Ralph Stacey on beliefs

Ralph Stacey writes that if

we believe that nature’s systems function like a clockwork and human systems move to the dictates of designing minds,¹

then

we quite naturally believe that nature can be controlled once the laws governing it have been discovered and human systems can be redesigned from scratch once a new intention has been formed.²

If, on the other hand,

we believe that systems in both nature and human society are creative when they operate in chaos,³

then

we will see that it is impossible to be “in control” of the future of such systems or to redesign them from scratch.⁴

We will understand that people interacting in an organization may produce a pattern in their actions through self-organization, provided that the context in which they work enables them to discover and learn.⁵

The focus for action will shift from speculation about the future to dealing with current issues that have long-term consequences, from persuasion and propaganda to learning and discovery.⁶

Notes:
1 Ralph D. Stacey, Managing the Unknowable: Strategic Boundaries Between Order and Chaos in Organizations, p. 125.
2 Ibid..
3 Ibid..
4 Ibid..
5 Ibid..
6 Ibid..

Update 2022-09-15: Text converted to blocks.

Related post:
Ralph Stacey on rule-following