Holding spaces for awareness-based systems change

As I made the long journey back to Australia from the hills of beautiful Vermont in the USA, after an intensive awareness-based systems change workshop exploring personal and collective responses to global wicked problems and failing systems, there was plenty to reflect on. (Please refer to an earlier post as to my personal ‘why’ that sits behind this journey.).

I had flown into San Francisco from Melbourne and made a deliberate choice to journey (relatively) slowly from the west coast to the northeast. The American railway system provided the perfect opportunity – crossing around 14 states over three and half days. It was a chance for me to not only switch off from the ‘busyness’ of work and life in preparation for the rich conversations I was looking forward to, but I also wanted to get a better sense of this vast country - or at least as much as you can in a few days.

 From Melbourne I touched down in Los Angeles, but the journey really began from San Francisco. As I spent a day wandering the city with an informative and amusing story-telling guide, I was reminded of Mark Twain’s reflections of an earlier time - "I fell in love with the most cordial and sociable city in the Union” and so it remains today. Its’ wild west history is steeped in adventure and lawlessness, attracting fortune seekers, gamblers, and outlaws – and, as history always an ability to remind us, the stories of the best and worst of humankind. My guide clearly loves to keep the stories of ‘Emperor Norton’ alive – of the eccentric English commodities trader and real estate speculator who declared himself president of the US and Protector of Mexico in 1859, and who despite his lack of official authority became a much loved and respected character in the city.

Of course it’s also a city of amazing resilience – rebuilding after the massive 1906 earthquake and the devastating fires it triggered, and again after the lesser destruction of the 1989 quake – and still living with the inevitable probability that it will occur again. Is the human history of resilience and endurance to date one of the reasons we collectively struggle to get our heads around the potential existential threats posed by global warming and biodiversity loss?

Chatting to some of the street vendors near Fisherman’s Wharf is a reminder of the ongoing lure of the USA for those dreaming of a better life. Some estimates suggest there are 11 million illegal refugees in the USA – mostly from the ‘global south’. (I’m acutely aware of my own relatively privileged position and how that has brought me here.)  I probably don’t fit the profile of an average street food stall customer, but I don’t look a government official either. Javier is from Mexico – I don’t know if he is ‘documented’ or not, but despite what I see as ‘wariness’ in his eyes he is happy to share a bit of his story on how came to be here and the significant challenges of just day-to-day survival. The mouth-watering aromas and flavours of his tacos reflect what he has left behind alongside hope for a better future.

Settled into my cosy AMTRAK sleepette, I sit back to enjoy the landscapes unfold from San Francisco Bay through the Sierra Nevadas, and then from the rugged forested mountains to the arid plains and stunning mesas of Nevada. It’s a somewhat surreal experience of ‘passing through’ rather than ‘being-in’ a place, but it’s a powerful reminder of an ancient land and a dynamic changing planet. Sometimes I swear I could see human faces in those stunning rock formations – stuck in time but haunting reminders of the shortness of human time and lives. What would those who came before us have to say of the state of the world today?

The engineering feats of the railway carved through the canyons and gorges of the Rocky Mountains are inspirational, but at the same time a symbol of the pursuit of riches and colonial power, and the conquering of nature by man.

Cities showcase their symbols of power, achievement, and wealth, but the stark gaps between the haves and the have nots are also evident. The trainline corridors on city fringes are blatant testimony of the latter with fleeting glimpses of those living rough in makeshift camps scrambled together from the throwaways of others. Those unknowns who apparently have fallen through the chasms of society appear largely out of site except to train passengers whizzing by on the way to somewhere else, with other things to do and think about.

Travelling across this vast and diverse country the deserts and mountains give way to picturesque farmland and tidy small townships. One of my random lunch companions’ remarks that “the problems we face are just too big for most people, we expect our political leaders to sort them out”.  I talk to lots of middleclass Americans in the dining car – younger and older. Most it seems are worried about the future at some level. Toxic politics is almost a sub-text in conversation. There’s a lot of reflection on unusual weather events, and the recent images of New York City engulfed in smoke form the Canadian wildfires are top of mind. It seems that most people individually sense that things in general are heading in a wrong direction.

