VI. The Power of Wholeness: Support Methods
Article 6 of a 7 Part Series Authored by Mieke Byerley: Full work originally published on Biomimetic Clockworx.
This Labour of Love emerged as a consequence of the seeds planted in the original primary deliverable of a Teal for Startups’ White Paper initiative. It was formed by a Collaborative Community Question Harvesting exercise back in 2015. It was then carefully incubated by dedicated community members across Seven Work Streams, and is incrementally emerging in the form of Blog Series for the benefit of the Teal for Startup Community Members with the acknowledgment of the time and effort many have invested.
If you missed it, here is Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4 & Article 5 of the 7 part “The Power of Wholeness” series
Fundamental Practices
Ground Rules for Safe Space
Safe Space is a place or environment in which people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other psychological, emotional or physical harm. Here the ego (which is the psyche’s guardian) can relax its defenses, allowing people to show up fully; their masculine & feminine selves, their rational, emotional, intuitive and spiritual selves and their strengths and vulnerability, their deeper hopes and longings. It is important to establish ground rules to ensure the shared understanding and integrity of Safe Space as described in more detail here.
Some known practices to assist in creating Safe Spaces:
Work Environment
Work environments seem to resonate more emotionally; creating a sense of value deeply felt. Something precious, vital, something closely related to our very humanity. A sense of sanctuary when under siege. It is about innate connection, about celebration of life, about Hope. It’s about a choice for intimacy with the life that sustains us. A choice against isolation, fragmentation, separation and despair. They transform ‘Eros’ into ‘Agape’, through reverence for life, a sense of urgent appreciation, through dignity granted to ourselves, all Humanity and life in general. Some further reading here.
Some known practices to assist in creating Work Environments:
On-boarding Process
On-boarding is given significant investment of time and attention to ensure new members are welcomed and supported. To help integrate successfully into the organization and its culture, much attention is given to training and discernment. This often includes learning new relational skills, understanding what new philosophy means in practice and may include going through a rotation program. These programs teach common skills and provide an opportunity for new members to meet a wide range of people. New members are also encouraged to express their personal calling to see how it resonates with the organization’s purpose and to learn how they might support and nurture each other. Through these practices, a safe space is created, with each person is responsible to follow their own process of self–awareness and personal development. The daily practices offered, are the tools each person has available to define and follow their way. And only in this process of matching such an organizational approach with the individual’s responsibility for self-growth, can wholeness, self-management and listening to purpose flourish as further described here.
Some known practices to assist in creating On-boarding Processes:
Meetings Practices
Meetings are intentional acts of convergence for a specific purpose. No longer the only avenue for decision making, they are formatted and convened suitably in accordance with need and in-Tention, in a spirit of open enquiry. They stimulate a significant level of presence, with an experience of deep encounter through respectful receiving and obtaining. They are designed to leverage co-intelligence to effectively cope with areas of change, information and doubt. Open to conversation, critique and healthy dialogue, in an apparent manner as further described here.
Some known practices to assist in creating Meeting Practices:
- Collaborative Agenda Building
- Form follows Function
- Integrative Decision Making
- Check-ins and Check-outs
- Open Participation
- Facilitation
“The issues Outside are a MIRROR of the issues Inside” — U.Lab
Final Article 7 of the 7 part “The Power of Wholeness” series: Shifting Frames
Resources
Each Article is accompanied with a curated selection of resources, provided to further stimulate conversation, formation, research and real life practical application for you and the community.
Inquiry Exercise
- What does my doubt teach me about my faith?
- How has being Vulnerable shifted a difficult situation?
Examples
Recommended
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Thank You
Special thanks to Malek who is the co-initiator and founder of T4S and founder of FLOW, and Steph who is the founder of Ikigai and co-creator for T4S for taking the time to review the Full Series of articles. Also to all fellow collaborators of the Culture & Values Stream Team for all the support, feedback and reviews during the bulk of the writing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
I would like to recognize that this work would never have materialized if it was not for the amazing contributions of the following communities doing amazing work in their own right. So it is with a very humble heart and a great sense of appreciation that I introduce them here below:
Teal for Startups Community: https://medium.com/teal-for-startups
Frederic Laloux, and the Reinventing Organizations Community: http://www.reinventingorganizations.com/
Otto Scharmer, and the U.Lab Community: https://www.presencing.com/
Marjolein and Lani, and the Map of Meaning CoP: http://www.holisticdevelopment.org.nz/
Tom Atlee and the Co-Intelligence Institute: http://www.co-intelligence.org/index.html
Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal: http://www.couragerenewal.org/
