There is so much to learn from nature and how it elegantly navigates complexity with creativity and resilience. Yet modern society tells us we should think of organizations and communities in mechanistic terms, seeing them as separate from ourselves and seeking to manage, control and “re-engineer” them. While this has given us many benefits, it is also falling short in critical, even catastrophic ways. In recognizing our organizations and communities as dynamic, self-organizing living systems, we discover more effective ways of guiding them. And we set off on a pathway to greater wisdom, compassion and thriving.
If we are going to enable life to thrive, we need to know what that requires. Fortunately, there is a set of patterns common to all living systems, including organizations, communities and economies. These are the “
design principles” we have to work with in seeking to enable any living organization or community to thrive.
Cultivating those fertile conditions then becomes an ongoing practice of stewarding life. This is our most important and rewarding work, no matter what our industry or geography, no matter what our product or project. Recognizing the life – and therefore the complexity and potential – in our organizations and communities ushers in a shift in the overarching purpose of all our activities, toward the intention and practice of enabling life to thrive as fully as possible, at every level and across an expanded time scale.