There are lots of reminders of disconnects with the natural world and an extractive and increasingly destructive economy - mighty rivers and lakes polluted (the Colorado River hasn’t reached the sea for decades), and lots of decaying infrastructure where the business models that created them gave no consideration of what to do with them at end of their life.

Courtesy of AMTRAK track works I unexpectedly end up in a small city called Schenectady in the state of New York waiting for a final onward train connection. Situated on the Mohawk River, the town gets its name from a Mohawk word meaning 'beyond the pines' and was originally part of Mohawk territory within the Iroquois nation. Schenectady became a significant industrial centre after Thomas Edison founded the General Electric (GE) company here, attracting brilliant minds in science and engineering who shaped America's future. Its citizens took great pride in this association. However, GE also left a damaging legacy of over 40 years of hazardous discharges, spills, demolitions, and dumping. (Remember how CEO Jack Welch, who rose from the ranks as an engineer in 1960 to become CEO from 1981 to 2001 has been heralded as a one of the greatest corporate leaders of his era!) In 1987, the area was declared an inactive hazardous waste site, and the clean-up efforts still remain incomplete. This led to a mass exodus of local residents seeking safety from the toxic waste and new job opportunities when GE relocated its headquarters and operations elsewhere. As a result, the town was largely abandoned. Nevertheless, a determined mayor refused to give up on his community. In the 1990s, he learned about the success of a Guyanese community in transforming Richmond Hill, New York, into a highly sought-after real estate area. Inspired by their accomplishments, an active campaign was launched to attract Guyanese residents to Schenectady. Despite challenges along the way, Schenectady has built a new narrative and reclaimed its position in the news, no longer for toxicity and abandonment, but for its recovery and prosperity. A walk through the town suggests a thriving multicultural community. Additionally, in 2021, the City of Schenectady was recognized for its local climate action and leadership in clean energy, and alongside GE's recent announcement to invest $50 million in Schenectady for a new manufacturing assembly line for its onshore wind business.

Finally I’m in the lush green mountains of Vermont. I spend the night in a hotel in Burlington before heading out to my final destination. The train has arrived late in the evening, and I share a glass of wine at the bar with a fellow traveller – a lovely young woman who has travelled up from New York City and is excited about the prospects of a corporate function put on by one her employers’ key clients. She asks me what has brought me to Vermont. It’s not an easy question to answer and I start out by trying to explain that I have come to participate in a workshop exploring ‘systems change’. I’m met with a confused look, so I try again – I’m coming together with a whole bunch of people from around the world who are interested in driving social change. I can see she is trying to make sense of that, and finally she says, - Ok, right I get it…you help people and businesses with their social media. By then it’s getting late, and I don’t have the energy to try and further clarify. But no that was not what I meant – however her comment will come back to me as I reflect more on the power of social media in the context of social change (more of that later).

My various conversations and reflections and thinking about the group I have come to be with, reminds me of the range of responses to ‘wicked problems’ – from complete lack of awareness to apathy, to being too consumed by other priorities to even think about them, to despair and helplessness, to wanting to do something about it.

The ‘Executive Champions Workshop’ (hosted by MIT’s Presencing Institute and Centre for Systems Awareness), which I have come to attend, is being held at the Trapp Family Lodge near the small village of Stowe. (If you are a fan of ‘The Sound of Music’ - yes it is that Trapp family, and this now multi-generational Trapp family resort is testimony to their stewardship of a large piece of land and nature-based tourism). The workshop has brought together people to have deep conversations around questions that matter, like-:

• What can we do to nurture hope that real change is possible?
• How do we identify and strengthen local, regional and global commons?
• What is required at a personal and collective level to extend leadership networks?
• What do we need to do to increase our ability for reflection on the level of system and self?

