It has been said that problems can not be solved from the same level of awareness or mindset from which they were created. One doesn't have to look very far to realise that humanity currently faces a lot of problems. Whilst this may have always been the case, and whilst it is also true that humans have become adept at solving some very complex problems, it is also fair to say that we are potentially facing one of the biggest 'problems' in modern history. What these problems require of us, is a new approach to leadership and a new level of awareness about how we can transform current issues into future possible solutions to navigate the future of work.
We live in a time of massive institutional failure, collectively creating and repeating results that nobody wants. Climate change. AIDS. Hunger. Poverty. Violence. Terrorism. Destruction of communities, nature, life—the foundations of our social, economic, ecological, and spiritual well-being are under significant threat. This current moment in history calls for a new level of awareness and a new collective leadership capacity to meet challenges in a more conscious, intentional, and strategic way. The development of such a capacity would allow us to create a future of greater possibilities, as opposed to just repeating the status quo.
It is important to ask ourselves why our attempts to deal with the challenges of our time fail so frequently? Why do we find ourselves going around in circles like a broken record, repeating the same old patterns that lead to situations that the collective don't want? The cause of our collective failure is that we are blind to the deeper dimensions of leadership and transformational change. This 'blind spot' exists not only in the sphere of collective leadership, but also in our everyday social interactions. Many of us are blind to the source dimension from which effective leadership and social action are able to come into being. We know a great deal about what leaders do and how they do it. But we know very little about the inner place, the source from which they operate. And it is this source that 'Theory U' attempts to explore.
According to Otto Scharmer, in his book Theory U, when leaders develop the capacity to come near to that 'source,' they experience the future as if it were 'wanting to be born'— an experience called 'presencing.' That experience often carries with it ideas for meeting current and future challenges and for bringing into being an otherwise impossible future. Theory U shows how that capacity for presencing can be developed. Presencing is a journey with five movements, outlined below.
As the diagram illustrates, we move down one side of the U (connecting us to the world that is outside of our institutional bubble) to the bottom of the U (connecting us to the world that emerges from within) and up the other side of the U (bringing forth the new into the world).
On that journey, at the bottom of the U, lies an inner gate that requires us to drop everything that isn’t essential. This process of letting-go (of our old ego and self) and letting-come (our highest future possibility: our Self) establishes a subtle connection to a deeper source of knowing. The essence of presencing is that these two selves—our current self and our best future Self—meet at the bottom of the U and begin to listen and resonate with each other.
Once an individual or group crosses this threshold, nothing remains the same. Individual members and the group as a whole begin to operate with a heightened level of energy and sense of future possibility. Often they then begin to function as an intentional vehicle for an emerging future.
Some of you reading this might feel that this theory sounds a little esoteric, or left of centre, however, Theory U has developed out of a rigorous and dedicated study of leadership at MIT and The Sloane School of Management - both serious academic institutions with sterling reputations. In fact, MIT is currently running free a MOOC called 'U.Lab: Transforming Business, Society and Self' that has attracted 45,000 participants globally.
There are seven Theory U Leadership capacities and the journey through the 'U' develops seven essential leadership capacities.
Theory U is a framework and a process that challenges your beliefs on mutiple levels and challenges each of us to pause for some deep self-reflection. MIT x U.Lab's MOOC 'Transforming Business, Society and Self' provides the opportunity to participate in a global, well organised, well structured, well supported and inspiring experience surrounded by tens of thusands of others committed to transforming the way we lead and create change.
Examples of the above seven Theory U leadership capacities can be found in a number of multi-stakeholder innovations and corporate applications across the globe. The Presencing Institute is dedicated to developing these new social technologies by integrating science, consciousness, and profound social change methodologies that can be applied in multiple contexts, including the workplace.
For those of you reading about 'Theory U' and the potential for 'Leading From the Emerging Future,' for the first time, we encourage you to explore these frameworks further by clicking on each of the links above.