The Living Organization™ Model - The Spirit

The key to success is to maximize energy contribution while minimizing the loss of energy as it flows through the system, transforming into valued goods and services. However, the model is incomplete if we think of the flow of energy as being at just one frequency.

Similar to light passing through a prism, the energy flowing through The Living Organization ™ has multiple wavelengths. Looking at the model three dimensionally, we perceive three distinct energy frequencies: Activity, Relationship and Context.

Activity is the energy of doing. It entails both the "what" and the "how" of the work to be done. This energy has the characteristics of linear, direct cause and effect relationships. The information it provides is processed analytically, and resides in the domain of the left brain, using physical intelligence (IQ).

Relationship is of the energy of interactions. It covers the "who" involved in the activity. It’s manifest predominantly in the form of communications, and mainly experienced in terms of empathy and patterns. The information is processed by the right brain, calling upon emotional intelligence (EQ).

Context is the energy of meaning and purpose. It is the "why" behind all what we do. Its dominant characteristics are culture and values, and are experienced as holistic knowing or intuition. It is an integrative energy, connecting information from other entities through their context energy field. It is processed by the heart-brain and calls on the spiritual intelligence of individuals (SQ).

Activity is what we can observe and measure. It is the field of energy that is most easily processed via the human senses. It is in the Activity field where potential energy converts into kinetic energy and transforms into goods and services.

Since Activity is the field that is easiest to observe and measure, we tend to think of it as being the most significant energy field. Certainly, most traditional theories of business have focused on this. However, while it is certainly a critical part of the overall flow of energy, it is by no means the only, nor the most significant one.

Relationship is the energy that emanates from the interaction of two energy sources. When we work with someone we are in conflict with, we tend to guard and withhold some portion of our energy. Conversely, when we are in a positive relationship with our co-workers, we tend to feel more energized and desire to contribute more.

There are also the synergistic interactions between flows of energy that further adds to the total energy flowing within the system; when two energy waves are in synch, their energy levels become additive, and are amplified. When they are out of synch, (out of phase in physics terms), their energy is attenuated, or diminished.

When we speak of teamwork we are, in essence, describing ways to maximize the synergistic amplification of energy, the whole becoming greater than the sum of the parts.

Context is the field of energy I suspect will be the most difficult for people to understand, especially in the arena of business. I believe everyone has, within their life experiences awareness and an understanding of this field of energy. It is the place within us that carries our deeper values, meaning and purpose. It is the source of our passions and our loves.

Lately, we read more and more of the business importance of vision, values, mission, and culture. We know that intuition plays an important role in decision making. We strive to stimulate creativity within our organizations. These are energies that all reside within the domain of the Context layer. As does such elements of The Living Organization™ model as Experience and Soulful Purpose.

Over the last few decades we have come to realize the importance of issues like culture, creativity and intuition, but we really do not yet fully understand their nature. At best, it is set aside as being that "squishy stuff" and we return to what we know best: the realm of what we do and how we do it (Activity).

When we do attempt to address these issues, we often do so by defining them within the context of activities, e.g. visioning exercises or creativity sessions. Unfortunately, this relegates them to only an intellectual understanding, thus losing much of the energy that emanates from the Context field.

While there is a great deal of available information about what to do and how to do it (Activity), and an equal amount on teamwork, the psychology of interactions etc. (Relationship), there is little information within the traditional business environment about the Context energy field.

There is however, a rich body of knowledge about this field of energy that we can draw on as leaders of our organizations. It lies within the psychology of Carl Jung. Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers and others. We can also find it in the writings of some of our greatest poets and philosophers, and in the literature of the great religions of the world. And yes, even in movies such as Star Wars. The Context field is the field of the Collective Unconscious, the domain of The Force, and the world of The Divine (however you personally chose to define it).

And while this energy field is the one least understood by business leaders, it is also the one that will have the greatest impact on the long term performance of your company. It is the layer that forms the context for everything that is - and is not - done within your organization. This context drives all behaviors, which in turn are reflected in the relationships we have and which, in the end, impacts what is and is not accomplished.

When we speak about "the spirit" of the organization it is the energy that flows from the context field, the energy that cannot be seen but is always experienced. "A Journey Continues…"

This model has been the embodiment of many years of learning on how to create success in the business world. And while it may be a rich and new way to view our challenges I believe it is only a beginning, with new questions coming up for each one that is answered. I hope that others will come to understand and embrace this framework, and begin to work with and add to it, making it even more robust and detailed, and thus allowing for greater success for everyone.