Spiral Dynamics in Action E-Book

Don Edward Beck

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 484

Beschreibung

A more effective leadership model for the new business environment. Spiral Dynamics in Action explores the evolution of modern business, and provides a model for moving forward amidst ever-increasing complexity and change. Only by truly understanding other people's perspectives can you bring them together to achieve the extraordinary, and this book provides a field guide to the different motivations, behaviours and talents in your team to help you lead diverse groups more effectively. Focused on action over theory, the Spiral Dynamics model includes cutting-edge leadership practices, management systems, processes, procedures and techniques to help you bring about real-world results. The nature of change is consistent, but that doesn't make it any less enormous or complex to deal with. As a business leader, you are tasked with not only navigating change yourself, but also guiding others through the maze successfully. This book shows you how to shift your perspective, hone your focus and deliver what your people need by: * Understanding the reasoning behind different perspectives. * Helping people play off one another's strengths to achieve a shared goal. * Adopting cutting-edge practices, processes and procedures for improvement. * Taking action to re-connect an increasingly fragmented environment. The marketplace has gone truly global, workforces are increasingly diverse and companies are taking on powerful new social responsibilities. It's a lot to take in, let alone manage, but the responsibility of leadership is to gather disparate parts and make them into a whole. It's your job to turn anchors into rocket fuel, and motivate and inspire your team to the top. By digging to the core of each person, each culture and each problem, you uncover a roadmap to high performance; Spiral Dynamics in Action shows you how to guide your people through any changes and emerge stronger than before.

Leseprobe

“In the midst of mounting economic political and environmental challenges comes this extraordinary book as proof of the birth of the new leadership needed to save our planet. What Don Beck and his colleagues have penned on these pages is nothing short of genius…This is a must-read for leaders who are serious about becoming conscious trailblazers for our planet.”

John Mackey, CEO, Whole Foods Market

“Don Beck is not only a creator of new knowledge and a thought leader of repute but also a superb advisor, supporter, encourager with practical insight.”

George Lindeque, PhD, Former Executive Director of ESKOM

“Spiral Dynamics in Action gives a lens which illuminates trends amidst the world's diversity that were invisible before. More importantly, this book gives us a perspective through which we can understand current affairs, crises and conflicts, and attempts to use this knowledge for the betterment of society, the environment and mankind. This field guide is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand and positively impact the world around them.”

Rabbi Anton Klein, Union of Orthodox Synagogues (UOS) and Director of the Beth Din (The Jewish Ecclesiastical Court)

“As with many such visionary-creative spirits, while being profoundly on target, Dr Beck may also be just slightly ahead of his time. This book represents the leading edge of Integral thinking-in-action. We now have a north star that can point our way home if we are willing and able to read our charts. This is the map.”

Bert Parlee, PhD

“Spiral Dynamics in Action took me on an exhilarating ride of self-discovery, and provided me with the tools to thrive in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural environment. The authors of Spiral Dynamics in Action made Clare W. Graves's work on the ‘Emergent, Cyclical, Double Helix Model of Adult Biopsychosocial Development’ meaningful and practical to implement in everyday life. Reading the book has transformed my life. It is a must-read.”

Herman Bruwer, Sale Engineer, InterSystems, South Africa

“Spiral Dynamics in Action shows Beck still has as much to contribute as a geopolitical consultant and provocateur of global and societal level change, now focusing on the wicked problems and social messes of 2017 and beyond.”

Darrell Gooden, PhD, Certified Associate & Instructor, Adizes Graduate School

“In today's volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, diversified leadership is required for driving productivity. Spiral Dynamics in Action transcends neuroscience to learning opportunities that shape the business world.”

George Maluwi Damien, Employee Engagement and Communication, Damang, Ghana

“The richness of this book is in its presentation of the concept of Spiral Dynamics in both the theoretical and practical forms in a bid to advance human consciousness. By understanding ‘the deep underlying archetypes of humanity’ and analyzing people's mentality, leaders can engage and address the people's needs at all levels of society without exclusion. This book acknowledges the formulation of new paradigms as people constantly adapt to their dynamic environments and advocate for multifaceted government structures that are accommodative to the differing value systems that exist.”

Dr Joyce Toendepi, Leadership and Change Facilitator, Mandala Consultingwww.mandalaconsulting.co.za

“This book brings together the most important concepts and approaches for dealing with large-scale, complex, human challenges. Social problems such as poverty, crime and corruption, education disparities, and political polarization become tractable using a practical framework that embraces complex dynamics and a deeper understanding of human nature.”

Kevin Kells, PhD, Team Earth http://team.earth

“This book will be a valuable and essential tool assisting companies in understanding and managing diversity in the workplace.”

Henk van Zyl, HR Executive and Specialist, Co-determination, South Africa

“I now rely upon this essential cognitive framework each day to solve complex business challenges and make integral contributions to my clients. I am forever indebted to Dr. Beck.”

Joseph Rende, Social Infrastructure Development Executive

“This book creates a pathway towards a society that is characterized by inclusivity, authenticity and one that values deep wisdom. Through listening to all the voices in the system, leaders are empowered to ask the questions that lead to synthesis and building the adaptive capability to benefit society at large.”

Dr. Anna-Rosa le Roux, Consulting Psychologist and Master OD Practitioner, South Africa

“The fundamental problem mankind faces before it self-destructs is that it must understand its true identity and ultimate destiny. We are witnessing Dr. Don Beck's vision that further defines mankind's true identity and provides a plan for actualizing that destiny. Beck offers a paradigm to transform mutually exclusive communities of thought into an organic unified whole. Beck's subtle yet practical model demands that we embrace this new paradigm, providing us with the instruments and controls to master our collective destiny.”

