Spring is in the air (at least in the Northern hemisphere), seeds are sprouting, buds turning into blossoms. The movement of “next-stage” is preparing for its first international gathering in the Teal Organizations track of the Integral European Conference, in Hungary, May 4-8. We, at Enlivening Edge, the official curators of that track, sense that the DNA of the ecosystem of next-stage organizations and initiatives will be as much present in the rich program – the 30+ workshops and presentations – as a majestic, future oak tree is present in a small acorn.
It’s a good time to celebrate wholeness, and how it is present in modest but enlivening beginnings in nature and society.
Welcome to our first issue dedicated to wholeness!
Those of us familiar with Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux may associate from that word to one of the evolutionary breakthroughs of next-stage organizations. Contemplating “breakthrough” might lead us to the dictionary that says, “an act or instance of removing or surpassing an obstruction or restriction; the overcoming of a stalemate.”
That makes “wholeness” sound like a just-discovered, surprising novelty, but weren’t we born whole? It’s good to remember that at the next altitude of human consciousness, we’re returning to wholeness, to our prior unity, but in a new stage of aliveness, where wholeness is recognized and celebrated, as opposed to being oppressed, or relegated to the ranks of weirdness.
Strangely, this return to wholeness is triggered by the machinery of modern production which needs fewer workers on assembly lines (who can be replaced by robots), and more humans capable of filling multiple roles. Self-managing companies turn that necessity into a virtue: it is not unprecedented that employees fill 5, 10, or even 20 roles. That redefines our self-sense, opening the door to the marvellous, multi-faceted beings we are, coming out of the closet.
Reading this issue, you can immerse in a thought-provoking essay on the many dimensions of wholeness, leading to one of the best collection of resources on the subject, or get an intimate portrayal of the author of Reinventing Organizations, in this month’s feature, Experiencing Wholeness with Frederic Laloux. Another article addressing this issue’s theme comes from the self-managing Buffer company, What Does It Mean to Bring Your ‘Whole Self’ to Work.
Wholeness is also approached from two different perspectives in the writings of two of our columnists: Chris Clark writes about The First Step Towards Teal is Grief, and George Pór’s Wholeness in Our Every Breath.
Some other pieces of great content not to miss in this issue are: Teal Spring in Berlin, The Tealing of Money: Values, Value and the Wisdom of Crowds, Servant leadership in a boss-less organisation (video), and Peter Senge on the Heart of Transformation (video).
What’s happening in and around Enlivening Edge
Finally, with Spring comes also a renewal of Enlivening Edge. We want to thank you for your support of reading our stories and sharing them in your networks, by moving into a more engaging, visual, and interactive format. You will see that starting from the May issue which we will publish in advance on April 27, to salute the Teal Org track of the Integral European Conference on May 4-8. If you come to the conference, make sure to sign up for the Surf the Enlivening Edge at IEC 2016 workshop.
We want to better serve you in many other ways too, but we need your help with that! As the vision for what Enlivening Edge might become continues to unfold, we discover ourselves holding an ever-increasing number of threads and opportunities in this vibrant movement of Teal organizing. Help us decide:
- Your contribution to this short survey helps us get clearer about how best to direct our energy in this expanding labor of love for out community.
- If you want to give a bit more attention to what your EE is becoming, read and comment on our “advice process” proposal titled “Reinventing Enlivening Edge (with You)”.
If you feel inspired to connect with our growing team and network and of passionate and fun evolutionary agents, there are a number of small and big ways in which you can get involved.
Last but not least, it’s getting a bit challenging for our small volunteer-driven team to process efficiently all the materials submitted for publication. So, to let us become more responsive to submissions, we ask potential authors to consider our Writers’ Guidelines. If you have a piece you’d like to contribute to EE Magazine, your use of these guidelines will help us begin the editing process much faster! You would also be more than welcome to get involved in our worldwide team of article curators and copy-editors! Just contact us!
Enjoy this edition of EE Magazine and, whatever you like in it, share that!
