This is some of the “technical” stuff behind what I’ve been writing about over the past days.

Please just skip if it isn’t for you – I thought some might like to see a little bit more of what’s lies in the background.

Generally speaking, this is about how ideas from different people overlap, nuance, and develop each other.

Specifically, it’s about the thinking provided by Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer about how we can be more present to the emerging future, through becoming more present to our world, each other, and to our future Self, and it’s about the thoughts of Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright on the different tribes to be found in organisations.

Scharmer and Kaufer introduce Society 1.0 (organises around hierarchy – “bring us order and we’ll do what you tell us”).  This society lacks dynamism and freedom.  It doesn’t mean people don’t complain.  I found myself in a context once upon a time where the people would tell me I was the one who was supposed to come up with the ideas, and then they would let me know what they thought about my ideas.  Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright introduce a tribe whose mantra is “My life sucks” – the caveat being “Yours is okay, but if you had the background, opportunities and people in your life that I have, your life would suck too.”  These “tribe-members” cannot see how there lot can be changed.

Then there’s Society 2.0 (organising around competition – the state takes more of a back seat and let’s the economic forces get on with it, largely); whilst having dynamism and freedom, this society is often blind to, or, unconcerned with, the externalities of its actions (the make more-faster madness).  The corresponding tribe holds the mantra “I’m great!” – the caveat this time being “but you’re not.”  It can be about the survival of the fittest, and in an extreme form, sees success as a scarcity so you you may have to be brutal.

Society 3.0 (organised around interest groups – takes up the problems of the externalities – labour rights, eco-concerns, the rich-poor divide).  The problem is, those too slow or unable to organise themselves, for a host of reasons, miss out.  The tribe which connects with this Society have the mantra “We’re great!” – the caveat being “but they are not.”  Although people are more aware of one another, it’s more likely to be within the special interests of the group, organisation, or culture.

Then Scharmer and Kaufer describe Society 4.0 (organised around the emerging whole – seeing and understanding all the people, all the issues, on the levels of the world, people, and the future-Self everyone must be empowered to explore).  Although, Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright claim there to be further developments to come, their corresponding tribe has the mantra “Life is great.”*  Together, the real competition to life on earth is taken on: disease, illiteracy, poverty, injustice, natural disasters.

The good news is, Humans are on a journey into an emerging future – this is what we’re exploring.

There is another tribe.  It comes before the first one mentioned and it’s mantra is “Life sucks.”  This tribe corresponds, in part, to the Society which Scharmer and Kaufer see forming when beliefs and views become more fixed, then delusion follows, and then destruction – here is where we find the fundamentalisms.

(*By this, I certainly don’t deny pain and suffering, rather, it is about everyone being able to explore a life of Creativity, Enjoyment, and Generosity.)