W2 module 2

© 2012 Giordano Bruno GlobalShift University

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WORLD 2

A Critical Assessment of the Current Human Predicament

MODULE 2The Impact of Collective Beliefs on Group Behavior, Structures and Consciousness


• What are the consequences of emphasizing individual freedom over equity and solidarity?

• How do various forms of inequalities reinforce each other and what are their roots?

• What are potential barriers to collaborating across groups?

• What forms of leadership maintain dominance by a few?

Focus Questions


LEARNING UNIT 1Limitations of Strident Individualism

LEARNING UNIT 2 Widening and Self-reinforcing Inequalities

LEARNING UNIT 3 Cultural Barriers to Collaboration

LEARNING UNIT 4Forms of Leadership that Maintain Dominance by Few


LEARNING UNIT 1Limitations of Strident Individualism


Why Focus First on Individualism?

in the long term, it attacks and destroys all the others and finally shrivels into egoism.

- Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835), vol. I, part ii, chap. 2

Individualism at first pollutes only the source of the public virtues; but,

Image: Salvador Dali — The Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Metamorphosis_of_Narcissus.jpg


The Emphasis on Strident Individualism is at the Root of Western Monoculture

Human nature as egocentric,

aggressive, and materialistic

Domination paradigm

Blind faith in free markets

Quest for ongoing

material growth


The Power of the Monoculture

When you’re inside a master story at a particular time in history, you tend to accept its definition of reality. You unconsciously believe and act on certain things, and disbelieve and fail to act on other things. That’s the power of the monoculture; it’s able to direct us without us knowing too much about it.

– F. S. MichaelsImage: stock.xchng - Escalators in shopping centre (stock photo by Paul Szustka)Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/967963 (detail)


What Role Models Does the Monoculture Offer Us?


What Behaviors do you Observe in Groups you Know?

Image: stock.xchng - kids (stock photo by ramasamy chidambaram)Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/831128

Image: stock.xchng - Competition (stock photo by Jelle Boontje)Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1007993


LEARNING UNIT 2Widening and Self-reinforcing Inequalities


What do Social Institutions Have in Common?

Soldier (Diana Estrada Haris) - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/650933Salat Ied (hasimsyah) - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/115358

College (Griszka Niewiadomski) - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/241663Courtyard of City Hall, San Francisco (Matt Hall) - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/797876

New York City buildings 1 (porter bayne) - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/64368


Sources of Inequalities Tend to Reinforce Each Other

Limited education Gender bias

Poverty

Disabilities

Malnutrition

Unemployment

Ethnic/racial bias


The Never-Will-Haves2.9 billion living on less than $2 a day2.4 billion lacking access to proper sanitation2.2 billion restricted in civil and political freedoms 2.0 billion lacking food security1.2 billion living on less than $1 a day in developing world1.2 billion without access to safe drinking water924 million “slum dwellers” lacking adequate shelter900 million adults illiterate829 million chronically undernourished790 million lacking health services550 million adults underemployed below living wage500 million unlikely to survive to age 40325 million children out of school (primary/secondary)246 million children working as child laborers180 million malnourished children180 million adults and “youth” (15-24) unemployed120 million couples without access to contraception100 million “missing women” (infanticide, neglect, abortion)120 million couples without access to contraception27 million working under conditions of slavery Photo creditL: Joe F. Walenciak


What is Your Experience of Inequality in Your Own Town?

Image: Reflecting Social Difference by *oO-Rein-Oo on deviantARTSource: http://oo-rein-oo.deviantart.com/art/Reflecting-Social-Difference-94246334


Are You Involved in Finite or Infinite Games?

There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite.

A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing to play.

The rules of the finite game may not change; the rules of an infinite game must change.

Finite players play within boundaries; infinite players play with boundaries.

Finite players are serious; infinite games are playful. A finite player plays to be powerful; an infinite player plays with strength. A finite player aims for eternal life; the infinite player aims for eternal

birth.

– James P. Carse, Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility, 1986.


LEARNING UNIT 3Cultural Barriers to Collaboration


Some Barriers to Collaboration are Visible, Others Invisible

Visible structuresInvisible structures

Image: stock.xchng - Separation Wall Palestine (stock photo by Carles Surià Albà)Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/459233

Image: protest the protestors by ~mattywing on deviantARTSource: http://mattywing.deviantart.com/art/protest-the-protestors-27732585?

q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aphotography%20protestors&qo=142


A Process of Cultural Adjustment

1. Usually followed by a falseattribution about their behavior

And we withdraw

2. We become aware of our reaction

We reflect on the causes

And our reaction subsides

We observe and decode the cultural differences in the situation

Which results in developing culturally appropriate expectations

We expect others to be like us, but they are not

Thus a cultural incident occurs,

Causing a reaction (anger, fear, etc.)


Creating Something Together Across Cultural Divides

Image: Driptech is named a 2009 Tech Award Laureate - d.school newsSource: http://dschool.typepad.com/news/2009/09/driptech-is-named-a-2009-tech-award-laureate.html

© 2012 Giordano Bruno GlobalShift University 21

Conditions for Collaboration

•• Mutual respect and trust• Perception of complementarity• Open and frequent communication• Fexibility• Win/win framework• Long-term orientation

• Shared vision and values• Concrete goals• Behavioral commitments• Clear, mutually defined

relationships• Shared responsibility for

implementation• Shared rewards based on

collective performance• Commitment to learning and

improvement

Adapted from a survey by the Health Forum

Individual Collective


LEARNING UNIT 4Forms of Leadership that Maintain Dominance of a few


Two Views of Leadership

Charismatic Visionary• Powerfully articulates vision• Passionate• Inspirational• Unconventional• Willing to incur personal risk• Personally powerful• Very visible• Highly motivated to lead

Focus on leading the organization

Learner/Social Architect• Good listener • Calm• Thoughtful• Quiet• Humble• Gentle, soft-spoken• Unobtrusive• Highly motivated to learn

Focus on building the organization and growing other leaders

Source: Jerry Porras - Built to Last research


Charismatic Visionary or Learner / Social Architect / Gardener ?

All images from Wikimedia Commons


The Impact of “Knowers” as Leaders

Impatient leader taking charge, sure to be right

Dependency/ apathy of followers

Defensiveness,blaming others

Fear, loss ofrisk-taking

Erosionof trust

Silence,cover-up,lack of critical feedback

Learning driven underground


Emerging Forms of Leadership that Enable Self-Empowerment and Collective Intelligence

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Shared, rotating co-leadership A relational process

Complexity leadership Cross-boundary leadership

Image: stock.xchng - Meeting (stock photo by Sigurd Decroos)Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/990755

Image: stock.xchng - market day people (stock photo by tim & annette)Source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/5417

Image: MacArthur Maze (by Luke Thomas)Source: http://www.fogcityjournal.com/news_in_brief/bcn_maze_collapse_upd2_070429.shtml

Image: File:UN 62nd General Assembly.jpg - Wikimedia CommonsSource: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UN_62nd_General_Assembly.jpg


Change Begins Within“There was a man who wanted to change the world. He tried very hard, but could not accomplish anything. So he tried to save his country. When he could not, he tried to save his town, and then, finally, his family, failing each time to change anything at all. At last he tried to change himself. Then a surprising thing happened: as he changed himself, his family changed. As his family changed, his neighborhood changed…and so on. So, we begin with looking at ourselves as leaders.”

– Adam Kahane

Me My Family My CountryMy Town Planet

Technology

W2 module 2