Manifesto

Theory

Systemic thinking is a multidisciplinary theory at the intersection between biology, philosophy of language, systems theory, complexity, and social construction. In practice, this means being interested in the meta level, how the context is understood and what dynamics the relationships in a particular network create.

In systemic thinking the logics of microsystems are visible as stories and language games, and organizations are seen as improvisational ensembles of narratives within a conversational nature. All social entities are created and recreated by what people say and do. 

A tree doesn’t reframe, the whole forest does. 

Everything is interlinked.

The disturbance of repetitive patterns allows new ones to emerge.

Awareness activates the system's self-regulating ability.

It is only the organism itself in contact with its environment that can bring a growing process.

A different culture can not be announced or imposed by an act of will. Instead, a new culture develops itself day by day in the practical interaction of everyday business. This invites us to stay in the movement of communicating, learning and organizing. To hold open the interplay of sensemaking and the experience of not-knowing. Stories and metaphors are threads that weave experiences together in the interpretive process of making things meaningful. We tend to become the stories we have about ourselves.

.....

Through the forest

a light breeze filled with the fragrance of jasmine that leaned against the white fence.

The flowers were in full bloom.

Hundreds of white flowers. It was as if each flower breathed, opened and closed again.

Breath in and breath out. Open up and close.

That movement did not happen in isolation.

The plants were constantly talking to each other.

The root snapped as they grew, sending out sounds in the frequency of megahertz that the trees next to them understood.

It wasn't supposed that only the biggest and fairest would thrive. The logic of the forest was not the survival of the fittest.

It was to take care of each other.

– "I am sending you nourishment, thought the birch". She saw that the narrowest and shortest pine tree was about to die because of the fierce storm that passed by during the winter.

.....

Practices

Writing is a powerful way to separate us from ourselves and reflect. Diaries, writing assignments and interviews are central to get touch of a new angle.

The dialogue itself is at the core of sensemaking processes.

The narrative approach focuses on how stories enable us and give shape to  frames and imagine new ones.

In learning, the opportunity to see, feel and change perspectives is central, hence the pedagogy is mainly inspired by gestalt theory and psychosynthesis and explorative action methods that are combined with homework to make things concrete.

Metaphors and visual representations are seen as tools to create meaning and give meaning and therefore nurture changes in beliefs systems.

The sessions are conducted in an environment that contributes to learning and where art, nature and sound, can be resources for elaboration.