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The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform
Forms and transforms in people, they become strong, focused, and vibrant-and wonderful things can happen. But when the spirit is down, nothing else seems to make a difference-because not too much happens. Many of us today find ourselves trapped in just such organizations. The spirit in our workplace, to say nothing of our own spirit, is getting a little tattered, showing the early stages of what Harrison Owen calls "Soul Pollution." Those in the advanced stages may find themselves plagued by exhaustion, high levels of stress, and the abuse of just about anything in sight, including spouses, substances, and fellow workers. So what is the secret to transforming organizations? The answer, says Owen, is we must consciously be what we already are-natural, open, self-organizing systems.
In The Power of Spirit, Owen examines the world of Spirit/Consciousness in organizations and offers help to those who find themselves dreading another day on the job in an organization seemingly bent on its own destruction, as well as the destruction of its members. He draws from what we are now learning about self-organizing systems to provides a practical application to the world of organizations, revealing the ways in which Spirit shows up in new, emergent organizational forms.
Widely known for his Open Space Technology-a broadly used meeting management tool-Owen now pushes well beyond that surface appreciation and suggests deeper applications and implications, showing how what has been experienced in a typical "great meeting" with Open Space can actually be a 365-day-a-year reality.
For all those interested in Spirit and spirituality, particularly in the workplace, individuals who are feeling down and out and buried by Soul Pollution in the workplace, and for current practitioners of Open Space Technology who are wondering what comes after a "great meeting"-The Power of Spirit will offer a pathway to positive transformation.
In The Power of Spirit, Owen examines the world of Spirit/Consciousness in organizations and offers help to those who find themselves dreading another day on the job in an organization seemingly bent on its own destruction, as well as the destruction of its members. He draws from what we are now learning about self-organizing systems to provides a practical application to the world of organizations, revealing the ways in which Spirit shows up in new, emergent organizational forms.
Widely known for his Open Space Technology-a broadly used meeting management tool-Owen now pushes well beyond that surface appreciation and suggests deeper applications and implications, showing how what has been experienced in a typical "great meeting" with Open Space can actually be a 365-day-a-year reality.
For all those interested in Spirit and spirituality, particularly in the workplace, individuals who are feeling down and out and buried by Soul Pollution in the workplace, and for current practitioners of Open Space Technology who are wondering what comes after a "great meeting"-The Power of Spirit will offer a pathway to positive transformation.
- GenresBusiness
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
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44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 19, 2017
Wow, what a book! It is a beautifully written book (Harrison Owen is one of my favorite authors). And the book’s message is profound. Open some space and let self-organization work for you.
Harrison Owen suggests that there is no such thing as a non-self-organizing natural (or human) system. If this is the case, then the issue is less about designing systems that are efficient and effective, and more about letting the magic of self-organization happen all by itself.
Harrison Owen suggests that there is no such thing as a non-self-organizing natural (or human) system. If this is the case, then the issue is less about designing systems that are efficient and effective, and more about letting the magic of self-organization happen all by itself.
April 25, 2023
Harrison Owen is a man before his time. Thankfully the rest of the world is now starting to catch up.
"in 1979 I submitted a paper on the subject [organizational culture] to a well known and respected journal, only to have it rejected with the note that the whole idea of culture in organizations was so far out as to be not useful. Times have changed, and indeed the mention of organizational culture is now perhaps more commonplace than organization transformation." ~ Harrison Owen
"in 1979 I submitted a paper on the subject [organizational culture] to a well known and respected journal, only to have it rejected with the note that the whole idea of culture in organizations was so far out as to be not useful. Times have changed, and indeed the mention of organizational culture is now perhaps more commonplace than organization transformation." ~ Harrison Owen
February 20, 2014
Too new-Aggy for my needs; Could have used more samples; would have benefited from a more measured tone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews