Assignment Book Review Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future December 15, 2011

The book Presence defines a new theory of change and learning. The theory unwinds through extensive conversations held over a year and a half between the authors of the book. The book clarifies to the concept of presence as an idea borrowed from the natural world, in which the whole is entirely present in any of its parts, and the parts exist as embodiments of the whole (). The authors pull from their own experiences and use them to express creative ways of viewing the world. Their journeys ultimately facilitate a better understanding for us as to the part we played in building the world as it is and might be.

New ways of thinking about how we learn are explored within the text. Learning involves integrated thought followed by action. Thought is provoked by patterns that have been ingrained mentally and are habitually revisited through established reactive learning. One must create deeper levels of learning and awareness of the larger whole to include the present and future through actions which create alternative outcomes for the future.

The author states We first thought of presence as being fully conscious and aware in the present moment. Then we began to appreciate presence as deep listening, of being open beyond ones preconceptions and historical ways of making sense. We came to see the importance of letting go of old identities and the need to control and, making choices to serve the evolution of life. This is awareness that there is an emerging future that depends on us ().

Past experiences provide a good basis for the future, but clouds our vision to see opportunities to shift for shaping the future.

The authors acknowledge that this shift in awareness has much in common with traditional teachings and practices of Buddhism,Taoism, esoteric Christianity, Sufism, and indigenous cultures. They say that what is now needed in modern society is an account of how such a shift of awareness can be cultivated as a collective practice. Here lies the concepts crucial connection to contemporary institutions, and it is here that Presence makes a fresh and provocative contribution to organizational learning theory. Organizations, from small working groups topotentiallyglobal companies, can be the fertile ground for cultivation of a life-serving collective transformation.

The author explains his new theory that sheds light on collective intelligence. Collective intelligence is the art of how we think and know together. Transformational change begins when we understand how it arises, and the new possibilities that it has to offer.

Creating transformational change is the goal. This becomes clear from their "U" theory of systemic change. The basis of the change process (equivalent to the bottom of the "U") occurs when groups experience this transformative moment of "presence" collectively. The state at the bottom of the U is presencing - seeing from the deepest

source and becoming a vehicle for that source.() The whole arises at the moment when we change or suspend our attention and the living process of the whole becomes more of an obtainable vision. When we are practicing this theory, we are better able to connect ourselves to the concept of being whole. The experience of understanding is not an abstract concept, but lies in the subtlety of the experience itself.

Theory U consists of seven capacities and activities they enable, which underlie our ability to see, sense, and realize new possibilities. Each capacity is a window to the next activity.

Suspending Redirection Letting go Crystallizing Prototyping Institutionalizing

Suspending: Requires stopping or suspending typical ways of thinking and observing without forming conclusions. Suspending ways of thinking does not destroy our mental model of reality. It involves bringing our assumptions in front of us. As we become mindful of our thoughts, they start to have less effect on what we perceive. Redirection: Involves turning attention in the direction of the source rather than the object. This leads to a deep sense of connection and an elevated sense of change.

Redirecting incorporates empathy and is deeply connected to a spiritual practice, such as meditation (). Letting go and letting come: This can be associated with the death and rebirth part of our life cycle. Letting go and surrendering of ones control belongs to the death part of the life cycle. Coming into the presence of a different sense of one self is associated with rebirth. It is necessary to surrender control for the concept of presence to occur. Learning how to surrender will allow us to begin to develop our capacity to let go of perceived desires to control. Allowing this to happen causes us to open up and focus on what is developing. In the letting come phase, the self turns into a source for future development. Crystallizing and Prototyping: During this phase we want to crystallize the intent. The vision and true nature of a whole cannot develop or be fully uncovered without acting on a concept though experiments and improvisation. Through prototyping we find new ways to test ideas. It is critical that feedback is provided so adjustment can be made to these ideas. Prototyping allows us to act on the idea before it is complete. One should have the capacity for self-reflection and course correction during this phase. Institutionalizing: Executing and accomplishing results through totally new ways of thinking will create new institutions or transform existing ones.