A diverse group of people from all over the world have to come together for 3 days. There is no fixed purpose or outcome statements or agenda – but there is a natural flow. We are not in a conference room, instead we are seated on lush green Spring grass under a marquee. The sound of birds and the wind in the silver birches and conifers is a calming back drop. There is lots of circle work, small group discussions, meditation, and journalling. It is a safe supportive space. For me personally I have to say there were a few periods of emotional discomfort – including a few unexpected tears that reinforced some of my fears for the future and highlighted some disconnects between myself and deeper self.

Whilst Melanie (pronounced Muh-lah-nee) is new to me, I am quite familiar with the work of the facilitators (although it is my first time to meet them in person).

Otto Scharmer's Theory U (2009) is a transformative framework for leadership and social change. It emphasizes deep listening, accessing deeper sources of knowledge and wisdom, suspending judgements and assumptions, opening the mind and heart to new possibilities. Theory U proposes a process that moves from observing and empathizing to prototyping and realizing a future that is more sustainable and inclusive. Otto’s term ‘presencing’ - the blending of the words sensing and presence, means “to connect from the source of the highest future possibility and to bring it into the now”. His book ‘Leading from the Emerging Future’ and the idea of creating a future that we actually want has always powerfully resonated with me.

Peter Senge's work focuses on the urgent need for transformative change in business and society to address pressing environmental and social challenges. He contends that organisations and individuals must embrace new ways of thinking, collaborating, and innovating to create a sustainable future. His publications including ‘The Fifth Discipline’ (1994) and ‘The Necessary Revolution’ (2008) appear as current today as they were when first published and I can’t help but reflect on an apparent lack of collective discipline to make the connections between theory and authentically transformational practice, along with the principles of reflective practice and double loop learning this requires. ‘The Fifth Discipline’ helped frame the reflective elements of my doctorate which explored ‘Post-colonial tensions in organisational learning’.

Arawana Hayashi's Social Presencing Theatre is a practice that combines mindfulness, movement, and group dynamics to explore social and systemic issues. It utilizes embodied experiences to uncover unspoken dynamics and patterns in groups and organizations, fostering deep awareness and facilitating transformative change. It offers a creative and somatic approach to sense-making and collective intelligence.

Melanie Goodchild, an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) complexity and systems thinking scholar, of the moose clan from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Ketegaunseebee First Nations, shared powerful first nations teachings and ceremonies and kept us grounded in our inextricable links to Mother Earth, and different ways of knowing. It is the first time she is part of the facilitation team, which has been running for 25 years.

There is such rich experience and thinking that sits behind what these amazing facilitators bring to the forum, complemented by inspiring practitioners from across the world, so it is simply not possible to do justice to that here. I can only hope and aspire to continue to support more engagement in these ideas and practices in my own practice and share some of my own reflections here.

For me personally it was a powerful reflective, grounding and re-energising experience and I hope this will be evident in the initiatives that I sustain and/or become involved in into the future. There is lots of food for thought for many more local and global conversations, and in particular what 'leadership' means in today’s world.

My few days journeying across the US and reflecting back on the state of play in my own country, did nothing to dispel my own personal and shared concerns that as a planet and society we have some wicked problems on our hands. It's clear, it’s not and cannot be a ‘business as usual environment’, and that we need deep transformational change at system levels, and in thinking about change we need to be alert to the interior responses of ourselves and others. Quoting Otto, when change and disruption hits do we ‘freeze’ and simply hold on to existing ways of doing things (i.e. muddle through)? Do we shut down and revert to old behaviours and belief systems (i.e. move back)? Or do we open up and lean into what wants to emerge (move forward?). These three days clearly brought together a group of people focussed on the latter – and exploring the challenges of what this means individually and collectively.

This posed more questions for me. Acknowledging a myriad of inspiring and positive change initiatives at many levels and scale around the world, what is required for movements to reach a tipping point to achieve real system change? How to strengthen engagement and bring others in? How can connections and collective impact across initiatives be strengthened in order to achieve something far greater than just the sum of their parts, and avoid unnecessary duplication and ‘reinvention of the wheel’?

