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Emergent Insights frames its service offerings to
each client using an Integral approach. Integral means inclusive,
balanced and essential to the whole. Following the Swiss cultural
philosopher Jean Gebser's introduction of the term, it more specifically
refers to a higher order of thinking, a truly global worldview and
consciousness. Modern philosopher and master psychologist Ken Wilber
has advanced on Gebser's theories, among others, and developed a
new meta-systemic approach, or an Integral Methodological Pluralism
to understanding, being and doing things in the world. It affords
more depth and breadth in approach to any topic, especially future
potentials and uncertainties, than any other theory, method, or
mode of thinking currently available. The Integral wave of evolution
is seen as the current leading edge of humanity's discovery of self
and world. As philosopher Ervin Lazlo suggests, this "new paradigm
marks the coming of a new era in scientific thinking: an era in
which evolution expressed in human beings and in human societies,
is becoming conscious of itself." An Integral approach to the
world, our organisations and selves, marks a distinct advantage
in comprehension and insight, and affords a truly global perspective
to be brought into action.
Following Wilber's summary of the what an Integral
approach involves, Emergent Insights ensures that each of its service
offerings are Integrally informed. This ensures that depth, balance
and insight are involved in a structured way when addressing both
the hard and soft issues involved in every situation. While the
familiar subject matter competencies are still of crucial importance
(eg project management methodologies and communications strategy),
Emergent Insights has found that they can each be refined and more
meaningfully and practically related to other disciplines using
an Integral approach.
For example, when addressing the complex and demanding
requirements of a large IT project, establishing clarity around
the technical or hard issues is the common approach. An Integral
approach highlights that while these are still important, the soft
issues have an equally significant role to play in the success of
the project. As a consequence, they deserve an equal measure of
a project manager's time. The soft issues may be handled, for example,
through frameworks for understanding and working with different
human value systems, thinking styles, and people's Emotional Intelligence
competencies. Further, in any significant project, it is inevitable
that change will be occurring for the organisation and stakeholders
involved. This requires communications issue management and relationship
management that is set within an overall change management strategy.
Changing an IT system is, relatively speaking, the easy part. Involving
the people from your organisation and stakeholders and having them
change with you is the difficult soft issue that has often been
neglected or poorly managed because the tools and techniques have
not been available for effective management.
Emergent Insights Integral approach provides the frameworks
for assessing situations, and designing and guiding actions that
are, because of their broader and deeper conception of the situation,
more likely to affect the results that are intended. Each of Emergent
Insights service offerings is informed by our version of an Integral
approach. Some make explicit use of Integral theory tenets where
appropriate, while for others it is implicit.
In light of our experience with organisations of all
kinds within Australia, Emergent Insights Integral approach focuses
more on bringing balance to soft or human issue competencies to
the often highly developed hard or technical issue competencies.
This focus includes offering or developing an organisations capabilities
in areas like Values Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, communication
and change management, and critical reflection skills for strategic
conversations and foresight.
For more detail about what our Integral approach is
based on, in theory terms and with practical examples, see www.integralinstitute.org.
In addition, many of the areas of our specialisation listed on this
site include explanations of how Integral theory guides our approach
to these existing disciplines. If you have any questions, please,
contact us.
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