This will enable the development of collective practices we need for systems change everywhere, by going beyond talking about the machine model of organizational functioning, and beyond criticising the old system, into co-creating the kind of models we know can serve life better.
To listen to any of the shows via iTunes, click here:
Show #1 – Why is “Work” a Dirty Word?
Do you ever wonder why “work” is such an unhappy, unhealthy and unfulfilling experience for most people? Or is it just obvious to you? In our first show, Kim explores the root cause of workday misery: a Machine Model of work life design. She also introduces the alternative, a Living Ecosystem design. Organizations across the country are demonstrating how people thrive in these environments designed for real, live people.
Show #2 – Employees – How We Got Here and What You Can Do About It
In this show, Kim takes a look at the history, where Machine Model thinking came from. She explores the qualities and characteristics of Living Ecosystem workplaces, which nurture the life of employees, so they can do and be their best. Many employers are pretty hooked on Machine thinking, so Kim digs into what individual employees can do to make their work life healthier, happier and more livable, even if their employer isn’t on board.
Show #3 – Leadership and the Use of Power
This show is the heart of the matter. How leadership and power is used and/or abused in the workplace essentially determines whether people are vital and thriving or numb and surviving. Kim explores Machine Model leadership with frank and myth-busting insights from a no-blame perspective. In contrast, she then looks at leadership and power in Living Ecosystems, asking “who is the boss of a forest?”
Show #4 – Tools and Techniques
This show is an invitation to action. Now that you are intrigued, how do you make it happen? In the same way that every forest ecosystem is unique, there is no single “right way” to create living workday ecosystems. The solutions come from looking honestly and courageously inside yourself and your system. Kim gives you pointers to help you find “the open door” that is inviting change based on your needs and priorities. She walks you through useful Tools and Techniques. Plus, there are great examples of Living Ecosystems out there and Kim reviews a number of these, from a variety of industries, to help you envision these changes in your context.
Republished with permission of the author.
Featured Image/graphic link added by Enlivening Edge Magazine.
