Tribal Leadership from an Integral Perspective more

'Tribal Leadership' from an Integral Perspective An Excerpt from 'Bridging Integral Leadership' in "Inspiring a Miracle, Sharing the Dream" Brian McConnell Group Epignosis Roanoke, VA Abstract: The following content has been adapted from excerpts in the 'Bridging Integral Leadership' section of a soon to be published paper entitled, "Inspiring a Miracle, Sharing the Dream: Adopting an Integral Model in Developing Sustainable Urban Communities". Keywords: AQAL model, complexity economics, Integral leadership, Tribal Leadership, tribal states In an interview conducted recently by Russ Volckmann of the Integral Leadership Review with Ken Wilber entitled, "The State of Integral", the two discussed the significance of Integral leadership in "building bridges from first- to second-tier" levels of development (see Figure 1) (1). "The majority of people that are members of our organizations are probably first-tier in their development. Each of them sees integral according to their own values, whether they’re orange rational-scientific Figure 1 - Developmental 'Lines' and 'Worldviews' (LL) values or green pluralisticpost-modern values . . . so they’re seeing the model through their own eyes and according to their own views." from 'A Conversation with Ken Wilber' Brian McConnell February 28, 2011 2 Because the Lower Left ('Culture') quadrant of the AQAL model entails the dimension of shared (collective) values (interiors), it represents the realm of 'belief systems' and mutually ascribed 'norms' that distinguish or otherwise define a group (of people) in regards to their respective stage or level of development. For the most part though, these values are subsequently held or manifested in combinations of varying complexity "over a dozen different multiple intelligences or developmental lines" including cognitive ('awareness of what is'), moral ('awareness of what should be'), emotional ('spectrum of emotions'), interpersonal ('how I socially relate to others'), needs ('such as Maslow's hierarchy'), self-identity (or, 'Who am I?' - see, Loevinger's stages of ego development), psychosexual ('spectrum of Eros from gross to subtle to causal'), spiritual ('where "spirit" is viewed as its own line of unfolding') and, that of values ('what's considered most important' - see, Beck and Cowan, Spiral Dynamics). Interestingly, but again, by way of illustration; a combined grouping of ethics, values, attitudes, and motivation related to one's 'moral' orientation in this regard, can be readily translated into a relatively simple, three-stage model of human development (see Appendix 1) (2). It's worth noting too, Beck and Wilber mutually agree, that when these respective 'levels' are viewed as vMemes, they possess the capacity to exist in "both healthy and unhealthy versions" (3). "Every company is a tribe, or a network of tribes—groups of 20 to 150 people in which everyone knows everyone else, or at least knows of them. It’s a fact of life: birds flock, fish school, and people “tribe.” Tribes are more powerful than teams, companies, or even superstar CEOs, and yet their key leverage points have not been mapped—until now." a quote from 'Tribal Leadership - an Overview' (4) Along these same lines then, Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright, 'the authors' of Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, have based the content and reported findings of their book on "the results of a ten-year, 24,000 person, organizational research study". Using "linguistic research methods as well as relationship structures", their reFigure 2 - Five Stages of 'Tribal Culture' search identified five dimensionally related 'tribal states' (see Figure 2). Each of these 'five stages' in turn, is said to subsequently reflect a shared, 'orient- Brian McConnell February 28, 2011 3 ing mentality' at that particular level of cultural development. At Stage One for example, "members exist in a state of alienation from goals beyond" those of "mere survival". As a result, the 'language' used at this level subsequently portrays a devastating despair that "life in general is unfair" or, put more simply, "Life Sucks!" (5). While this level "shows up" in only "2 percent of" the 'corporate tribes' in which Logan et al. compiled their findings however (4), alarmingly enough, other findings suggest those same attitudes could be reflected in as much (perhaps) as 30% of the overall global population (see 'Cross Section of the vMeme Profile') (6). Consequently then, but because each stage evidences the 'next step' in a sequential process of functional development, in a practical sense, Integral leadership would entail practicing interrelationship within one's own tribe in such a way that the group as a whole, is able to ascend to the next higher level of cultural maturation. Consequently, and to better serve this process, the Tribal Leadership team has produced a number of resources, including a list of leverage points which serves as an outline in directing the leader to 'move people' from their current stage to a succeeding one. In this same regard, Logan and King were able to expound on the crux of this approach in an interview with George Hall for Reflections: The Society for Organizational Learning Journal. Figure 3 - 'Tribal Strategy Model' Asked to explain the workings of 'tribal strategy' (see Figure 3), Logan described how the tribal leader assumes the initiative for helping the tribe delineate its own, particular set of core ('resonant') values. With these core values defined, the leader next explores the group's purpose or objectives in asking, 'What do we want?'