Evolving Extraordinary Organizations
thru the Spirit and Practice of Community

Corporations

We understand the essence and workings of corporations in depth -- the same deep level we seek to reach and energize in our work with them. We have gained this deep understanding through a diverse range of experiences:

• Decades of work in corporations, covering most functional areas in a variety of industries
• Extensive support as consultants, coaches, and facilitators
• Immersion in and study of corporations as organizational ethnographers
• Hands-on participation in and leadership of corporate strategy, information technology, knowledge, people/communities, organizational structures & processes, cultural transformation, and the integration of these into a holistic, living system

This unique perspective enables us to cut through the "noise" that often hides what's really going on in the corporation and recognize and appreciate the special opportunities and challenges it faces. The natural structure of a corporation provides an opportunity to be the most powerful environment for innovation and sustainable growth, one that energizes and mobilizes its workforce and partners to achieve extraordinary levels of value creation and satisfaction for all stakeholders. But the economic incentives that fuel this opportunity also present significant challenges. The demands of owners/investors for short term results can have an overpowering ripple effect that drives leaders to make decisions and the workforce to take actions that conflict with their own values and instincts about what's "right" and what makes sense in the long range, big picture. The current climate of corporate scandals is symptomatic of these challenges, primarily caused by the structure and culture these people are working in, not by all of them being "bad people."

More and more corporations and people within those corporations are waking up to the realization that work and life, business and society, mind and heart and soul, don't have to be mutually exclusive. They are increasingly moving to a place where they passionately believe in and act upon more life-affirming values; ones that they truly believe in deep within themselves as being the right thing to do for their business, their co-workers, their families and friends, society, and the earth. They are finding that making a profit and a comfortable living and doing what feels right can act synergistically, feeding each other and co-creating previously unimagined opportunities for their business, their careers, and their lives. Making money, being genuinely kind and giving, and seeking business and personal relationships that provide the same qualities can mix wonderfully together!

Evolving to this new way of being and acting is not without its difficulties however. Every time major stressors, such as economic downturns and increasing pressure to "make the numbers," act upon people within the corporation, they are likely to revert to the old mindset and behaviors that carried them through previous difficulties. But when the hard times are over, where does it leave them?... Right back where they started, feeling like no matter what they do, they can't be authentic human beings and still run or work in a successful business.

Altering these reactionary dynamics in corporations using a community-based and knowledge-based approach is our expertise and our purpose. Our approach enables miraculous change to happen. If you are already heading down this path, our approach accelerates the rate of change and reinforces it in daily work patterns to the point where it can "stick" as the way things are really done, no matter what stress the company and its people are experiencing. Oftentimes, the entry point for change is a strategic retreat or some other type of leadership meeting with employees, leaders, or other stakeholders. This can be the beginning of the journey towards wholeness, high quality of work life, and long lasting value creation, unfolding through a customized blend of: facilitation of connected, deep dialogues and extraordinary events; and deployment of holistic, knowledge and community-based tools.