What aspects of MISA’s Regional Metamorphosis initiative most excite you?
Collectively, we have everything we need to co-create what our Kiwi colleagues from Wellington, NZ, refer to as a “Blue Star Future:”
“Success” redefined as “contribution to the well-being of life”
Full co-creative partnership with the rest of nature
Opportunities for all to go ‘Full Maslow’
All social systems self-evolving
Fulfilling work for everyone
Each of these goals seems impossible, and is impossible as long as we stay with today’s dominant social architecture. My excitement stems from the reality that we can (and must) reinvent our social architecture. MISA is identifying ways that regions throughout our planet can move toward this audacious set of goals. These goals transcend mere sustainability and require that we fully step into our potential for wholeness — as individuals and as social systems.
I’m excited by both of MISA’s complementary strategies to support societal metamorphosis throughout out planet:
My excitement stems from the conviction that we can become as outrageously co-creative in the social and environmental realms as we’ve become in our technological breakthroughs. I’m convinced that regions committed to a Blue Star Future can reach their “tipping point” before 2020.
What is the source of your passion?
It is insane to choose to continue on a path that is producing widespread human suffering and ever-more-precipitous natural destruction. I believe a Blue Star Future is possible. I can visualize social architecture capable of supporting such an evolutionary shift. I see this undertaking to be as important to the future of our species as photosynthesis has been to the evolution of our biosphere. My passion is fueled by the opportunity to participate in this “Great Turning” — and by a sense of urgency — a sense that our window of opportunity is closing.
In what ways has your life journey prepared you for this audacious undertaking?
As I look back at my quite long and somewhat tortuous life journey, it is as if every step has been artfully designed to prepare me for this particular evolutionary moment. Growing up on a Missouri farm in the ‘30s, 12 years of Catholic Education, engineering degrees, 33 years and three distinct careers with Exxon, going through a divorce, parenting, three 2-year “action-learning sabbaticals,” founding the International Center for Organization Design, marrying Marilyn, co-founding Pathfinder Circles, co-founding MISA — all seem to have been ideal preparation for this particular undertaking.
What gifts do you intend to bring to this work?
Seeing, appreciating and evoking the outrageous potential present in today’s game-ready infinite players (GRIPs) is a most natural and always mutually nourishing gift.
Co-designing and helping to guide transformational change strategy for large complex systems (corporations, institutions, communities, regions, etc.) is enormously rewarding. This can now be done in ways that have huge and long-lasting ripple effects.
Connecting the dots between all “design domains” (technological, environmental, social and contextual) in a way that best supports the work of regional metamorphosis is a commitment that we intend to turn into a gift.
I am drawn to develop language, lenses, frameworks and other “gear” designed to help us 1) escape the gravitational pull of today’s dominant worldview, and 2) support a social architecture that will best serve all life — for all time.
Do you have specific offerings that are directly relevant to the RM movement?
Most all of my historical work has been emergent, specifically tailored to be responsive to the particular challenges/opportunities of the situation in question. However, a few relatively stable forms have emerged, or are emerging:
Who would you seek as ideal allies during this early stage of our journey together?
I’m personally seeding players who will play a leadership role in launching and sustaining this journey.
A Regional Metamorphosis movement requires that we grow a thriving “generative business ecosystem.” We need to create both the demand for and supply of leaders and providers with the capacity to support the transformation of social systems throughout our regions.
This list of 10 Most Wanted Evolutionaries describe some of the kinds of game-ready infinite players (GRIPs) needed to grow a marketplace for developing both demand and supply of the expertise needed to support a Regional Metamorphosis movement at any level of system.
What requests do you have of this growing community of allies?
Find players who will play leadership roles in growing this movement and the community of allies who will embody this movement.
