The Creative Power: Transforming Ourselves,

Over the last two decades a major focus of organization theory has been on understanding the dynamic relationships between individuals, organizations and their environments. This interest in dynamics, illustrated by systems, chaos and complexity theory, is recorded in the works of Ackoff, Senge and Stacey. This focus offers a new viewpoint on holism for practising leaders and theorists today. Building on this interest, Davis and Smitha??s original text presents a new philosophical lens for helping leaders see the advantages of a more holistic approach to improving organizations. Specifically they: introduce the AIC (appreciation, influence, control) philosophy, model and process of purpose-power relationships as a next step in the evolution of organization and systems theory trace its roots and evolution in organization theory and indicate its actual and potential contribution to that field translate the model into atransformative, strategic organizing process that can be used to organize at any level, in a way that will ensure the achievement of higher levels of purpose, at less cost and in less time than traditional organizational approaches. Developed and tested via their work for organizations including the World Bank, this revolutionary book, written by two leading academics, will change the way organizations and individuals work.

William E. Smith Ph.D., is a Director of Organizing for Development, an International Institute (ODII)

List of Illustrations	p. xii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
The Starting Experience: Theory and Intuition	p. 5
Learning to March: Experience of Control	p. 7
Turbulent Contexts	p. 7
Trinidad: a Trial by Fire	p. 10
An Insight from Rome	p. 13
Rewards for Innovation?	p. 15
Stumped Again	p. 20
The Classical Literature and Control-Centeredness	p. 23
First Concepts of Organization	p. 23
Purpose and the Classical Period	p. 27
Learning to Dance: Experience of Influence	p. 32
Reading the Music	p. 32
Power	p. 34
Taking the First Steps: Consultants, Tools, and Answers	p. 36
The Dance Begins	p. 41
The Dance Takes Form	p. 45
The AIC Form in Embryo	p. 46
Open Systems and Influence	p. 48
Organization Environment Relations	p. 49
The Move to Process	p. 50
Stakeholders	p. 55
Purpose in the Open-Systems Phase	p. 57
Learning to Fly: Experience of Appreciation	p. 60
The Academic Opening	p. 60
The Breakthrough Intuition	p. 63
Stakeholders as Dancing Partners: Anchoring the Concept of Influence	p. 73
New Levels and New Depths	p. 74
International Development: Examples and Evolving Concepts of Wholeness	p. 75
The World Bank Experience	p. 75
Santa Marta, Colombia	p. 75
Santa Marta Effects	p. 83
New Levels Outside of the World Bank	p. 86
Thailand Does It All	p. 86
The Literature on the Emerging Phase: Embracing Wholeness	p. 91
Beyond Open Systems	p. 91
Summary	p. 102
The Philosophy, Theory, Model, and Process	p. 103
The Emerging Philosophy: The Nature of Purpose	p. 106
Insights from Religion, Philosophy, and Science	p. 106
The Common Message from Religions	p. 108
Science Demurs	p. 113
Philosophy, Purpose, and Manifest Power	p. 113
The Emergent Philosophy of Organization: Purpose [right arrow] Time [right arrow] Power	p. 121
Unconscious Purpose	p. 124
Practical Synthesis of Conscious and Unconscious Purpose	p. 131
Summary	p. 133
Building the Theory	p. 134
Purpose and Power Fields	p. 134
Power Fields Are Organized Dimensionally	p. 136
A Natural Example	p. 136
The Brain and Five-Dimensional Organization	p. 141
The Reptilian Brain	p. 142
The Mammalian Brain	p. 143
The Neocortex	p. 144
Our Visual System	p. 145
Color as a Five-Dimensional Language of Power	p. 146
Color Perception	p. 146
Summary: The Contribution of the Dimensional Perspective	p. 154
Building the AIC Model	p. 156
The Dimensional Perspective	p. 156
Purpose, Zero Dimensions, and the Complementarity Link to Wholeness	p. 156
One-Dimensional Organization	p. 157
Two-Dimensional Organization	p. 158
Three-Dimensional Organization	p. 158
Four-Dimensional Organization	p. 161
Five-Dimensional Organization	p. 162
Fractal Dimensions	p. 165
The Nine Basic Manifest Powers	p. 170
The Power Relationships as Holons	p. 172
Appreciative-Centered Organization: Five-Dimensional Mind Space	p. 173
Influence-Centered Organization: Four-Dimensional Timing	p. 175
Control-Centered Organization: Three-Dimensional Physical Space	p. 179
Summary	p. 180
The Process in Practice	p. 183
Principles in Process	p. 184
Purpose	p. 186
Making the Impossible Possible: The Appreciative Field	p. 190
(A-a) Discovery	p. 192
(A-i) Diplomacy	p. 192
(A-c) Visioning	p. 192
Orchestrating the Dance of Influence	p. 196
(I-a) Evaluation	p. 197
(I-i) Negotiation	p. 197
(I-c) Strategy	p. 198
Leadership Role	p. 199
The Control Phase: Action as Feedback	p. 202
(C-a) Appraisal, Reflection	p. 203
(C-i) Working Agreements	p. 203
(C-c) Operations, Action	p. 203
Summary: Back to the Center	p. 204
Implications for Ourselves, Our Organizations, and the World	p. 207
Implications for Ourselves	p. 209
Discovering Our World	p. 210
Telling the Story	p. 210
Committing to Action	p. 212
The Power Map	p. 218
Implementing Appreciation	p. 219
Implementing Influence	p. 220
Implementing Control	p. 221
Creating the Power Map	p. 222
How to Interpret the Power Map	p. 224
Interpretation of the Fifth or Mind/Spirit Dimension	p. 226
Interpretation of the Fourth or Relational Dimension	p. 227
Interpretation of the Third Dimension	p. 227
Preferred Ends and Means-Second and First Dimension	p. 228
Interpreting Zero-Dimensions	p. 229
The Power Map and Leadership	p. 230
Leading Appreciative-Centered Organizations	p. 230
Leading Influence-Centered Organizations	p. 231
Leading Control-Centered Organizations	p. 232
Summary	p. 234
Implications for Cultures, Institutions, and Organizations	p. 235
Cultures as Context	p. 236
Institutions and Long-Term Values	p. 239
Organizations as Individuals	p. 240
Power Patterns for Organizational Effectiveness	p. 242
Effective Appreciative-Centered Organization	p. 242
Effective Influence-Centered Organization	p. 244
Effective Control-Centered Organization	p. 246
Illustration of Practical Use of Value Priorities and Sequence	p. 247
The Action/Learning/Organizing Process	p. 249
Priorities as Identified by the Community Meeting	p. 251
Summary	p. 256
The Humpty Dumpty Rule	p. 260
Exploring the Potential	p. 260
Facing the Reality	p. 269
Fifth Dimension: Spiritual System	p. 271
Fourth Dimension: Political System	p. 272
Third Dimension: Executive System	p. 272
Historical Test	p. 272
An African Test	p. 276
The Feminine-Masculine Test	p. 276
Practical Impact of the Appreciative Level	p. 278
Summary	p. 283
Reflections	p. 284
The Three Transformations	p. 284
Transforming Ourselves	p. 284
Transforming Our Organizations	p. 287
Transforming Our World	p. 291
Appendix	p. 293
Notes	p. 305
References	p. 311
Index	p. 319
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The Creative Power: Transforming Ourselves, Our Organizations, and Our World

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