Emanuel C Perlman, Founder and CEO of Destination Peace International

“At last, at last! If you want to make intelligent decisions read this book.”

Lawrence Bloom, Secretary General, Be Earth Foundation (a UN Inter-Governmental Organization)

“A great seminal work which condenses the codes of human evolution for action and micro- meso- and large-scale change. A masterpiece.”

Albert Klamt, Philosopher

“This book should be mandatory reading in every school and university. It is the master code of human nature, like the DNA of human psychology, which explains a great deal about human motivation and behavior. Once you understand it, you can see the underlying forces which explain so much in politics, business, leadership and society.”

Nicholas Beecroft, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director, Future of Western Civilization Project

“This is truly pioneering work—essential reading for those engaged in a momentous leap forward. I am honored to recommend it.”

Nancy Roof PhD, Founding Editor, Kosmos Journal

“This is a breakthrough book, emphasizing the critical importance of early developmental stages as they contribute to the whole person. This knowledge is essential for any person who designs and implements strategies in service of human evolution.”

Tom Feldman, Founding Member, Coach and Facilitator Association of Transformational Leaders, SoCal

“This book elegantly balances the science and art of people involvement in co-creating improvement. Underpinned by a mature understanding of change, Spiral Dynamics in Action practically guides the empowerment of people within the organization to integrate the changes into their context and social system.”

Ansie Prinsloo, Specialist Quality Healthcare Improvement Advisor

“Spiral Dynamics in Action is an extraordinary book, showing how the ‘theory’ of Spiral Dynamics has been the foundation of critical, dramatic changes in the world, as well as in the development of individuals, organizations and countries. Don and his partners have provided the complete pathway, and the work they have done in this remarkable book is absolutely amazing.”

Laura Frey Horn Ed.D

“A must-read for those who want to affect change with people, organizations, countries and, ultimately, the world.”

Jim Chandler, Former Total Quality Leadership Director, Naval Warfare Assessment Centre, and an advocate for the Deming Coorporative and Deming Institute

“Every page of this book offers authentic hope that can guide the way. Read it and then act on it. Dr. Beck is always reminding us to ask the question, ‘What needs to be done?’ Spiral Dynamics in Action: Humanity's Master Code masterfully gives us the keys to decoding value systems, worldviews and mindsets that crack the codes that shape our multidimensional lives so that we can evolve to a new order of thinking and being for the benefit of the whole. At this challenging time in history, what could be more important than that?”

Diane Williams, Founder & President, The Source of Synergy Foundation

“Dr. Don Beck and his gifted team of international co-writers should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Spiral Dynamics in Action is nothing short of a masterpiece and I encourage all leaders, and aspiring leaders alike, to sleep with it under your pillow. Read it each morning when you awaken, and each evening before you go to sleep. Doing so will change how you are inspired to inspire change, and unleash your greatness as a leader.”

 Katherine Woodward Thomas, MA, MFT, New York Times Bestselling Author of Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After

“This book is a legacy to the life of my family, and I couldn't be more proud of my dad, my mom, and my siblings Belinda and Matt. If I pass along to my daughter, Jillian, nothing more than a bit of wisdom garnered on the plains of Zululand, then well done to you, Dad.”

Don Beck Jr.

Spiral Dynamics in Action: Humanity’s Master Code

Don Edward Beck,

Teddy Hebo Larsen,

Sergey Solonin,

Rica Cornelia Viljoen

and Thomas Q. Johns

This edition first published 2018

© 2018 Don Beck, Teddy Hebo Larsen, Sergey Solonin, and Rica Cornelia Viljoen

Registered office

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beck, Don (Don Edward), author.

Title: Spiral dynamics in action : humanity's master code / by Don Beck [and four others].

Other titles: Spiral dynamics

Description: Chichester, United Kingdom : John Wiley & Sons, 2018. | Earlier edition published  in 1996 as: Spiral dynamics : mastering values, leadership, and change : exploring the new  science of memetics. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018001013 (print) | ISBN 9781119387183 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Values–Psychological aspects. | Typology (Psychology) | Leadership. |  Personality and social intelligence. | Memetics.

Classification: LCC BF778 .B34 2018 (print) | DDC 158–dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018001013

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-119-38718-3 (pbk) ISBN 978-1-119-38720-6 (ebk)

ISBN 978-1-119-38721-3 (ebk)

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover Image: © amtitus / Getty Images

Fred Krawchuk is the founder and CEO of the Pathfinder Consulting Group, senior lecturer at IESE Business School, executive coach and writer. Fred empowers leaders and organizations to manage uncertainty, and innovate in dynamic environments. He is an accomplished leader known for strategic planning using Spiral Dynamics and leading high-risk operations around the globe, including peace-keeping in the Balkans, jungle operations in Latin America and Southeast Asia, and counter-insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Blending his peak performance, negotiations and design-thinking expertise, he writes about and guides senior executives on how to build consensus between stakeholders from all walks of life, align action and generate pragmatic solutions to complex challenges. Fred works with a variety of public-sector and corporate clients around the world enabling them to become more agile and adaptive in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) situations, whether in business, government or conflict zones. A graduate of West Point, he also has degrees from IESE Business School and Harvard University.

He is a decorated US Army Special Forces Colonel, Olmsted Scholar, and former George C. Marshall Fellow at the US Department of State. A long-time mindfulness and resilience expert, Fred also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Coming Home Project, and on the board of directors of Peace Through Commerce.

In the words of Don Beck: “Colonel Fred is a 21st century warrior. For me he represents policemen and -women, people in the army, and others that walk a difficult line to maintain society's stability. Colonel Fred is a man who is both a war-maker and a peace-facilitator. He has a wonderful record in working in difficult places, where people matter, yet there is a job to be done. This dedication is for these workers, their family members and close friends, who all pay the price for us to deal with society.''

