Brock { Abroad }

“Deep Democracy is supposed to involve openness to other individuals, groups and diversity. It includes feelings, dreams, body symptoms, altered states of consciousness, synchronicities, and an awareness of signals, roles, and the structural dynamics of the interactions between the parties involved.”                                                                     -Wikipedia

After working with this tool at Knowmads, I don’t think our group will ever be the same. It completely changed my perspective on group dynamics and processes. Especially, in regards to Role Theory.

The photo on the left shows just how much wisdom the minority of any group, or society as a whole, has to offer.

Tracing history back to empires, where about .0001% of potential knowledge is taken into consideration and feudal systems where about .0005% of knowledge is used, and even democracy, where the majority (51%) wins, these methods are just the tip of the iceberg.

Developed by physicist Arny Mindell and his process work, Deep Democracy is based off the Jungian psychology that states democracy just may not be enough to achieve a real majority that is required to ‘keep people on the bus.’ In other words, when the minority loses, they will tread the ‘terrorist line.’ A person becomes a “terrorist” when they become uncomfortable with a decision that is made. Here is a diagram that explains how a covert terror attempt becomes a full-blown war within a group:

Here are the steps to take in order to dig deeper into what is called ‘fishing.’ These steps are taken in an attempt to find those deep emotions, or “fishes” that are in the subconscious of every group.

Step 1

Don’t practice Majority democracy!

In other words, go beyond the regular majority vote. The next steps allow this to happen.

Step 2

Make it safe to say ‘NO’

When other people feel uncomfortable with their true feelings because of group pressure, they are never truly heard. Thus begins the resentment and jokes that enter the terrorist line. Once you, as a facilitator are able to make it safe to say ‘NO,’ true emotions can emerge.

Step 3

Spread the ‘NO’

Have you ever been in a meeting and been brave enough to really say what you thought and felt like a complete asshole afterwards? This next step helps prevent that brave person to not feel so alone. Role theory, which I will touch upon later, proves that these people are usually never alone. Most of the time, if you can relate to this experience,

Giving us a menu of theory, practice, tools, and exercises we could use, Moraan Gilad did a great job hosting the workshop. By using this menu full of options that allowed us to choose the structure of the workshop, we were able to practice facilitating the technique ourselves. On the final afternoon, she showed us her expert skills as we went fishing as a group using the ‘soft shoe shuffle,’ an on-your-feet exercise that magnifies the feeling people had toward the group regarding some pretty sensitive subjects. She did a great job fishing, but left me with a burning question:

Now that we’ve caught the fish, what do we do with it?

To be continued….

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one once he grows up.”

“Picasso said this and Knowmads attempts to solve the struggles an individual has in creating a life of purpose by giving them the necessary experience, creativity, and individual responsibility needed to succeed in a world that is changing at an extremely rapid rate. Because of this, the traditional four year degree is outdated within a year of graduation. As a student with a background in experimental, experiential, and artistic education, conforming to the typical university system just wasn’t an option for me. For a true individual seeking to transcend conformity and give more meaning to life, Knowmads is for you. Because It’s not about creating parts to your life; it’s about creating your part in life. Welcome Home!”

So, your first question may be:
Who is the artist? In my eyes, the artist is a human being who combines passion, work, and playful learning. The artist has a spiritual core, a fearless exterior, and uses their creativity, or imagination, to make a difference in the world they’ve created.

The next question I’m attempting to gain more insight on is: “what is the role of art and the artist in the 21st Century?” I believe that the artist can be used as the perfect analogy of what is required of educating leaders in this era of socio-economic complexity. Here are 3 reasons why: Read the rest of this entry »

Building on a previous post, 21st Century Leadership, leadership styles in the past, present, and future are explained by Pieter Spinder at Knowmads.

When it comes down to traditional leadership, bureaucratic and autocratic leadership styles come to mind. Involving hierarchy, power retention within “manager-style” positions, all decision-making is given on a vertical style of bureaucratic leadership where only the highest positions are involved. Staff, within organizations and corporations, do not consult staff and are typically not given the opportunity to provide input. Without explanation, they are expected to obey orders. Usually, they do so without ever given a second thought. This is typically due to a structured set of rewards and punishments that are involved if they fail or succeed. In other words, if they obey or disobey.

Autocratic leaders are especially reliant on these threats and punishments to influence their staff, which they don’t trust or listen to for input, anyway. Bureaucratic style is a bit more managed “by the book,” so to speak. Everything is done according to procedure or policy. If not covered by the book, it’s passed on to the hands of a higher level without further regard. It’s this behavior that places a police officer as simply a rule-enforcer instead of a leader, for example.

What are some qualities of other present leadership styles that are valuable and what are the leadership styles of the future? Some valuable qualities that can help make a group of people collaborate more creatively involve just that type of attitude. These qualities get everyone more involved, they create a community dialogue and discussion. They are an easy entrance to expanding your network in order to open up to a wider audience, within a differently structured format, involving like-minded educators of a similar skill level. Here are the styles of the today and tomorrow we explored:

Transformational Leadership

Make change happen in self, others, groups, and organizations. Charisma is a special leadership style commonly associated with transformational leadership; extremely powerful, extremely hard to teach.

Transactional Leadership

Emphasizes on getting things done within the umbrella of the status quo, which is directly in opposition of transformational leadership. Using a “by the book” approach, this leader works within the rules and is commonly seen in large, bureaucratic organizations.

