Proceedings of the IFSR Conversation 2010, Pernegg, Austria
Discussion Paper (Team 3): From Systems Thinking to Systems Being: The Embodiment of Evolutionary Leadership
Kathia Castro Laszlo
Synopsis
My interest in the learning systems for sustainability team of the 2010 Pernegg Conversation is a reflection of my learning and practice as an educational systems thinker/practitioner in the domain of sustainability and the roles I play in this regard: as an educator, consultant, coach, social entrepreneur and mother.
Systems thinking has been a means for enabling critical and creative perspectives from which ideas for improving a difficult situation or innovating a new possibility emerge. However, no matter how powerful this way of thinking is, there is more to the task of catalyzing evolutionary transformation toward life affirming, future creating, and opportunity increasing realities. Designing learning systems capable of fostering such orientations is a call for participation in the most important task of our time: to innovate a future of peace and abundance in partnership with all the living systems of our planet Earth. This is not a task for a few privileged, “enlightened” ones, but a responsibility for every human being.
If the insights from systems thinking and practice will be of help in the transition to a viable future for all, they should not be restricted to books and the halls of a few universities, but they need to become part of the social fabric that informs our cultures: the narrative that gives purpose and meaning to who we are, why we are here, and where we are going as a global civilization.
Outline of research interests
1. From systems thinking to systems being: The evolution of our way to perceiving and living in the world
a. Systems thinking and seeing
b. Systems feeling and willing
c. Systems being and living
2. Evolutionary leadership: Bringing it all together
a. The evolution of leadership
b. A new leadership for a new world
3. The role of evolutionary leaders
a. Communicating the new paradigm
b. Living the new ethic
c. Co-authoring the new narrative
d. Designing learning systems for sustainability
From systems thinking to systems being: The embodiment of evolutionary leadership
