Threefolding is a rich source of nonconventional, wise thinking which can inspire those looking for new societal systems. I like to learn about others in our world who see problems with our current way of doing things and who have explored healthier, more empowering alternatives.
Here is Daniela Papi Thornton speaking about the need for Reclaiming Social Entrepreneurship. Speaking seven years ago, she is calling for more thought and a larger scope when educating students who want to implement change.
In 2020, I took a Collaborative Leadership online course at Sunbridge Institute (Chestnut Ridge, NY) with Joachim Ziegler and Jessica Heffernan Ziegler. In this course, I learned about a Dutch organization called Buurtzorg. This non-profit organization is a homecare company which is run by self-governing teams of qualified, motivated nurses. I also heard about Frederic Laloux, the author of Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness (2014)
I have not read Laloux’s book yet, but I found this summary of his book on Amazon. Their summary of the book bears repeating:
The way we manage organizations seems increasingly out of date. Survey after survey shows that a majority of employees feel disengaged from their companies. The epidemic of organizational disillusionment goes way beyond Corporate America - teachers, doctors, and nurses are leaving their professions in record numbers because the way we run schools and hospitals kills their vocation. Government agencies and nonprofits have a noble purpose, but working for these entities often feels soulless and lifeless just the same. All these organizations suffer from power games played at the top and powerlessness at lower levels, from infighting and bureaucracy, from endless meetings and a seemingly never-ending succession of change and cost-cutting programs.
Deep inside, we long for soulful workplaces, for authenticity, community, passion, and purpose. The solution, according to many progressive scholars, lies with more enlightened management. But reality shows that this is not enough. In most cases, the system beats the individual - when managers or leaders go through an inner transformation, they end up leaving their organizations because they no longer feel like putting up with a place that is inhospitable to the deeper longings of their soul.
We need more enlightened leaders, but we need something more: enlightened organizational structures and practices. But is there even such a thing? Can we conceive of enlightened organizations?
In this groundbreaking book, the author shows that every time humanity has shifted to a new stage of consciousness in the past, it has invented a whole new way to structure and run organizations, each time bringing extraordinary breakthroughs in collaboration. A new shift in consciousness is currently underway. Could it help us invent a radically more soulful and purposeful way to run our businesses and nonprofits, schools and hospitals?
The pioneering organizations researched for this book have already "cracked the code." Their founders have fundamentally questioned every aspect of management and have come up with entirely new organizational methods. Even though they operate in very different industries and geographies and did not know of each other's experiments, the structures and practices they have developed are remarkably similar. It's hard not to get excited about this finding: a new organizational model seems to be emerging, and it promises a soulful revolution in the workplace.
"Reinventing Organizations" describes in practical detail how organizations large and small can operate in this new paradigm. Leaders, founders, coaches, and consultants will find this work a joyful handbook, full of insights, examples, and inspiring stories.
In a very recent talk by the current CEO of Buurtzorg, Thijs de Blok (see video below), de Blok mentions that Buurtzorg was referenced as an example in Laloux’s book, Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness.
I highly recommend watching the following video. This amazing non profit company encourages highly qualified, motivated nurses to work together in teams and to make their own decisions based on what is best for their clients. Buurtzorg, which was founded in 2007, is currently inspiring leaders in 26 countries to learn from their practices.
For a talk by the founder of Buurtzorg, Jos de Blok, click on the video below. In this video, Jos de Blok is addressing the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in England to receive the 2014 Albert Medal for his pioneering role as founder and CEO of Buurtzorg, and to show how the movement can now spread to the rest of the world.
Here is a good quote by Jos de Blok from another presentation, a TEDx Geneva talk, 2015:
“So if you just let people organize the work themselves you get much better results and people are much happier because they can do what they want to do. And it sounds very logical, but we make it very difficult for people to work this way in a lot of places, also in schools and also with the police.” (10.24 minutes)
In UK too there are similarly organized companies. Still would like to talk to you, as I reiterated to you in person in Feb.