Creative Leadership

Ability to uniquely inspire people, generating shared innovative responses and solutions to complex and readily-changing situations.

street art, Tel-Aviv

Corrective Leadership

Empowers staff to facilitate collaborative behavior and creates a synergism by working with and through other people instead of bowing to authoritarianism.

Change Leadership

Endorses alteration, is beyond thinking about individuals and individual organizations, and single problems with single solutions. Rethinks systems to introduce change on parts of the whole and their relationship to one another.

Intelligence Leadership

Is able to navigate the future by embracing ambiguity and reframing problems as opportunities. Takes a proactive stance in taking their organizations into uncharted territory.

Multicultural Leadership

Fosters team and individual effectiveness, drives for innovation by leveraging multicultural differences. Teams are able to work more effectively in the atmosphere of understanding and mutual respect.

Pedagogical Leadership

A video from 21st Century Pedagogy attempts to answer the question: How do we involve new technologies to meet the changing needs of students in the 21st Century classroom?

The literature from the presentation reads:

Technology will never replace teachers. However, teachers who know how to use technology effectively to help their students connect and collaborate together online will replace those who do not.

There is a paradigm shift from leader/teacher centered “orientation” to an interactive, connective organizational system using more democratic learning with a more dynamic communicative approach. This is seen as an alternative to instructional leadership by enabling the learning and intellectual growth of those led. Read the rest of this entry »

This past Friday, Knowmads was so very artfully hosted by Pieter Ploeg a.k.a. pietradelmundo. Introducing one of the most valuable tools I’ve taken so far from my education at Knowmads, we held a World Cafe! Used amongst other social technologies such as open space and the art of hosting, World Cafe is a collective intelligence tool to create and harvest conversations that matter. Materializing from almost thin-air, deep discussions are brought to the table. A cafe table, that is.

Opening the session, Pieter set the space with potted plants at each table and welcomed us in from a tiresome review meeting to the beats of world music, instantly lightening the mood. As we sat in a circle, we introduced ourselves with an animal and flower that represents us. The answers were fascinating and I was already beginning to gain insight on a deeper level about the people I spend an already incredible amount of time with.

Asking the question: Given the state of the world, what and how do you want to learn for a better future?

Any thoughts?

Today was a great self-working Wednesday where the tribe got together, cooked together, danced, and started shipping! (literally!) Eight of us found our way to work en route a ferry where we went to sunny bar and cafe Noorderlicht near the MTV headquarters on the industrial north island of the city. Constructed from a greenhouse and secured at the base with cement bags, eclectic furniture, and an organically delicious menu and equally enjoyable staff, it has a panoramic vista of Amsterdam harbor. With painted leather sofas littered amongst old ship hull tables and cranes dotting the waterfront, this creative cafe was a buzzing hub of people working, talking, eating, and laughing. I think the tribe managed to do all of the above and then some! We split up to work on two very exciting projects that are keeping us incredibly good busy at the moment. One, from Royal Haskoning SMC and the other from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

{A special thanks from the tribe to Roel and Ellen over at Access to Retailing for the great tip on one of Amsterdam’s hottest hangouts.}

How you can have both your apples and chocolate: on balancing discipline and flexibility… Read the rest of this entry »

At Knowmads, we’ll take dancing over talking any day. During the opening ceremony of the IDEC conference, a balanced blend of tribal dancing and discussion opened not just the event, but also my eyes and heart to the value that democratic education can add to our world.

Asking the question ‘if education is in the hands of only a few, who will be the wave breaker that will bring the necessary change needed for the 21st century?’ It’s far easier to fight for your principles than to live by them. The change does not start with you, it starts with me. Read that sentence as a personal statement, and I believe we have something here. What I believe we have here is a commitment to personal responsibility, leadership, and awareness that is necessary to dance your way into a movement. However, as individuals we can only serve the system. The advantage to democratic education is that there exists an alternative path, a path that we can navigate for both ourselves and together.

Entering this new century, it’s clear the systems we once knew are changing. Taking the so-called economic crisis as an example, it’s clear that these systems are collapsing as we know them when the emphasis is placed on hierarchy instead of being built from the bottom up, starting with YOU, or depending on how you look at it, ME. Traditional education is a perfect reflection of modern society as we’ve come to know and dislike it.

Three themes can be seen to mark this momentous milestone in the world as we know it:

1. Socio-economic change

In other words, limited resources become unlimited. The individual becomes infinite in knowledge and capability to lead their own life and recognizes that change=me. (I am) What limits us is money and when we develop the necessary tools to combine our own unique capabilities and differences in order to fully contribute who we are to the world, we are able to unify, create change, and also materialize the necessary wealth to achieve whatever we choose to bring into the world.

2. Alternative vs. Mainstream/Institutional

Essentially, it’s not about non-conformity, rather re-conformity. No one is right and no one is wrong. Through working with existing establishments and meeting somewhere in the middle everyone is left satisfied with the desired change needed to overcome obstacles and challenges we face together on this planet. However, connecting with like-minded people to work with and develop these things has never been easier thanks to…

3. The Internet.

The bottom line? Every individual on this planet is unique and has something to offer that no one else can. Through connecting, collaborating, and creating, we are left with something just a little better than before.

Stay tuned as we keep dancing here in Tel Aviv. The beat goes on!