This book is dedicated to Fred, the Colonel

This book about my life's work would not be complete without the mention of my wife and partner, Pat Beck, who through all the ups and downs of life has been at my side. She has traveled with me, stayed at home to take care of my children, shared in my successes and my disappointments.

As a very small thank you, Pat I dedicate this book to you.

God Bless You.

Contents

Special Acknowledgements

Foreword

Preface

Figures and Graphs as a Map for the Book

Part 1: Spiral Dynamics: The Foundation

1 Introduction – The Lay of the Land of this Book

About the Book

The Purpose of the Book

The Methodology Followed

Structure of the Book

Who May Find the Book Valuable?

Notes

2 The Architect of the Existential Staircase – Clare Graves

Beyond Maslow and Other Development Minds

The Meeting of Two Visionary Minds

Clare Graves on the Future

Conclusion

Notes

3 The Code Book

Introduction

The Eight Codes

First-Tier “Subsistence” Codes

Second-Tier “Being” Codes

The Double Helix of Code Change

The “Me” and “We” Wave of Code Change

The Ebb and Flow of Code Change

We Are All Multi-hued in a Multi-colored World

The Challenge of Code Changes

Humanity's Master Code

The BarCode

Conclusion

Notes

4 Natural Design – The Ever-Emerging Ecology

Natural Design Conceptualized

The Basic Characteristics of “Design”

Assortment of Natural Design Tools

Organizational Elegance

Natural Design Principles

Five Bottom Lines of Natural Design

Integral Applications

Complex Adaptive Systems

The Five Change States

The Need for YELLOW Thinking

Natural Design Tools

Large-scale Transformation

Templates

Six Conditions for Change

Conclusion

Part 2: Spiral Dynamics Global

5 Back to the Future – The South African Crucible Revisited

Introduction

A Background to the History of South Africa

The South African Negotiating Table

Other Allies Supporting Spiral Dynamics

A New South Africa

Conclusion

Notes

6 Uncovering the Indigenous Intelligence: A Case Study of Israel and Palestine

The Birth of New Indigenous Thinking

PURPLE–RED Villages and BLUE–ORANGE Towns

Empathy and the Five-Deep Strategy

V

MEMEtic Profile of the Palestinian Territories

The Birth of the Build Palestine Initiative (BPI)

The Creation of a Superordinate Goal

A Summit to Build Palestine

Conclusion

About the Author

Notes

7 The Nordic Countries and Second-Tier Consciousness: The Need for Second-Tier Leadership in Times of Great Turbulence

Introduction

The Need for a Danish Book

A GREEN Denmark

Cognitive Capacities and Adaptive Intelligences as a Prerequisite for the Leap

Concluding Remarks

Notes

Part 3: The Surge in a Social Context

8 Defining the Sustainable Corporation: From Stockholders to Stakeholders

The Corporate

V

MEME Struggle

The Current Functional Misalignment

The Functional Seventh-Level CEO

The Evolution of Ownership

Starbucks

Apple

Google

Whole Foods Market

The Corporation of the Future

Conclusion

About the Author

Notes

9 Spiral Dynamics in Action Across Boundaries

Introduction

Spiral Dynamics in Religion

Spiral Dynamics in Politics and Economics

Spiral Dynamics and Communication

Spiral Dynamics and Foundational Stones

Spiral Dynamics and Motivation

Spiral Dynamics and Foundations

Spiral Dynamics and Art

Spiral Dynamics and Sport

Spiral Dynamics in Russia

Conclusion

Notes

10 Organizational Engagement in Diverse Workspaces: International Application of Spiral Dynamics

Introduction

Multi-cultural Approaches for Consideration

Engagement in Multi-cultural Organizations

Conclusion

Part 4: Spiral Dynamics PLUS

11 Spiral Dynamics PLUS Supplementary Technologies

Introduction

Adizes

Assimilation Contrast Effect (

V

ACE)

Value Engineering Applied – a Spiral Dynamics Approach

Carkhuff's Seven Skills

The Seven Steps of Functional Design

The Impact of Language

Notes

Part 5: The Road Forward for Humanity

12 What Do You Do with Spiral Dynamics?

Some Practical Applications of Spiral Dynamics

A Few Examples and Illustrations of the Use of Spiral Dynamics

Final Thoughts About

V

MEMEtic Codes

Reflecting on the Developing Journey of Spiral Dynamics and the Master Code

Where to from Now?

Conclusion

Notes

About the Authors

Glossary

Acronyms

Additional Resources

Bibliography

Index

EULA

List of Tables

4

Table 4.1

5

Table 5.1

7

Table 7.1

Table 7.2

9

Table 9.1

Table 9.2

Table 9.3

Table 9.4

10

Table 10.1

Table 10.2

Table 10.3

Table 10.4

11

Table 11.1

Table 11.2

Table 11.3

List of Illustrations

2

Figure 2.1 Clare W Graves at the height of his academic career.

Figure 2.2 The Existential Staircase. Graves (1974, n.p.)

Figure 2.3 Two themes throughout history – WE versus ME.

Figure 2.4 Graves and Beck in deep conversation about human existence.

Figure 2.5 Bottom lines for the value systems.

Figure 2.6 Graves and Beck at Graves's ranch.

Figure 2.7 Beck and Graves at a university event.

Figure 2.8 Presentation that acknowledges the contribution of Graves in 2016 at the IEC in Siofok, Hungary.

3

Figure 3.1 Priority codes as described by Beck.

Figure 3.2 Typical DNA architecture.

Figure 3.3 Components of change – how

life conditions

cause behavior.

Figure 3.4 The nature of human codes.

Figure 3.5 Russian dolls as a metaphor for different Spiral Dynamics codes.

Figure 3.6 The BarCodes at play in the Middle East. Maalouf (2014, p. 188)

4

Figure 4.1 The periodic table of the human race.

Figure 4.2 A dozen natural design principles (to the left).

Figure 4.3 The cores of values and ethics.

Figure 4.4 The leadership equation.

Figure 4.5 Ten conditions for large-scale change. (Beck 2006)

5

Figure 5.1 Panorama of Positions. Beck and Cowan (1996, p. 102)

Figure 5.2 Spiral Dynamics in action.

Figure 5.3 Flow of conscious democracy. Beck (2013a)

6

Figure 6.1 The 5-Deep Strategy to Mideast peace (Copyright the Center for Human Emergence Middle East). Maalouf (2014, p. 160)

Figure 6.2 Israel's value-system's profile under relative safety. Maalouf (2014, p. 166)

Figure 6.3 Israel's value-system's profile when culture is under existential threat. Maalouf (2014, p. 166)

Figure 6.4 A Palestinian value-system profile emerging. Maalouf (2014, p. 169)

Figure 6.5 The Build Palestine Initiative.

Figure 6.6 Palestinian millennial generation view of the map of Israel. Maalouf (2014, p. 177)

Figure 6.7

V

MEMEtic profile of the West Bank at the time of Fayyad's June 2013 resignation. Maalouf (2014, p. 119)

9

Figure 9.1 Habits of old king's horses and men.

Figure 9.2 Spiral Dynamics painting, Natalie Selsor.

Figure 9.3 Copy of the

Sports Values

publication of Don Beck (2015).

Figure 9.4 Don Beck, and the Six Games to Glory.

Figure 9.5 Extract from fax from Beck to South African Springbok Coach Kitch Christie. 21 June 1995.

Figure 9.6 The cover of the Russian translation of

Spiral Dynamics.

Figure 9.7 Don Beck and Elza Maalouf in Russia.

Figure 9.8 Scenario planning – Russia 2045 expressed via Spiral Dynamics codes.

Figure 9.9 Strategies of the new king's horses, men and women.

11

Figure 11.1 Adizes' corporate life cycles. Adizes (2000)

Figure 11.2 Coalesced Authority Power and Influence – CAPI.

Figure 11.3 Vital Signs Monitor. (Johns 2017)

Figure 11.4 Push–pull dynamics on the horizontal continuum.

Figure 11.5 Spectrums of beliefs and actions – six degrees of intensity.

Figure 11.6

V

MEME Codes for different spectrums.

12

Figure 12.1 Personalized copy of

One Taste

, signed by Wilber.

Figure 12.2 4Q/8 L model and Spiral Dynamics. Beck & Wilber (2001)

Figure 12.3 Don Beck and Thomas Johns designing Vital Signs Monitors.

Figure 12.4 Don Beck and his beloved Sir Winston.

Figure 12.5 Don Beck and a happy grown-up Humpty Dumpty.

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

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Special Acknowledgements

This book was made possible through the enabling of special experts, through leaders, colleagues and friends:

Jon Freeman, Spiral Dynamics integral expert; actively supporting the Spiral Dynamics course.

Mary Ann Thompson Frank, artist and philanthropist. She is currently the CEO of the Mensoyne Institute where she continues to help people by cultivating cultural creators. Don and Mary Ann have worked on several projects together, from creating curriculum based on Spiral Dynamics to creating Vital Signs Monitors.

Albert Klamt, for his curious mind and continuous reminding of what is important.

Keith E. Rice, who, with great care, built a body of knowledge through his continuous updated integral psycho-socio-blog

http://www.integratedsociopsychology.net

.

Howard Putnam, a true friend and colleague and a model for executive leaders at the highest level of integrity.

John, Margo; from the warm drink in Boulder and deep friendship, you both lifted me up in so many ways.

Cherie Beck, what a friend and partner you have been, crafting the audio and Crucible that surprised me. We share more than last names.

Diane Williams, who enriched us all in her design and influence of the Evolutionary Leaders project. She was especially supportive of me over the years.

Ben Levi, what a powerful mind you have – with skill bundles few can match. You are very much a part of this book and movement.

Emanuel Pelman of

Destination Peace.

Emanuel, you have been a rich, deep and meaningful friend. Your music sings to my very soul.

Nicholas Beecroft: you opened my eyes to a broader world view, and the real challenge we all face in “the West.”

Mike Jay (ex-marine): you have been a true friend and colleague, and an intellectual mate.

Phaedra Wintsett Stretcher, who has done our graphics for many years with style, creativity and class.

Loraine Laubscher, who spends her life studying Spiral Dynamics.

And our friend Russ Volckmann II (Integral Review), who wrote about embracing and transcending old thinking systems and codes. May you transcend well and be remembered deeply.

Each one was there when I needed you. Thank you for journeying with me, and therefore with the original Spiral Dynamics Community.

Dr Don Edward Beck

Foreword

By Ronnie Lessem

Spiral Dynamics is arguably the first, major, systemic, conceptual system and complex way of thinking about everything that addresses the “big picture.” Holistic perspectives, that are currently in vogue in cutting-edge executive leadership thinking, provide a mechanism and methodology for looking at macro and micro issues simultaneously. These perspectives lay down a specific, practical and usable change technology that aligns and connects all of the variables; stakeholders, cultures, sub-cultures and other interests within an elegantly designed organism. The perspective in this book is one that integrates technology, business systems and human dynamics within a seamless, interactive process. Nothing similar to Spiral Dynamics can be found in any applied literature, journals, bestseller books, academic programs or consultant packages. It stands alone. This makes it difficult for many to get their minds around the whole because we are so trained to focus on parts. We are accustomed to looking for quick fixes, single-cause analysis and solutions, car-wash interventions or micro-applications.

For me, the reason for the existence of Spiral Dynamics, as cited in Chapter 12 of this book, says it all. What I then have to say can only whet the appetite for the formidable work that Clare Graves and Don Beck in America, Loraine Laubscher and Rica Viljoen in South Africa, Said Dawlabani and Elza Maalouf as Lebanese Americans, Teddy Larsen and Sergey Solonin as Europeans, and the innumerable others cited in this book, have accomplished to further the lot of individuals, organizations and whole societies across the globe.

I first met Don Beck in South Africa, early in the 1990s, after reading his extraordinary book, with co-author Graham Linscott, The Crucible: Forging South Africa's Future. I immediately gave Graham a call, as I was in the country at the time, and asked him, “Who is this man, Don Beck, and how I can meet him?” With due humility, as such, I became the midwife for the first book by Don Beck and Chris Cowan entitled Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership and Change, some two decades ago. This formed a key part of our then Blackwell series on Developmental Management.

It was no accident that this seminal work would emerge out of a meeting Don and I had in South Africa, as the new country was being born in the early 1990s. For it was in South Africa that I had already met Rica Viljoen, and thereafter Lorraine Laubscher, in the context of a project on South African Management. This was the first of its kind, and is still today the only one that attempted to uncover the role that Africa had to play in management. Central to our work on such was Spiral Dynamics, and the multi-faceted cultural memes that thereby underlay that great “rainbow” country. Why then was the Spiral of such seminal value to us?

Before answering that question, let me move across to Israel and Palestine, where I have spent so much of my life outside of Africa and Europe, and where great work was done, as we shall see, by Beck, Maalouf and Dawlabani. For decades now we have been grappling with the dynamics of economy and of enterprise in that region of the world, in a way that takes account, not only of the organizational and personal dynamics we find there, but of the overall societal ones. Again, the insights provided by the cultural memes of Maalouf were incredibly important. For how else would we uncover the genius of a place, of a people, notwithstanding all the trials and tribulations along the Palestinian–Israeli way, if we were not to take account of all these, including their dynamic interaction, for good or ill?

And now we go to the Nordic countries. Norway has played such a key part in the now faltering “Middle East” peace process. In fact, living in Europe as I do, though Africa and specifically Zimbabwe is my place of birth and origin, I have always felt that these Nordic nations were the evolutionary catalysts on the European continent, if only they rose to the occasion. In fact, my erstwhile Indian co-author, Sudhanshu Palsule, spent many years teaching at a college in Denmark when writing our Managing in Four Worlds. Thereby I was introduced to Danish “northern” folk traditions, and the folk colleges born out of this. Our book at the time, in the mid-1990s, was duly informed by such, as well as by folk traditions of the east, west and south.

So we have America, South Africa, Palestine and Israel, Denmark and also Russia, where I recently made my latest writing journey through Integral Advantage: Emerging Economies and Societies. There I discovered the “Second Tier.” This was the ultimate wisdom of that great country, if you like, that both communism and capitalism have completely by-passed. Let me then return to my earlier question: what is so special about Spiral Dynamics in Action?

It is the very fact that it crosses all these frontiers, from east and west to north and south. What is so tragic about most of the literature on leadership today is that the “West,” primarily America, leads, and the rest follow. It is as if Donald Trump ruled the world! Yet, via Beck and Graves, together with Laubscher and Viljoen, Maalouf and Dawlabani, Larsen and Solonin, we have that other America, that place where all worlds meet, rather than their being “melted down” into one amorphous mass.

And now I say the final word. The reason why, some two decades ago, we immediately saw Spiral Dynamics as the center-piece of our Developmental Management Blackwell series, is that it addresses, simultaneously and interactively, not only the four corners of the globe, and its center, but, at one and the same time, the individual, the organization and society in each. The catastrophe of leadership theory and practice, today, is that it assumes one size, duly melted down, fits all, and that the individual can “lead” in isolation of her or his community and society, if not also their organization. The authors of this book show us that it can be otherwise.

Ronnie Lessem, Co-founder, Trans4m, France, and

Professor of Management, Da Vinci Institute, South Africa

Preface

By Dr Don Beck

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Albert Einstein (nd)

We live in a complex, peculiar and dangerous world.

Why, after half a century of international diplomacy and peace-brokering, can't Israel and its neighbors make peace? Why do some African countries continue to spawn brutal political regimes that destroy their own economies, kill their own people and rape their own women? Why is America so polarized that collegial debate on issues now seems a faint memory of an earlier age? When did America and its close allies in Northern Europe begin to think so differently on global issues? And why did that happen?

These are the kinds of questions we need to answer. And we won't find the answer by looking at the surface. Today's headlines are just revealing the symptoms – not the cause.

We each have many ways of seeing things – lenses that color our perception of the world. We don't all think alike. We don't all have the same values. We don't all see the world through the same lens. That is what makes the twenty-first century so complex and dangerous. We now have more than six billion humans with different world views connected by migration, air travel and the internet into one intermingled whole. Most of us are convinced that our view is right, our values are right. We are pushing and shoving and growling and threatening and carrying banners that say, “My way or no way.” Some of us are even killing each other.

How did we get here? And how do we get out of this mess? How do we structure systems that handle the complexity of our interconnectedness while allowing people to grow and move naturally through the stages of human development?

The answer to that is a quest I've been on for 40 years:

What is the Universal Master Code that explains how humans have emerged?

And how does this Master Code of Humanity inform what we must do next to keep emerging on a positive course?

I am an optimist. I believe in the power of humans for regeneration. As a baby, my mother would sing the state song of Oklahoma to me, “There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow,” followed by the chorus, “Oh, what a beautiful morning …” Never mind that Purcell, Oklahoma situated in the Great American Plains was part of “tornado alley,” and we lived with the constant threat of losing everything every time dark clouds came up from the southwest. I was a child from the land of the golden haze. I knew all was well.