In considering a title for this article, I settled on - "Holding space for awareness-based systems change", so I will reflect on that specifically. We’ve all been to workshops and forums and come away with new ideas and energy only to revert back into old patterns, so I’ve had to ‘hold space’ for myself on this experience and reflect and make sense of what it means for me and my practice.  Through that process it’s also reinforced for me the importance of holding space when working with others, because at its core it requires the cultivation of open and supportive spaces where individuals or groups can deepen their awareness, engage in reflective practices, and explore new possibilities for positive change.

I’ve framed this under the themes of ‘Aspiration’, ‘Reflective Conversation’, ‘Systems Awareness’ and ‘Leadership’ – noting that they are of course of interconnected.

 Aspiration

Collective aspiration, or unity of purpose, is at the heart of seeking to bring about system change – and you can’t have the collective without the individual. Holding space for personal and collective aspirations emerges as critical for enabling a nurturing environment where individuals and communities can explore, express, and manifest their deepest dreams and goals. It fosters connection, collaboration, and the alignment of personal aspirations with a shared vision for meaningful change.

Aspiration requires us to dig deeper into ourselves around what is truly important and what connects us to others. Tapping into a deeper sense of what is important requires us to explore our inner landscapes and embrace our authentic selves. It is a journey of self-discovery, aligning personal values and passions with a greater collective good. As we connect with others who share similar aspirations, a deeper and shared sense of purpose can emerge, which can translate into a ripple effect of positive change. There is of course that old adage that you cannot change a system unless you are first prepared to change yourself!

It is evident that there are however many barriers to this, such as external social and cultural expectations, fear of judgement, limited self-awareness, emotional baggage, distractions, busyness and competing priorities, lack of a supportive environment, personal mindsets and attitudes to change, different appetites for personal growth, different motivations, and so on. Overcoming these barriers requires courage, reflection, and discipline on our side as individuals and special consideration when facilitating change with others – that is, understanding and respecting where others are at in terms of their own journey. It also makes us more aware of where and with whom we focus our energy.

Reflective Conversations

The three days in Vermont were framed as a ‘workshop’. As we have all experienced, workshops can mean different things to different people and have very different purposes. I would be more inclined to describe the Vermont experience as a ‘reflective conversation’ or a ‘facilitated reflective conversation’.

It reinforced the importance of reflective conversations where individuals hold space together in an environment of openness, trust, mutual respect, and without judgement. These conversations foster empathy, connection, and collective wisdom, enabling groups to participate in sense-making, navigate challenges, and nurture a supportive and transformative collective experience. Reflective conversations are not outcome focussed, rather they are generative and provide a fertile ground for emergence - allowing new insights, ideas, and perspectives to emerge organically from the collective dialogue. These conversations have the potential to spark profound shifts in thinking, foster collaboration, and drive positive change at both individual and collective levels. These kinds of conversations however take time and require us to slow down for a while. They can also be the source of individual and collective emotional discomfort, as we confront our biases, privilege, or unconscious patterns of behaviour and ‘blind spots’.

That is absolutely not to say that other kinds of ‘workshops’ are not important. Different approaches to workshops provide important structured environments for knowledge acquisition, skill-building, problem-solving, co-design, action planning and so-on. The concept of reflective conversations however challenges us to consider when, how and why we need to hold space to be truly generative and for emergence to truly become a catalyst for creativity, collaboration, and positive change – and not inadvertently lock us into existing mindsets and patterns of behaviour.

Systems Awareness

Whilst it still does not appear as a widely common skill in all contexts, systems thinking/awareness is increasingly recognised as essential for managing complex change. Holding space for systems awareness involves creating supportive environments where individuals can explore and deepen their understanding of complex systems.

Peter’s work on systems thinking and systems awareness highlights the importance of understanding and perceiving the interconnectedness and interdependencies of various components within a system. This goes beyond linear cause-and-effect thinking, recognizing the dynamic relationships and feedback loops that shape complex systems, and how holistic understanding, transformative insights and informed action, and the avoidance of unintended consequences, are enabled. It entails fostering a mindset of curiosity, empathy, and openness. It’s a skill that can, and needs to, be taught more widely.

