Chapter 2
Chapter 2 starts with discussing the different levels of change; from the shallowest- re-acting to the deepest- re-framing and re-generating. I found it interesting that each level further the outcome creation became more profound. Then the author gives the example of the company Xerox, which is something we had started to discuss in class. Xerox had created many great idea but they became successful at the hands of other companies like Apple because of their narrow focus on copiers. This led him to explain thinking on a deeper level, which involved observing for a long time, then retreating and reflecting, then acting in an instant. He compared it to painters who stare at something forever before painting. I can relate to this thinking because this is how I feel before coming up with the idea that I base a project on. The chapter closes with the enemies of open mind, heart and will. The enemy of open mind is the voice of judgement. The enemy of open heart is voice of cynicism. The enemy of open will is the voice of fear.
Chapter 3
This chapter stated several dimensions for how to approach change. First was reacting with is the most common way, which deals with habits and routines. The second is re-designing which works on changing the underlying structure and process. The third way is reframing which is changing patterns of thought. The third level is what us as humans need to work towards because thinking in the past will not solve all challenges. Another section that I agreed with is that as humans we create organizations and how they work. Once we set all the rules we become trapped by them and we blame what we made for our problems. This is something that we can fix if we look through it all more clearly.
Chapter 4
The chapter starts with the 3 types of complexity that impact challenges. Dynamic complexity is a systematic distance or delay between cause and effect in space or time. Social complexity is the product of diverse interests and worldviews among stakeholders. I found his examples of global warming and the CO2 emissions treaty to be very helpful in explaining these concepts. I also found it very frustrating that we have not signed the CO2 emissions treaty. The last one mentioned is emerging complexity which is characterized by disruptive change where the solution is unknown. He discussed again how we have moved from result focused to process focused to source focused. I think this progression is interesting because we have been "process based" for most of my life, so morphing to something new is exciting.
Chapter 5
One of the main parts of this chapter is the driving forces of this revolution that is rising from this conflict. The first force he mentions is the civil societies and NGOs and how they have effected history. I thought this was fascinating because we have discussed the fairly recent growth of NGOs but I did not realize their effect on history. The second force is the rise of the creative class and how it has created a large amount of today's economic development. I found this section exciting because I feel that I am apart of this growing group. The third section is spirituality which he describes as "source of creativity (distinct from religion)". Near the end of the chapter Otto further explained Society's Blind Spot. An interesting comment he made was that we see in special interest groups while we need what we lack which is cross-sector action groups.
"To discover this knowledge, we must trust our own senses, experiences, and insights --without having a clue where that journey will lead next"
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