But more than just an intuitive feeling, history confirms the validity of an optimistic outlook for human beings. Our history is one of regeneration as we time and time again tackle challenges and create new ways of living and thinking to solve those challenges.

As a young professor, I was looking for the Rosetta Stone1 of human development. I spent 20 years delving into the best and the newest of what psychology had to offer, and was well on my way to being recognized as an emerging leader in dissolving conflict. I knew that solutions to conflict lay deep in the human psyche, deeper than most of us could explain. I also knew that if we understood human development, not just how we changed but why we changed, we might be able to successfully address any number of human dilemmas.

When in 1974 I read Dr Clare Graves’ article in The Futurist2 on human emergence I found what I was longing for – a meticulously researched explanation of why humans emerge and how they do so. Emergence is not an event. It is a never-ending process. We are always engaged in the process of becoming something more than we were and not yet what we will be.

Graves, the professor emeritus of psychology at Union College in New York, had spent decades unlocking this process – one research subject at a time – until tens of thousands of individual cases yielded a pattern for human emergence. The name he gave his discovery was as exacting as his collection of data. Graves called his discovery “the emergent, cyclical, double-helix model of adult bio-psychosocial behavior.” That is a mouthful but it boils down to this. When challenges come up that we cannot solve at our present level of being, we make a leap to a newer, higher-order system biologically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. Later, this theory became known as Spiral Dynamics.

The old system does not go away, however. It remains a part of us, accessible to us when we need it. Clearly, we have a powerful and dynamic mind. It recalibrates itself in response to life conditions, and it does so quickly. While human genes take their own sweet time to bring about change, codes on the evolutionary spiral can pop up virtually overnight.

What Graves's research showed was an explanation of how humans emerge. He named eight levels, and declared more levels will come. Six of these constitute First-Tier codes and include the organizational structures with which we are familiar, such as tribes, empires, holy orders, strategic capitalism. These are the systems, each convinced of the rightness of its code of values, which are battling each other today for supremacy. The future lies, however, in what Graves saw as a great leap to a Second-Tier system. His research found a few individuals who were expressing a new view that encompassed all of the First-Tier codes. These individuals understood that to move forward from here, humans must accommodate each level of emergence by providing healthy conduits for movement through the codes. And the answers to doing that lay with a new way of thinking.

Humanity is in a state of constant motion. We are shaped by the code of the Spiral. In short, we can change our own psychology. The brain can rewire itself. Society is not static. Today's problems are yesterday's solutions. Evaluation and revolution are part of our future. We are on perpetual treks of the mind. Many believe we are now passing through such a momentous transformation, a major turning point, a history-making sea change. A new different pattern of thought is beginning to emerge worldwide, and in various fields of human activity. Graves, in Roemicher (2002, p. 125) predicted: “The present moment finds our society attempting to negotiate the most difficult, but at the same time the most exciting transition the human race has to face to date. It is not merely a transition to a new level of existence, but the start of a new movement in the symphony of human identity.”

That is what this book is about. It is about the Universal Master Code, the underlying code that contains all past codes and all codes to come. Understanding humanity's Master Code will not only solve today's challenges but will take us further faster with less conflict than we thought possible. And we must understand this code. Not just because we have people with Attila-the-Hun mentalities eyeing nuclear weapons as a means to build their personal empires, but because we also have biochemical and medical technologies that are challenging our very concept of what it means to be human. We have to deal with both these extremes and do it well.

It can be done. I have field-tested Graves's research for 40 years, adding both to the research and practical applications of this body of knowledge. I have embedded myself in every code. I found practical ways to create what I call the Power of the Third Win – you win, I win, the planet wins. This book is about that journey, the journey to find Humanity's Master Code.

With this book, I attempt to offer new insights and ways to challenge societal, business and political leaders alike, with doing things differently. The book extends into a website with the name www.spiraldynamicsglobal.com where a depth of articles, blogs, newspaper clips, academic theses and other sources of Spiral Dynamics application can be found. This body of knowledge will also emerge and deepen over time.

I will gently suggest that many of our usual constructive dialogue and leadership ways are limited whenever we are phased with complex, wicked, systemic problems where the risk to polarize is inherently present. Here I challenge leaders to construct sustainable cultures where leadership develops, propagates and updates a compelling vision, a sense of transcendent purpose and a series of superordinate goals to create a common cause for a complex culture.

In the words of Ken Wilber (spiraldynamics.net: np): “spiral dynamics is one of the first integral psychologies now available, and as presented by Don Beck, I give it my highest recommendation. It has profound implications for business, politics, education and medicine, and it will give you the tools to begin applying these revolutionary ideas in your own field immediately. Don't miss it!”

My hope is that through my life's work and this book, I can leave a legacy of value-adding social systems and functional geo-political spheres, while simultaneously inspiring individual leadership to co-create a future we all want.

Notes

1

The Rosetta Stone, the carved tablet discovered by Napoleon's armies, unlocked the Egyptian writings, by translating the hieroglyphics into Greek.

2

Graves, C.W. (1974) Human Nature Prepares for a Momentous Leap.

The Futurist

, April. Different authors refers to this article numerous times throughout the book. In the text that follows we will refer to this article as the Graves (1974) article.

Figures and Graphs as a Map for the Book

In this part of the book a compilation of different figures and graphs is presented for the easy synthesis of the reader. It serves as reference to the various colors, codes, value systems and thinking structures that inform the different codes that are at play in Spiral Dynamics.

Readers are invited to familiarize themselves with the different archetypes, and organizing patterns and illustrations of how each code will inhibit different ways of creating meaning and integration. Further, emphasis should be placed on how the different codes pose different questions of existence – not one better or more desirable than the other. The original quote of Graves is not that one value system is better than another. He stressed that the best system for a specific set of conditions will be the most congruent one.