. The tribe's subsequent response then, is its 'Outcomes'. In envisioning the means by which it'll realize those desired outcomes, the group then must ask, "what do we have?". This answer, subsequently constitutes the tribe's 'Assets'. Finally, members consider, "what will we do?", in other words; wanting certain 'outcomes' and given the availability of 'assets' to actualize those results, what 'Behaviors' are necessitated? Because however, the 'Tribal Strategy Model' is forged from a set of resonant core values around Brian McConnell February 28, 2011 4 which all other components are subsequently aligned, this relatively simple approach constitutes a primordial microeconomics that's far more 'organic' in exhibiting 'complex system dynamics' (see complexity economics), than evidencing a functional fit with 'classical economics'. For this reason though, at least a couple of caveats warrant mentioning. As Logan and King point out in the Reflections interview for instance, because 'cultural development' is the recognized key to unleashing and ultimately realizing the tribe's creative potential, the journey from one level to another doesn't occur solely as individual accomplishment. In this way, and as they clearly note, "(i)t’s impossible to operate on these more collaborative, more advanced levels alone." “The journey through the stages is literally not one you can make alone. Your tribe will either help you or prevent your forward movement. In fact, you can move forward only by bringing others with you.” a quote from Tribal Leadership by George Hall in an 'Interview with Logan and King' Not surprisingly then, they also flatly contend that the collaborative 'partnerships' epitomized at Stage Four are fundamentally instable unless an individual is 'sustaining' the balance of those relationships with triadic support (see Figure 4) from "at least two other people around them who are also Stage Four" (7). From an 'Integral perspective' however, where Ken Wilber has referred to 'healthy development' as involving the dynamic to "transcend and include" (2), sustaining functional interrelations may be complicated by the Figure 4 - The Dynamic of a Stable Relationship fact that each of the First-Tier stages (infra-red through green) are understood as holding to beliefs "that 'my values are the only correct values'" (see Figure 1). This disparity in viewpoints presents itself in direct "contrast however, to Second-Tier levels of development" which by comparison, are said to acknowledge "the importance of all value systems" (8). Brian McConnell February 28, 2011 5 Appendix 1 Stages of Moral Development (from an 'Integral' Perspective) Wilber (worldview and wave of existence) Egocentric - 'me' (magic) magenta - red First-Tier Kohlberg (stages of moral development) Pre-conventional Gilligan (stages of female moral development) 'Selfish' Relates to 'ethics', 'values', 'attitudes' and 'motivations'. 'Pre-conventional' is practically amoral and egocentric, in which "what I want is what is right". Primarily concerned for one's own needs and desires. With an egocentric view, individual concern only extends as far as "me and mine" -- my self and my family needs and desires are most important. Ethnocentric - 'us' (mythic, mythic-rational) amber - green First-Tier Conventional 'Care' 'Conventional' is ethnocentric, and thus "what the group, tribe, country wants" is what is right. Concerned for others in one's social group (family, nation religion, ideology, etc.) With an ethnocentric perspective, care extends to the group, community and society; and cooperation, collaboration and teamwork within the social group are driving forces. Worldcentric - 'all of us' (rational, transrational, transpersonal) teal - turquoise Second-Tier Post-conventional 'Universal care' 'Post-conventional' has a more worldcentric embrace, in which "what is fair for all peoples, regardless of race, color, creed" is what is right. Concerned for all people, beings, ecosystems and cultures. Worldcentric awareness extends caring and a sense of justice beyond just you and your people, but also all peoples and beings. Brian McConnell February 28, 2011 6 References 1. Volckmann, Russ. "Fresh Perspective - The State of Integral: A Conversation with Ken Wilber." Integral Leadership Review, Volume X, No. 5 - Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.archive-ilr.com/archives-2010/2010-10/ILRkenruss.pdf> 2. Wilber, Ken. Integral spirituality: A startling new role for religion in the modern and postmodern world. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc. 2006. Print. 3. Wikipedia contributors. "Spiral Dynamics." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Dynamics> 4. "Tribal Leadership." www.triballeadership.net. Tribal Leadership - Home. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.triballeadership.net/media/TL-L.Excellence.pdf> 5. Wikipedia contributors. "Tribal Leadership." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. 6. Force, Jim. "Book Notes" compiled and editorialized for Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. 1996.Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.jimforce.ca/spiral_dynamics.pdf> 7. Hall, George. "Tribal Leadership: An Interview with David C. Logan and John King". Reflections - The SoL Journal on Knowledge, Learning, and Change, Volume 9, Number 3–4. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://13l.org/Tribal%20Leadership%20-%20Reflections%20-9%203-4%20Ha-2.pdf> 8. Rentschler, Matt. "AQAL Glossary". Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, Volume 1, Issue 3 Fall 2006. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://aqaljournal.integralinstitute.org/public/Pdf/AQAL_Glossary_01-27-07.pdf> ______________________________________________________________________ Brian McConnell, BA has worked with the underpinnings of Integral thought and theory, since first introduced to Ken Wilber's, Eye to Eye in 1997. His background in contemplative practice stems from personal study in Theravada Buddhism with Thanissaro Bhikkhu at Metta Forest Monastery. Having worked with a diverse set of 'popular' subcultures over this same period, 'learning' and 'leadership development' currently command his central focus. He presently serves as Creative Director for Group Epignosis, in Roanoke, Virginia. Brian McConnell February 28, 2011