Addressing systemic issues also requires acknowledging power dynamics that may exist within the system. Holding space for awareness-based systems change involves creating an inclusive environment where all voices are heard, including those from marginalized or underrepresented groups. However, power imbalances and hierarchies can impact participation and limit equal access to the process. In the Vermont workshop we also acknowledged other power imbalances like the insidious influence of ‘dark money’ - where wealthy and powerful donors remain anonymous as they try to influence politics and engage in a counter offensive on climate change efforts.

Systems change is a complex and multifaceted process. Understanding the interconnections, dynamics, and root causes of systemic issues requires a willingness to navigate ambiguity and embrace the iterative nature of the change process. We need to be alert to the multiple sources of truth and knowledge that truth can be subjective and influenced by various factors.

I will be the last one to dismiss the importance of science, but we also need to be in tune with different ways of knowing. Epistemology explores how knowledge is obtained. Science for sure in our western culture is the predominant method based on logic, empirical evidence, and reasoning (i.e. the head). Other ways of knowing though include personal experience, introspection, intuition and cultural or religious beliefs (i.e. the heart and hand). Arawana helps us explore the intersection of embodiment and systems awareness, recognizing that our bodies hold wisdom and are inseparable from the larger systems we inhabit. Melanie reminds us of how indigenous peoples' connection with the land nurtures their systems awareness. Their deep-rooted relationship with nature recognizes interdependence, sustainability, and the need to protect the web of life, offering valuable lessons for navigating complex systems for positive change.

We spend some time at the workshop reflecting on how AI and social media play a significant role in shaping our understanding of systems. While acknowledging the benefits of AI and its ability to analyse vast amounts of data, identify patterns and unlock new possibilities, there is shared concern of how the combination of AI and social media can perpetuate biases and create ‘echo chambers’ - that is how our social media feeds primarily expose us and others to information, ideas, and opinions that reinforce existing beliefs or perspectives. It’s a stark reminder of the importance of what Otto refers to as ‘open mind’, ‘open heart’ and ‘open will’.

Otto also shares his work on ‘operating systems’ – including areas such as finance, education, health, agriculture, management, and governance – highlighting how dominant operating systems which are embedded in outdated economic logic have largely featured extractive practices, concentrations of power and wealth, and reactive approaches that have not been human-centred – alongside emergent shifts to more generative practices and a sense of the ‘common good’. It’s a reminder that it is at these edges of innovation, and where there are still many ‘blank canvases’, where there are opportunities for much deeper conversations and where further shifts can emerge for collective impact.

More questions are generated. What are the things we truly value together that will allow us to co-create for the common good? How do we nurture those for impact at scale? How will those who benefit and hang on to traditional operating systems respond to emergent shifts? How to create more awareness that despite best intentions, sometimes we are unwittingly also part of the perpetuation of those traditional operating systems and therefore inadvertently part of the resistance to emergent and more generative ones?

There are no easy answers to these questions. The extent to which complex system change can be ‘managed’ is debatable. It can undoubtedly be influenced, but perhaps not managed in terms of the way we have come to understand ‘management’ in its current form.  We need to accept that there is a level of randomness and dynamism – and that we need to be alert to unintended consequences. In terms of the latter I can’t help but think of the widescale positive intent surrounding the push for renewable energy, alongside the extractive economy required and its potential for further negative social and environmental impacts. How to ensure a holistic and integrated approach that serves a common and equitable good? It also reinforces the importance of prototyping and piloting before rolling initiatives out at scale, however how do we balance that against the urgent need for change in so many areas?

Sustaining individual and collective momentum in the face of systemic complexity is a challenge. How do we make better use of Action Research and its combination of participatory research and action to better drive positive change?

For me, as I am thinking about what next for me - there is a lot of food for thought. I’ve reflected a lot on the groups and initiatives I am currently connected with and others in the pipeline, and which of those most strongly reflect seeds of opportunity for system change into the future, and how I might further contribute to a collective journey for impact.