Readers are also reminded of The Crucible, Forging South Africa's Future by Beck and Linscott, originally published in 1991 and reprinted in 2006, 2011 and 2014; and the classic Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership and Change by Beck and Cowan, published in 1996 and reprinted in 2006. Various other publications described in Part 5 also elaborate on the theory and the diverse implications thereof.

Beck reminds us that while studying the different maps presented here, we must remember that the codes are not notes but chords, that a person is not a color, rather that there are codes in people, not codes of people.

Understanding the different codes and their unique intelligences and gifts but also their side effects is a critical leadership skill for the future world of work, and for ensuring sustainable cultures and a sustainable planet.

PART 1Spiral Dynamics: The Foundation

Introduction – The Lay of the Land of this Book

The Architect of the Existential Staircase – Clare Graves

The Code Book

Natural Design – The Ever-Emerging Ecology

1Introduction – The Lay of the Land of this Book

Spiral Dynamics in Action Quest for the Master Code – An Introduction

About the Book

This book about Spiral Dynamics comes in the autumn of Don Beck's life. The stories told here, he lived. Most of the interventions described here, he facilitated himself. His memory stretches as far back as the Second World War. Today, he still watches international news on every possible TV and radio station, and actively participates as a citizen of his country and a member of the human race. The book was co-authored by Beck, friends and colleagues from Russia, America, Denmark and South Africa. These are elders in the Spiral community, but millennials (3rd and 4th generation Gravesians) were also involved. It is impossible to present a complete record of all the numerous interventions, consultations and strategies for which Beck was responsible. An effort was, however, made to present enough rich narratives for the reader to be triggered, inspired and even moved to action to make the world a better place for all.

The theory described here deals with the complex problem of how individuals, groups and societies handle changing life conditions. Systems in people, organizations and society help us to understand the adaptive capability of changing environmental conditions. These conditions in the environment study the following:

World view: messaging and pattern recognition.

Degree of complexity: existing or emerging codes of thinking.

Command and control: the inherent flexibility.

Organizing principles: the intensity of the condition.

Elaborating stream implications: the view and implications of the past, present and future timeline.

Potential: the functionality or health of the system.

The Purpose of the Book

The purpose of the book is not to offer an in-depth academic or theoretical knowledge of the key concepts and constructs described here. Although some attention is paid to the history and development of the theory and the properties and conditions thereof, this book uniquely offers the application of Spiral Dynamics in various geo-political settings in industrial domains and organizational spaces.

The wealth and richness of cases, the ethnographical understanding of different nations and groupings in nations, the depth of academic grounding and the practical work that Beck (on his own and in collaboration with others) conducted in more than 50 years of his practice can hardly be contained in a book like this. To add to this, all the exceptional work that some of Beck's students and associates have done, from a Spiral Dynamics stance, forms an extensive body of knowledge. Beck specifically requested that the book should feel like a potpourri of pearls of wisdom and important pieces of work integrated with specific milestones that have been achieved.

The book is aimed at assisting leaders in organizations and the public sector in the following:

How to recognize, identify and define the social system's cultural DNA codes that they lead, and elaborate those codes to functions to be performed.

How everything is impacted on whenever core value systems in the organization's or group's cultural DNA change.

How to design different kinds of organizations, whether corporate, e.g. banks and mines, educational, religious/spiritual, sports and high-performance teams or military systems, as well as entrepreneurial and service organizations such as airlines and hospitals.

How to apply the underlying processes, principles and tools of natural design to transcend the old, rigid, top-down leadership and management models.

How to synthesize approaches to leadership, organizational theory and culture.

How to go beyond holism into specific functional designs that morph and shift themselves as times change and new problems appear.

An attempt was made not to replicate work that was previously published. Rather, an eclectic compilation of writings and teachings of Spiral Dynamics as taught and interpreted by Don Edward Beck, and conceptualized by Clare W. Graves, are presented in a potpourri of theoretical, business and practical applications. The reader is reminded that, decades ago, Graves said that if one understood the structure and the implications of this theory well, it almost explained everything. That innate essence of this powerful theory, methodology and application may explain why the different parts and chapters may seem diverse and divergent, while in fact they deal with the same phenomenon. This is humanity's Master Code as Dr Don Edward Beck coined it.

The body of work is more than the book that you are now reading physically or electronically. In effect, the book only deals with the historical development, the theoretical building blocks needed to understand the concepts that we deal with here and an array of different applications. The book is just the physical manifestation of a wealth of cases, articles, blogs, case studies and sources that are available in a supportive technological network in the Cloud, to provide so much more than only another theoretical book. The intent was rather, firstly, to share the life work of Dr Don Beck, secondly, to illustrate the complex, yet integral, nature of the phenomenon and lastly, to provide a source of insight, lessons learnt and applications in diverse settings from the North to the South, from the East to the West, from politics to sports, and even on how it manifests in art. The following criteria were applied in choosing what to include and exclude in this book, and what to extend into the corresponding webpage:

Grounding in initial Gravesian thought.

The unique contribution that Beck brought to the field of study.

Highlighting the unique integration of supportive theories that Beck offers.

Application that stood the test of time in terms of the following:

Sustainability.

Credibility.

Transferability.

Academic depth.

Purist application of the Gravesian and Beckian theoretical foundation.

The purpose of the book is integral in nature. There are a few chapters with deep theoretical underpinning, that were peer-reviewed and presented with the necessary academic rigor from a constructivist ontological and interpretivistic epistemological perspective.

Further, other chapters are focused on the Spiral Dynamics practitioner. Here practical advice is presented on how to deal with real systematic and diverse issues. The unit of study differs from individual level to group to organizational and to geo-political level. An article is even included where Beck was described as the “shrink” that healed countries.

However, most importantly, the emphasis may be on leaders, in both private and public spaces. The solutions and decisions made so far have created the problems that we as humanity are faced with today. We desperately need more complex, systemic, integral and functional thinking to ensure that tomorrow offers different conditions for our children and those who come after us. In this book, a challenge is posed to leaders in all spheres, not necessarily to change their world view, but rather, consciously to ask different questions that will create different outcomes, since what we are doing today is creating significant and escalating side effects. The world is desperately in need of leaders who can interweave the different gifts that can be unleashed by diversity of thought, as explained by Spiral Dynamics, through functional thinking and a process of integrating, so that simultaneous value-added capacities can manifest synergistically to the benefit of all social systems and also humanity at large.

The Methodology Followed

The methodology followed during the data-gathering phase of the book includes the content analysis of solicited data presented by Beck and his close colleagues. These data include course material, articles published over the years, different courses that were developed and facilitated, field notes, accreditation manuals and physical and electronic letters received from various political leaders, associates and participants of interventions over the years. A rich variety of audio and video tapes were transcribed, and content analyzed. These included original broadcasts of radio and television that featured Beck. Further, a literature review was conducted on the academic sources that influenced the development of Spiral Dynamics as a field of study, but also of PhD theses that applied the theory from a practitioner's stance or from an academic perspective. A large number of contemporary management, leadership, systems thinking, political, economic and cultural books informed the literature study. The reference list that is presented at the end of this book captures these sources. Field notes were taken by Thomas Q. Johns over a period of eighteen months. These field notes were data analyzed and insights gained were incorporated in the text. Niki McCuistion conducted three in-depth interviews that were recorded and transcribed. She also hosted a TV show that was broadcast on the McCuistion network. Further, 36 in-depth interviews were conducted by Dr Rica Viljoen, and audio- and video-taped by Johns over a period of 18 days. Again, these interviews were transcribed and coded. The methodology that was followed to present the chapters in the book is a blend of life history as described by Plummer (2001) and grounded theory as described by Charmaz (2008) and Viljoen (2017). The results of this inquiry are presented in the form of a tapestry of stories, metaphors, case studies, field notes, academic text, life history, theory and applications. Due to the diversity of authors, as well as the varying ontology and epistemology, some pieces are presented in the first person while other sections apply the third person. The academic chapters in the book are peer reviewed.

Structure of the Book

The book is divided into three parts. Each part will be described below. Owing to their systemic, integral and symbiotic relationship the chapters in the parts can even be classified in other parts. The different parts may have different feelings to them. It must be remembered that the book was co-created by diverse authors with diverse value systems in the Spiral. For this reason, some parts of the book may be easier for some readers to relate to, while others may be more foreign or even complicated. Before the actual text starts, a combination of various graphics and figures have been presented for easy reference, and if the reader chooses to quickly refer to the technical arguments that underpin the rest of the book.

Part 1 of the book lays the foundation for the theoretical development of what we refer to as Spiral Dynamics today. Chapter 2 describes the background and the story of Clare Graves, the architect of what was then called the existential staircase. The story of Beck starts when the story of Graves fades out. Although they spent more than a decade together, and it is also well-known that Beck asked Graves for at least ten more years of his time, the symbiotic synthesis of minds ensured the integration of psychological, sociological, political, economic and biological constructs into a deep understanding of the phenomena being studied. This resulted in a meta-theory that can be applied across various fields of study. Such an integral view and multi-disciplinary approach to adult behavior was indeed progressive and unseen in published scholarly texts in the late 1960s.

The third chapter deals with concepts that Beck contributed to the body of knowledge. His doctorate, which focused on the prevention of civil war in America, his dealing with student uprisings during the height of political and racial tension in America in the 1960s and his conflict resolution capability that was molded into a unique art form all widened the application of the original Gravesian writings and publications. These are problems that seem almost impossible to solve, such as Apartheid in South Africa and the social-political-economic dynamics thereof. Concepts such as chords, the Universal Master Code and the rule of SOME are conceptualized. In Chapter 4, the argument is extended to include natural design and the concept of utilizing equations and not solutions to intervene and rewire wicked, social problems.

In Part 2 of the book, country-specific and geo-political stories are presented in which Beck has been personally involved in an effort to heal the society at hand. Chapter 5 deals with the South African case. This is a case where a minority white group held an economic, political and social position over the majority of suppressed citizens through the divisive Apartheid regime. Beck kept his promise to Graves to visit the only country in the world where they believed all the different value systems, as described by Spiral Dynamics, naturally occurred within the same social system. To prevent civil war, Beck visited the desperate country that found itself on the brink of war 63 times. The full version of the story was published in The Crucible. Here, highlights and narratives not previously shared are sketched. Little did Beck know that the South African case would become his own crucible. This was his field test of intervening at a national and geo-political level to promote peace, progress and inclusivity.

In Chapter 6 the story of Palestine is told, as authored by Elza Maalouf, and originally published in Emerge!. In this chapter, Maalouf masterfully describes the challenging situation between Israel and Palestine and shares personal experiences she and Beck facilitated in this conflict-ridden part of the world.

Denmark is an obvious and representative example of a post-modern society with a typical GREEN gravity center. The same goes for the other four Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland). In Chapter 7 a thorough analysis and discussion are presented about what made these countries so successful from a Spiral Dynamics point of view. The chapter will also focus on, and discuss, early signs of Second-Tier consciousness that one would expect in a country which, notoriously, has outlived most of the qualities of the GREEN meme, and as such should be ready for “the momentous leap” that Graves referred to in his 1974 article. Only time will show whether the Nordic countries possess the necessary adaptive intelligences – or are able to develop them – in order to make the next surge on the Spiral.

In Part 3