In this diverse and globalized world, there are as many perspectives on life as there are humans. All these perspectives, however, need to function together synergetically.
They need to become part of a larger story of who we are and where we are going, and the part we all play in this endeavor.
This larger story tells us that we are all parts of a whole system, and the better we make use of the whole system, the better we handle the challenges we face.
A Whole-System Approach takes both motivational, cultural, and structural areas into consideration when planing and implemening individual and organizational change.
As individuals, we want to grow in all areas of life. We want our relationships to flourish, succeed with work and finances, have healthy bodies and a great social life.
We also want our children to grow up healthy and live the best life they can.
Organizations need to provide value and attract the right people, get them on board and retain them. They need people to produce, be innovative and healthy. From a larger perspective, they also need to satisfy human needs sustainably.
When all parts are taken into account and put into an integrated system both individuals and organizations grow. The opposite is also true when parts are missing both organizations and individuals stop growing and become unhealthy.
A Whole-System Approach exists to enable growth in all areas of life
It doesn't matter if we talk about organizations, groups or individuals, we are all systems. Systems that are made up of and contain other systems. Atoms, for example, are part of molecules that are part of organs that are a part of a human being. The more inclusive and stable the system the healthier and more productive it is.
A Whole-System Approach creates sustainable and effective systems of growth and change by first analyzing the data and examine what perspectives that might be missing or not given enough attention. It then provides a Whole-System plan to include and provide attention to areas in need of attention. It then implements the plan and monitors and measures its progress.
The Whole-System Approach takes into account systems för individual growth, team development, and organizational growth.
Individuals, communities, and organizations are systems, and a Whole-System Approach organizes them all. It enables and encourages tapping our full individual potential, use full-spectrum communication to function together, and full-system management to organize it all.
In short, we are all full-potential humans and we want to be productive and creative, but for some reason or the other, most of us do not use our full potential. Taking the perspective of all of us being Full-Potential Humans direct us into why most of us have locked our potential inside. It has been locked because of the decisions we made early in life and the patterns these decisions have created.
These decisions still make us focus on certain things and miss others. They create beliefs about our self, others, and the world and form us psychologically and neurophysiologically. To tap our potential, we need to free the parts of ourselves that we have pushed away and neglected. We need to re-own everything that we have given away, the good and the bad. When we grow and become more, we have more fun, can provide better for those we care about, become much more effective, and truly make a difference in the world.
Attention and focus are our most valuable self-commodity. It is easy to go with our impulses, but it is possible not to do so, and make conscious and deliberate choices. How we master the art of self-awareness, self-esteem, and focus are the very foundations determining our life quality. When it comes to emotions, when we feel good, we act well also.
How we communicate, decide the quality of our life. A Full-Spectrum Communication enables us to deliver from and to the whole spectrum of human perspectives. It makes it possible to communicate with anyone through an understanding of what that person values, finds meaningful, and expects. At the same time, it provides tools for changing people’s states and offers glimpses of new worlds, more whole worlds. Full-Spectrum Communication facilitates recognition and curiosity to influence motivation and behavior.
Full-System Management asserts that we can create systems to run our life instead of being run by them. This means creating rituals and habits that work for us, not against us. It also demands a synthesis of the body and the mind, and of individual and organizational.
Adopting a Whole-System Approach* means using these three parts in synthesis. Having both an individual perspective, a perspective of the “we” and the perspective of the system, the “It”. This powerful inclusion of perspectives and structure will permit us to come up with more effective processes and more inclusive solutions to all areas of life, personal and business alike.
It takes into account the most integrative models and perspectives possible and incorporates them into a consolidated toolbox. It is not merely using different methods in parallel but does the art of synthesizing them.
*The Whole-System approach is inspired by the powerful life-work of the integral philosopher Ken Wilber. It is a way to apply and build on his ever-evolving magnum opus and make his theory available to all.