Developing these capacities accesses a deeper level of learning that is the key to creating change that serves the whole-we, our organizations, and the communities of which we are a part. Quotations from Presence As a learning process we can say a bit about what happens when groups complete the whole movement of the U. Like any learning process, completion means realizing bringing into reality enduring changes that are both external and internal.

Internal changes show up on two levels. First we come to embody a new capacity for action. Learning also creates new domains of meaning. It shifts our awareness and understanding.

The difference between good ideas and governing ideas ideas move from good ideas to governing ideas when they become the foundation of an organizations system of governance that is, when they become a source of decision-making power. Real governing ideas must be married to processes and norms that enable people to live the organizations values and purpose.

Confucian theory of leadership formation rests on the idea that if you want to be a leader, you have to be a real human being. You must recognize the true meaning of life before you can become a great leader. You must understand

yourself first.

Great leaders develop internal skills that are necessary to be successful. These skills are the seven meditative spaces.() The spaces include being aware of your actions, stopping from making a poor decision, calming your self, being still, finding peace, thoughtfully and cognitively thinking, and then executing your strategy. The process is longer than it appears, but a true leader is successful in completing all of the steps.

True calmness of mind allows you the ability to be still, be quiet and think, which allows you to achieve the outcome that you want and are destined to reach.

Great leaders develop can other skills as well. Meditation is not intriguing or interesting to everyone. However, each of us can learn to stop and reflect and listen. Other life situations and experiences give us the opportunity to create new opportunities.

Perspective is often developed by being placed in situations that are new and unfamiliar. When your mind is open to learning from these different situations, your

ways of thinking can be adjusted. Group dialogues can also teach us new perspectives. Discussions with others in diverse groups help leaders to reflect on actions and reactions and give the opportunity to see things in new ways.

Presence prompts readers to remember that the future holds new opportunities. There is a process we must go through in order to obtain our deepest purpose and desires. This process must be in sync with a larger whole. In order for the future to hold our greatest possibilities, we must not let the past control our actions or emotions. The future will arrive as it should when we commit to acting differently than we did in the past and are committed to a new and exciting future.

In conclusion, the book challenges us to recognize that the usual thought process we use may cheats us out of opportunities we would otherwise not experience. This leads us down paths that may not be conducive to our lives. The authors encourage us to accomplish wholeness, in contrast to separateness. We are encouraged to reorient ourselves within our living system (). that the capacity to do all of this depends on personal mastery, and specifically on the cultivation of reflective awareness. The authors cite Buddhist meditation and other Eastern contemplative practices as powerful methods for this cultivation. Senge, who

speaks from his own deep commitment to study and daily meditation under the direction of a remarkable Chinese Zen-Taoist-Confucian master, uses a simple systems diagram to illustrate the pervasive dysfunction lying at the heart of modern culture. He says: Western cultures growing reliance on reductionist science and technology over the past 200 years fits the shiftingthe- burden-dynamic remarkably well, revealing a play of forces that create growing technological power and diminishing human development and wisdom. . . . By giving us perceived power, modern technology reduces the felt need to cultivate our own sources of power. For deep organizational and societal change to occur, there must be an ongoing synergy between the personal personal and the collective. Generating new options depends both on the inner development of individuals and on collective processes in which they mutually enact the field of the emergent future. Presence concludes on a hopeful note that contains a call to inquiry and to action. The changes in which we will be called upon to participate in the future will be both deeply personal and inherently systemic. The deeper dimensions of transformational change represent a largely unexplored territory both in current management research and in our understanding of leadership in general. Auspiciously, this book serves as a personal and collective compass to guide us into this new land.

References Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice (5th Ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA. Weiss & Woody. (1994). Barriers to Work Place Advancement: the Experience of the White Female Work Force. Retrieved on December 9, 2011, from: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1131