Category: Books
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Books on Sociocracy
The two major books on Sociocracy by Gerard Endenburg are: Sociocracy: The organization of decision-making. This is the first complete presentation of Endenburg’s method of decision-making and organization. The book is particularly interesting since it includes Gerard Endenburg’s own story of Sociocracy. The original edition was published in Dutch in 1981. Here is a review…
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A comparison between two major Sociocracy books
Here’s a comparison between Gerard Endenburg’s two major books on Sociocracy. The common parts in the books are marked in red color in the table below. Sociocracy The organization of decision-making Sociocracy As social design INTRODUCTION PART 1: THE BASIC RULES OF SOCIOCRATIC CIRCLE ORGANIZATION – Sociocracy is relevant to every organization, regardless of its…
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The New Metaphysics
There are newly evolving assumptions in science which challenge the assumptions of classical science. Below is a comparison of the classsical and evolving scientific worldviews as proposed by Willis Harman. The table is a summary of Figure 15.6 in The Conscious Universe by Dean Radin. Orthodox “Separateness” Science Proposed “Wholeness” Science Basic Assumption: Basic Assumption:…
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The programmers guide to people
“Our ability to learn and improve depends on our ability to question the status quo with an open and free mind.” —Tom Howlett, The Programmers Guide To People The Programmers Guide To People is a self-published in-progress book by Tom Howlett. With the book, Tom is trying to join the dots of his observations with…
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Dee Hock in his own words
Dee Hock, the founder and former CEO of VISA, was way ahead of his time in contemplating what biology, chaos and complexity theory could teach those in business. My good friend Simon Robinson—who is co-author of Holonomics: Business Where People and Planter Matter—has compiled a post with Dee Hock in his own words based on my…
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This book is a little gem
Gordon MacKenzie’s book Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace is about how to emerge from the giant hairball – that tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, and systems which worked in the past but can lead to mediocrity in the present. Besides being deeply funny I just love the exuberant…
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Operating principles for mechanisms and organisms
Here is a comparison between operating principles for mechanisms and organisms from Elisabet Sahtouris’ book EarthDance, page 370: MECHANISM ORGANISM Allopoietic Autopoietic Inventor created Self-created Hierarchic structure Holarchic embeddedness Top-down command Holarchic dialog/negotiation System engineered System negotiated Repaired by engineers/experts Repairs itself Evolution by external redesign Evolution by internal redesign Exists for product or profit…
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Organizational and operational features of healthy living systems
Here is a list of organizational and operational features of healthy living systems from Elisabet Sahtouris’ book EarthDance, page 369: Self-creation (autopoiesis) Self-reflexivity (autognosis—self-knowledge) Self-regulation/maintenance (autonomics) Response ability—to internal and external stress or change Embeddedness in larger holons and dependence on them (holarchy) Input/output of matter/energy/information from/to other holons Transformation of matter/energy/information Communications among all…
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Book Review: Mind and Heart
Mind and Heart – Mapping Your Personal Journey Towards Leadership For Sustainability by Petra Kuenkel is a book which shows how we can use our life and leadership experiences to make more meaningful contributions to the world. Petra invites us to review our own leadership journeys in the light of other people’s experiences. She offers…
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Book Review: Culture Shock
Culture Shock: A Handbook For 21st Century Business by Will McInnes is a brilliant title on a book which is about the culture shock of moving from the traditional autocratic way of doing business to a democratic approach where there is true participation, openness, fairness, and connectedness. The perspective of Culture Shock is that an…