels of knowing and being, and argue that it is only when a leader commits to the spiritual journey inherent in these levels that self-awareness and other-awareness become manifest, which we propose is essential for GM cultivation. Next, we illustrate how a model of spiritual leadership can facilitate cultivation of a GM and global leadership. Finally, we discuss the implications for global mindset and leadership research and practice.

Transformation is about change and nowhere is that more apparent than in the field of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs create products, services, and organizations by bringing resources and people together and combining them in new ways. This chapter examines individual and idea transformation that leads to purpose-driven entrepreneurship. We consider changes to university entrepreneurship programs, consumer and market transformations, and reach even further to societal and global transformations. Throughout all of these transformations, we hold the development of empathy to be most central to entrepreneurs seeking to change the markets and communities in which they do business.

Our world is transforming at an incredible pace – and it always has been. Though we perceive things to be unprecedented and respond with panic and fear as a result, nothing is new. Today’s leaders must be aware, open, and respond with complete consciousness to the challenges they face. In order for humanity to thrive during this phase of global transformation, they must urgently embrace interconnectivity; place value in relationships based on trust, intuition, and respect; implicitly understand the implicate order of things; and revise outdated definitions of power. This is not just about “leadership” as a nebulous or stand-alone concept. Leaders can proactively benefit themselves, their organization, and the world at large enormously by integrating psycho-spiritual aspects into their approach – but only if they are ready to act with the courage to discard old, habitual fears in favor of conscious awareness of the power of interconnectivity and interdependence. This chapter sets out clearly how we can learn from the past. It establishes, in practical terms, how leaders can enter into and engage in this process, which commences with personal self-realization and ends with a future that we need not be afraid of, because we utilize the innate skills we have to deal with everything that rises and falls in an organic, holistic, and optimal manner.

The classroom can be an exciting place full of the potential for transformational learning. However, this possibility often remains at the level of wishful thinking. This paper describes transformational teaching and learning in practice and the migration of relationships from teacher/student to mentor/apprentice. Moreover, we reimagine the classroom as one that is co-created by instructor and students, transforming the learning space and leading to meaningful relationships, growth, and development.

Transformative learning describes the change process that an individual undergoes as they come to question their values and beliefs in such a way that they experience a fundamental shift in their interpretation of experiences and bases for their actions. Mezirow (1981, A critical theory of adult learning and education. Adult Educ Q, 32:3–24) coined this term transformative learning more than a quarter century ago and laid the foundation for subsequent development of this concept. Concurrently, thinkers such as Parker Palmer (1998, The courage to teach: exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco) have begun to articulate a notion of transformative teaching. Central to this concept is the idea that the educator approaches their teaching from a holistic and integrated sense of self. The question that remains is what is the impact of a transformational teacher on the learner? In this chapter I summarize these literature streams and use these insights to consider how educators are able to foster learning environments and practices that encourage transformative learning.

More than half of post-secondary students attend college with the goal of discovering their purpose and meaning in life. Given the hunger felt by both college students entering the workforce and by established workers to find a meaning in life that is greater than the self, it is imperative that management instructors and practitioners have tools to help future employees and managers develop this asset. Neuroscience and cognitive science research provide rich data on how the brain learns and ways to help students both retain new information and develop novel insights. The chapter will cover how the brain learns, the process for the transfer of learning to creative applications, and the practical strategies that correlate with this research to improve students’ successful learning. This information will be applied to teaching students to identify meaning in life, as well as develop ways to experience meaning in work.

In the past 15–20 years, hundreds of experimental organizations have been initiated, from start-ups to collectives and cooperatives to networks and communities. Together, these organizations, however small in size and scope, can be viewed as an “undercurrent” of a new organizational reality. These new forms of organizing are based on radically different premises and depart from a totally different paradigm. This new paradigm gives way to creativity and innovation and requires a personal transformation of the leaders and/or initiators. This chapter first provides a philosophical overview of how the organizational paradigm is shifting. It then describes nine characteristics that set undercurrent organizations apart from classic bureaucracies and illustrates this with the case study of “Buurtzorg.” It also describes a few characteristics of leadership within undercurrent organizations. To draw lessons from undercurrent organizations, we first discuss to what extent and how bureaucracies can implement the principles from undercurrent organizations. This chapter concludes with lessons from undercurrent ways of organizing for those who want to start their own, pioneers for a new time, and with the personal transformation that such a start would require from them.

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate areas of weakness in customer care, communication, leadership, and organizational culture of an eye clinic (40 employees) in the central part of the United States and propose specific strategies to address any deficiencies. Following initial interviews with the administrator and a senior physician partner, and observations of the organizational environment, variations of the organizational culture were measured using a company-wide survey to obtain a baseline measurement for the perception of communication, job satisfaction, and supervisor interaction with employees. Additionally, a quantitative and qualitative assessment was used to evaluate personal and organizational transformation. Specific actions taken to address deficiencies included: customer care training and personality profiling with all employees, leadership training, and coaching with physicians and administration, team building, quarterly reinforcement during staff meetings, and monthly newsletter articles published in the company newsletter. A 2-year model was developed to integrate the actions mentioned above. After 22 months, survey data suggests improved communication and job satisfaction, a decrease in absenteeism, an increase in the new patient ratio and average monthly collections, and the reported experience of personal and organizational transformation.

We sought to enhance levels of mindfulness and joy in a 1,000-person Student Affairs organization of Utah Valley University (UVU) and used qualitative action research to assess the impact as we moved forward. We write here as a collaborative team sharing our voices as leader of change, process and organization consultant, and researcher.Mindfulness most often is brought into the workplace through trainings that focus on teaching and encouraging individual practice. The process tends to be one of the learning skills that are regarded as fundamentally individual. Instead, our intention was not only to support individual practice but also to generate a more mindful organizational culture, gradually, without pressure or force. Rather than training participants in specific skills, we invited them to seek mindful moments or “wake-up” and to chart their own path. This chapter defines our approach to mindfulness as awareness-based systems change, relates this to other approaches to mindfulness research, describes the value of a process approach to change, and tells our story.While many studies show the impact of mindfulness practices on productivity and stress management, our outcomes appear somewhat unique, in that the most consistent themes distilled from one-on-one confidential interviews with participants were an increased connection with one another, with nature, and with the meaning of their work. In other words, this approach, both here and in an earlier phase of this program of action research, seems to encourage people to sense their interdependence with the human and natural worlds in which they live.