Since I left corporate employment nearly 30 years ago, I have worked on the fringe of organisations, offering services that I thought were improving our connection, collectivism and relational capability. Or at least, that was the story I told myself …
As I sit here right now, I am facing some uncomfortable truths.
Uncomfortable truths
Whilst money and time were flush, organisations were happy to invest in activities that fed the human souls working in their systems. Investment in spaces for learning, connection, collaboration and creative innovation was common at the start of my career. But now, at the dawn of the AI revolution, organisations are investing billions in artificial intelligence whilst treating human development as optional.
At this moment in time, when humans need to come together in collective wisdom, our collective capability is at an all-time low.
The model we can’t see
The corporate business model for how we should work has permeated our world, so that even small businesses and not-for-profit organisations follow the same patterns. These ways of working are rooted in capitalist Western ideals: left-brain thinking that is rational and logical; white masculine traits; the organisation as a machine with humans as resources; and Newtonian, scientific thinking. They are so deeply entrenched that most people can’t see how deeply they shape the way we think.
In this context, even when people do convene, the time available and the agendas are dictated by money and speed. Our capacity to be present and focused is limited by constant distractions. Slowing down to think and talk deeply together is anxiety-provoking. The art of true conversation is dead: sharing different views, listening, asking questions, exploring together.
Humans working together are becoming dumber, not smarter.
What we could be
What saddens me about this is that I know that, with time, honesty and exploratory conversations, people inspire themselves and become wise together. They create collective intelligence beyond anything AI can create.
We have the potential to work differently …
- by putting eco-centric, social purpose at the heart of our work together, so that our planet and all those who inhabit it come ahead of commercial gain
- by distributing the wealth created in organisations equitably
- by creating mutual ecosystems with our communities, customers and suppliers
- by prioritising trusting relationships, the social fabric of collective action, instead of hierarchies and rules
Sitting with these realisations
I have been feeling this shift for over a decade. I thought I was the problem, and that I needed to find the organisation that fitted my values. So I have been experimenting and exploring different types of organisations: non-profits, schools, higher education, small organisations, social enterprises and foundations. I have also done a huge amount of personal development, uncovering the parts of myself that I lost or hid in order to fit the model of work that corporates have defined.
I have finally come to the realisation that these ways of being together are pervasive in all our systems. Despite all the talk of change, most change is just rebranding and changing the narrative, nothing of any substance is actually changing in organisations and workplaces today.
So, I am clear about one thing … I am done patching people up to send them back into the systems that broke them.
I want to be part of creating systems that don’t break people.
In my dark moments, I have wondered if I would ever find spaces to create the kind, human connection and creativity I aspire to. I wonder if I have spent 30 years developing a set of skills and capabilities that no one wants to engage with, let alone pay for.
But when I look back over the last few years, there is a pattern I can’t ignore.
Joining the dots … the pattern I am seeing …
The places where I see things genuinely moving are not inside organisations. They are in the spaces between them, when people gather from across organisations around a shared purpose.
I have been privileged to work alongside some trailblazing leaders of these movements:
- the United Nations SAFER programme – a multi-agency programme reducing food being delayed, detained and destroyed at borders
- Bath Rugby – convening people across sport to promoting women’s rugby and women in sport
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund – a programme of transdisciplinary research into human consciousness
- Bath Spa Impakt Network – bringing together social enterprises across the Bath region to find ways to create change on social issues
The Between space …
Movements attract and create a set of conditions that enable healthy organisation of human potential.
Leadership in Not Knowing – The leaders I have worked with in these spaces are far more willing to accept that they cannot control the situation, that no one party, including themselves, has all the answers. The more not-knowing a leader does, the more collective wisdom develops. This also sets a tone for mutual regard and respect for differences across the movement members.
The work of Movements requires a relational approach rather than a conventional, hierarchical one. When working in the Between it is the relationships that create the container for the work. Strong relational bonds enable people to connect and collaborate, finding new ideas and solutions. Relational work becomes a priority for convening groups of people in movements.
The purpose is change – at the heart of a movement is a purpose or a cause that invites change, a desire to change the status quo. Not only does this attract people with an appetite for change but it also sets a tone for creativity, experimentation and innovation.
In these human ecosystems, people are connected and free. Collective impact comes from lots of different activities connected to one cause.
That is very different from the old convention of needing everyone to ‘align’ around a plan.
These are the spaces where new ways of working together are being born.
To those working in the Between
If you are convening across boundaries, in a network, a movement, a coalition or an alliance, your work matters more than you may realise. Some things I see working from across the movements I am working on…
- Create structure through community – Invest in the relationships, not just the plan. Make time for people to meet as humans, not just as representatives of their organisations. Establish relational ways of working. This is the container for the work.
- Be open to potential – trust that when people are connected around a shared purpose, they will find ways to move together that no plan could have predicted.
- Anchor to cause – a powerful purpose sits at the heart of all movements – inviting connection and liberating change.
This is the work I want to do more of. I want to work with people who feel the void in conventional workplaces and want to fill it, and who have the open-mindedness to try something different, creative and trailblazing, even when it feels uncomfortable.
If I have sparked your curiosity … back in 2021, I made a short video about this different way of organising people. You can watch it on our home page. (It’s the second video on the page).
If you are leading or convening a movement, network or alliance, and you want to create an ecosystem that helps people move together around a shared purpose, I would love to talk with you. Get in touch at enquiries@meetingmagic.co.uk.