Leadership

Finally, some quick reflections on leadership, because leadership is at the heart of any change, and because in so many respects it has become such a problematic term. With its roots in the Old English word lithan, which literally means, “to go”; at its’ simplest level it is associated with the idea of going somewhere together with others. It is obviously linked to culture and context, and in today’s world has become synonymous with power, top-down hierarchical and paternalistic structures, and heroic figures – very masculine attributes. The big question I often ask is what kind of leadership is required for today’s world? Or, perhaps as Peter reflected in the workshop. “We don’t need more leadership. We need more mothership”. It is the more feminine aspects of leadership and the more collective ones that undoubtedly need to be nurtured today.

Acknowledging that to some extent leadership is situational there are two approaches to leadership which remain of great interest to me.

The first is the notion of facilitative leadership – as I have always been heavily engaged in facilitation. Acknowledging the different purposes associated with facilitation, my awareness has been heightened of the role of facilitative leadership in supporting reflective conversations and in fostering presencing. Leaders need to facilitate the creation of safe spaces, encourage open dialogue, and model presencing qualities such as deep listening, empathy, and open-mindedness. Facilitative leadership requires guiding a process without dominating it, allowing for the emergence of collective wisdom and future possibilities and bringing it into the now. There are ofcourse fine lines to be balanced between ‘talking’ and ‘doing’ – particularly when we need an urgent focus on informed action. Facilitating the development of prototypes can be an important bridge here.

The second is the notion of collective leadership or systems leadership– a space I have been very actively playing in in terms of both supporting more collaboration and connectivity across innovation ecosystems, and through supporting collective leadership capability building.  Collective leadership involves a shift from an individual-centric approach to one that embraces the wisdom and contributions of diverse stakeholders. It emphasizes a unified sense of purpose and focuses on understanding and navigating the complexities of interconnected systems to address complex challenges and create positive systemic change through collaborative effort. It’s not to say ‘ego’ is not important, but it requires a shift from just ego to eco(system). Collective leadership is not about job title or role - it is more about a mindset and a way of being and working with others for change.

The stories of positive system change are important ones to be told, and they inspire us for what is possible.  However we also need more ‘stories’ to be shared of the practices, behaviours and mindsets that underpin collective leadership – not just ‘what’ can be achieved but ‘how’ – and the important lessons that emerge from that.

I am also reminded of a saying attributed to Confucius – ‘to become a leader, you must first become a human being’. It reinforces the importance of any leader to engage in conversation as a deeply reflective human first. However how does that sit alongside the interests of the organisation they represent or the professional function they perform in the broader context of the need for system change and overcoming systemic barriers?

For sure, we urgently need a generation of leaders who are systems thinkers and have regenerative mind sets.

I’ve got a lot more notes, and more questions than answers. However my individual strategy that translates my own sense of purpose into next steps is becoming clearer – and I look forward to more collective journeys as we all continue to grapple with the challenges of our time and to continuing to share reflections and insights into that.

 And finally…..

 On a lighter note, somewhat serendipitously, my trip to the USA concluded with a colourful production of "The Wizard of Oz" at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Like many children’s stories, L. Frank Baum's timeless ‘The (Wonderful) Wizard of Oz’, written in 1900, transcends age and offers valuable insights into navigating life's challenges and the forces of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. The Scarecrow represents the power of the mind, the Tin Man the importance of the heart, and the Cowardly Lion the significance of courage. Through determined action, Dorothy and her companions triumph over the Wicked Witch, reminding us of the potential for positive outcomes. Dorothy's longing for home also reinforces the value of a sense of belonging and place. The narrative therefore for me very much reinforces for me the need for open hearts, open minds, and open wills to shape a desired future amid challenges and opposing forces. It also reminds us of the importance of localism while recognizing our interconnectedness within a larger whole. 😊

References:

Hayashi, A., (2021), Social Presencing Theater: the art of making a true move, PI Press.

Scharmer, C.O., (2009), Theory U (2nd edition): Leading from the future as it emerges, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.

Senge, P. et al, (2008), The necessary revolution: working together to create a sustainable world, Broadway Books.