Webinar: The Relational (The regenerative business transformation pt 3)
Third and final session in our work and business series. We’ll follow up with another webinar on the RCO as a tool for addressing the questions and topics we’ve highlighted in this series.
Third and final session in our work and business series. We’ll follow up with another webinar on the RCO as a tool for addressing the questions and topics we’ve highlighted in this series.
Here is a summary of what we addressed during our webinar:
Initially we did a short recap of the previous webinars. Our proposal is that many of us feel stuck in a world that we know not to be regenerative and yet we feel unable to access that which feels more right, more alive. The question is then how do we get there?
In the review of the personal we propose that what might be happening right now is the death of a cultural epoch that some call modernity. This is the rational, progress oriented, industrial perspective that has come under question due to the consequences it has on our environment. Instead this would be replace by something that is ‘yet to be born’ we propose that this something would come closer to the principles of life. Working with interconnectedness, diversity and resilience as its source. For this thing to emerge we do however need to get unstuck. To come back into relationship with the planet as responsible stewards rather than an extractive force.
Playing with perspectives we’re proposing that a way to begin getting unstuck is to check your bearings towards how you interact with the world through your worldviews. Lynn Murphy makes a distinction between a psychological (me oriented) and a spiritual (bigger than I oriented) approach. Paul Chefurka proposes (Ladder of awareness) that most of us map onto a relationship with the world that is can be simplified as: asleep - one problem - many problems - many interconnected problems - many inter connected problems that start with me. Weaving these together creates the following framework:
Pushing on to review the systemic we reminded ourselves of the G. Bateson quote: “The major problems in the world is the result of the difference between how nature works and how people think.” Suggesting that our stuckness in the systemic would also benefit from a shift in how we spend our energy. Away from spending energy to keep up the view that the world is rational, mechanistic, certain processes towards a more relaxed approach that instead accepts the world as embodied, relational and uncertain. The latter world is the world our current biology, physics and chemistry suggests we are actually living in. Yet in order to live into this world we need to find bridges that allow us to invite more humans away from where we are currently stuck towards the new. Three such bridges are the topics of Value, Risk and Efficiency.
For instance our current concept value (in business) emphasise value as being fully captured by financial capital. Most of us know however that this is hardly the case, there are many different values or currency streams at play. For instance the relationship that enabled the exchange, the raw materials (from nature) that make up the product etc. Another example would be efficiency: if the world is certain then efficiency is making a great plan and then executing but if we can’t know the outcome then we’d have to put more trust in the relationships and instead experiment to find the most efficient way. These are trivial examples with deep implications. If we can find ways to relax the upholding of (acting as if) the world as rational, mechanistic and certain this could be the beginning of shifting entire systems.
The path for doing it is to have the courage to begin acting from this world we are seeing. To do that, the relational is key.
Three ways of looking at the relational:
Attention - what we pay attention to and care for or attend to is what we are in relationship to.
Contact - relationship is only there if we are in contact. This goes for humans and living things but also objects. Unless we are in contact there is no relationship.
Exchange - relationship means some sort of exchange, however subtle.
If we are stuck in the personal (i.e. our relationship to ourselves) and stuck in the systemic (i.e. our relationship to the world at large) and we don’t feel like we have any agency or place to go then finding ways to get unstuck we can do this by shifting attention, contact or exchange in how we relate to the people and things around us.
We proceeded to propose 3 ways of getting unstuck before we went into a simple practice. We revisited the model described in the previous piece by Carol Sanford of 4 different minds. Things, Processes, Relationships, Essence. Noticing that shifting between each of these levels (that of course actually operate continuously and simultaneously) will both enable and limit us. Moving towards essence will reduce speed/pressure and increase space. Moving towards things will increase speed/pressure and reduce space.
3 ways to get unstuck:
shift your attention: put your focus on another level. See what is possible there. For instance if your contract negotiation is stuck (thing) perhaps ask the person across from you about their family (relation) or what they really care about (essence)
establish contact: connect deeper within yourself to another level than where you currently ‘are’. For instance if you are getting upset or angry as a result of whatever is happening around you (process), perhaps connecting with why you showed up in the first place (relation) might reduce some pressure
increase exchange: focus on what is flowing (or not) and explore how to enable more flow. For instance if you feel like you’re work is a drain since it is out of alignment with who you ‘really are’ perhaps see how you can show up as who you’d like to be to a larger degree (relation). Perhaps by exploring new ways of facilitating meetings (process) or increasing the exchange between your essence and the circumstance (thing) you are interacting with.
Another, more fundamental perspective, that we see from these quite basic examples is to consider tension as a potential source for energy. Put in another way if you can ‘be with’ and notice where you are not fully relaxed - that is a potential path for unlocking more potential in your life.
We then shifted into practice in breakout rooms exploring if we could notice how relationships can limit or enable us.
Next session on the RCO will be held on the 11th of April 2024. Sign up here.
Recording from the webinar:
Deck:
