PUBLICATIONS
See lists for Ontological Leadership and Coaching, Complexity Concepts and the Three Principles
ONTOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP & COACHING
CROSSING THE UNKNOWN SEA
By David Whyte. Penguin 2002
Crossing the Unknown Sea shows how poetry and practicality, far from being mutually exclusive, reinforce each other to give every aspect of our lives meaning and direction. For anyone who wants to deepen their connection to their work-or find out what their life’s work is-this book is essential to navigating the way.
THE CONTEMPLATIVE LEADER
by Patrick Boland. Mt Holt Books 2024
If you aspire to be a leader who wants to lead from a deeper authentic place, this book explores how to develop a caring soul that serves the needs of others to thrive in a VUCA World. Patrick offers insights for how to lead in an effortless flow of kindness and commitment in achieving sustainable results. The book brings together ancient wisdom and hard-edged science into practical and powerful way of being. Facts are faced and possibilities are explored in a context of uncertainty and the need for personal growth.
THE ANATOMY OF STORY
by John Truby. Farrar,Straus & Giroux 2007
This a power book for leaders who need to tel a powerfiul communicator. It contains 22 steps to becoming a Master storyteller. In this world of fast moving media leaders need to know what’s involved to write a compelling script. You will be guided in the techniques needed to produce an effective, multifaceted narrative. It’s practical and essential to communicate strong mission that is clear and coherent in the chaos of a VUCA world.
CHANGING ON THE JOB
by Jennifer Garvey Berger. Stanford Business 2025
We are living through an era of exponential change. It requires leaders to challenge long-held assumptions and have the courage to explore possibilities and embrace uncertainty. This book is a master class in how to cultivate new leadership capacities. It’s a roadmap for personal growth. A must read for anyone committed to expand the consciousness and intelligence to practice leadership in a VUCA environment.
THE POWER OF OWNING UP
by Bob Dunham & Sameer Dua
Responsibility is often confused with accountability. Leaders are responsible for their own actions and accountable for the actions of others. When we fully understand responsibility, we realise that it’s a powerful “way of seeing” that opens up new actions, new doorways, and new possibilities. It’s a way to generate results that really matter to you and those who share the same cares. Stated simply, This book introduces the “law of responsibility”, which the authors believe is irrefutable, just like the law of gravity. Being unaware and not understanding the law of responsibility will incur huge costs to oneself, your team and the organisation.
THE WISDOM OF CROWDS
by James Surowiecki. Doubleday 2004
This is one of those books on collective intelligence that is just as relevant today, some 20 years latter in an age of social media, computer networking and quantum computing. Human behaviour mirrors the interactions found in complex living systems.
BECOME
by Sameer Dua. Harper 2017
This book is an invitation to choose a powerful posture in your leadership and life. You don’t “become” a leader by knowing more about leadership. You “become” by shifting your practices and with respect to leadership, creating new conversational practices. It enables leaders to generate sustainable, extraordinary results.
GENERATIVE LEADERSHIP
by Giles Hutchins & Laura Storm. Wordzworth 2019.
This book provides an exciting and comprehensive framework for building regenerative life-affirming organisations. It offers a multitude of business cases, fascinating examples from natural living systems, insights from the frontline pioneers and tools and techniques for leaders to succeed and thrive in the 21st Century.
DECLARING BREAKDOWNS
by Sameer Dua. Sage 2016
This book provides a simple six-step framework to actively create a future of one’s choice. It gives an insight into several generative leadership distinctions which, when practised, have the potential of having a significant positive impact on performance.
AGILE CONVERSATIONS
by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Frederick. IT Revolution 2020
Successful transformation starts with a conversational transformation. There is no shortage of books that tell you how to diagnose cultural problems, but few show you how you can actually cure them. In this book, the authors show how organisations begin a conversational transformation to build a foundation for true change. Conversation is about more than talking; it’s a skilled activity with a step-by-step process that can be learned.
THE POSITIVE LEADER
by Jan Muhlfelt. Pearson 2017.
Leaders exist to be a catalyst for change and transformation. The book offers four perspectives on positive leadership. First understand who you are, your identity and how you play to your strengths to release your full leadership potential. This is about nurturing your tone and showing that you care and can pay attention to what people are good at and what they want to achieve. The second focuses on the purpose of adding value to the world and being happy in the process, using your unique strengths values and passions to inspire and be inspired by the highest aspects of your vision. The third is how you manage energy, yours, other people and the environment and which you operate to achieve outstanding feats without running out of steam. The fourth is to follow your heart instead of the rat race a place where success and happiness are in balance. Happiness breeds success. Putting happiness first you can learn strategies for positive living that bring meaningful rewards to you and your team.
INDIRECT WORK
by Carol Sanford. Interoctave 2022
In a time when meaningful change is limited by airfield practices before quantum science, outside wisdom comm conceived unities, and without any understanding of living systems, it’s time to rethink. Instead, embrace a theory based on the oldest and most proven way to create systemic change. The book enables you to make a profound and lasting difference in your own life and leadership in organisations. It starts with an understanding of generative change.
POLITICS OF BEING
by Thoma Legrand. Ocean of Wisdom Press. 2021
This book explores what a wisdom-based or spiritual approach to politics looks like. Thomas Legrand proposes a fundamental reframing of our model of development from its current emphasis on “having” to one focused on “being”. Mobilising a wealth of scientific research from many different fields, the core teachings of wisdom traditions, modern science and his own personal experience.
ANTHRO-VISION
by Gillian Tett. Random House Business. 2021
Anthro-Vision takes you on an enthralling and deeply insightful journey. Tett shows you how the discipline and tools of anthropology can help you see the world more clearly. In a VUCA world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, we need an antidote to tunnel vision. Anthro-Vision applies the techniques of anthropology that Gillian learned as a young scholar in Cambridge and fieldwork in Tajikistan. The case made by Gillian is supported by ontological thinking where you gain a better understanding of embedded and diverse cultural ideas when you are prepared to listen more deeply and question assumptions.
UNLOCKING LEADERSHIP MIND TRAPS
by Jennifer Garvey Berger. Stanford 2019
In this book, Jennifer identifies and explores five “mindtraps” that we can so easily succumb to where our mind takes us in a habitual direction that is no longer effective in a fast-paced VUCA World. Jennifer provides practical guidance on how to escape the simple stories that blind us to the complexity that lies beneath them. Just because something feels right it doesn’t always mean it is right. In our strong need to belong and fit in our independence of thought and action can get compromised. In a desperate effort to be seen to be in control, we become immune to the good ideas of others. We can become slaves to our identity and this can stop us from seeing ourselves changing to thrive in a new context.
LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE
by Chalmers Brothers & Vinay Kumar. New Possibilities Press 2015
This is an extension of the thinking in Chalmers’ first book “Language and the Pursuit of Happiness”. In the diverse and controversial world of leadership, this book teases out a deep understanding of the power of language to create a new future of enduring value and benefit. The focus is on tools and techniques for the continuous improvement of results by making leaders more powerful observers of their Way of Being to choose better actions to produce breakthrough results. The book explores 5 core competencies – functional, technical, conversational, relational and emotional.
COACHING TO THE HUMAN SOUL – VOLS (1, 2 & 3) by Alan Sieler 2003 Newfield Australia
These books are based mainly on the thinking and work of Fernando Flores and Humberto Maturana. They developed a new way of understanding the nature of being human. This learning has helped me to more effectively communicate, generate action in others, suffer less and open new possibilities. It was Flores who invented the term Ontological Coaching. He wanted to produce more than a theoretical discipline. He was keen to ensure that the knowledge of a new discipline would be relevant and applicable to everyday living. Alan has produced three volumes that explore the three domains of human ontology (language, mood, and body) in depth, so making them an invaluable resource for leaders and coaches.
THE UNOPENED GIFT A Primer in Emotional Literacy by Dan Newby & Lucy Nunez. Self Published 2017
This book explores the range and essence of different emotions to help make more detailed distinctions when feeling and responding to emotions. It aids an understanding of how emotions can predispose us to act and react in different ways. If we appreciate the power of emotions to influence behaviour we can learn to use emotions instead of them using us.
THE INNOVATOR’S WAY
Essential Practices for Successful Innovation by Peter J. Denning and Robert Dunham. MIT 2010
This book adopts an in-depth exploration of the power of adopting an ontological perspective on how to create successful innovation. It contains a wealth of arguments and proposals for how businesses and organisations of all kinds can get their people to adopt change as a natural process of human development. They identify eight practices that are explored in considerable detail, including sensing, envisioning, offering, adopting, sustaining, executing, leading and embodying. There are also detailed accounts of how to accomplish them in ways that will lead to mastery for individuals in teams and social networks.
NARRATIVE COACHING Bringing our New Stories to Life by David Drake PhD. CNC Press 2015
This book is an in-depth exploration of how our mind works as a storyteller how these stories impact on our identity and how we learn and develop as human beings. David explains how stories enable us to give sense and meaning to our experiences and see the potential of language to make change sustainable in our lives. The power of stories for leaders and coaches is that they allow inquiry and new thinking to improve behaviour and the quality of the outcomes.
ADAPTIVE ACTION Leveraging Uncertainty in your Organisation by Glenda Eoyang & Royce Holladay. Stanford Press 2013
This book addresses the practical issues that face leaders in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. It is an infinite game in which organisations and facts have no clear boundaries. Plans seldom stay on track, rules are continuously changed, facts are challenged, and the future is unknowable. But is people who will have to adapt their thinking and their actions to cope with this new reality. It’s about seeing the patterns and building an adaptive capacity to live in many different worlds that are continuously being disrupted. The key is to see the patterns in real-time so we stand a chance of making sense of what we are observing with all our senses. It is then possible to get a handle on what is causing the uncertainty and the conditions that are generating it. Only then can effective and adaptive action be taken. The book contains many invaluable examples of “Adaptive Innovation”.
LEADERSHIP WITHOUT EASY ANSWERS
by Ronald Heifetz. HBR 1994New Possibilities Press 2015
Remarkably thoughtful, provocative, and useful. This book is a major contribution that the concept of Adaptive Leadership. It is a rare interdisciplinary view of leadership in context. Leaders as well as serious students of the process of “being a leader”. Four major strategies of leadership are identified: to approach problems as adaptive challenges by diagnosing the situation in light of the values involved and avoiding authoritative solutions, to regulate the level of stress caused by confronting issues, and to shift responsibility for problems from the leader to all the primary stakeholders.
AN EVERYONE CULTURE
Becoming a deliberately developmental organisation by Robert Kegan & Lisa Laslow Lahey. HBR 2016
This book focuses on ways in which we can help each other overcome social and psychological barriers that prevent us from being more resilient and effective, improving our performance and realise more of our potential as effective human beings. Personal and organisational development should be better aligned to create a culture that enables adults to grow and live the values that serve mutual interests.
INSIGHT
The Power of Self-Awareness in a Self-Deluded World by Tasha Eurich. Macmillan 2017
Tasha offers insights on the latest research and observations on the power of insight. It is groundbreaking and thought-provoking in showing how self-knowledge is the bedrock of leadership success in life and business today. Tasha points out how poor we are at judging ourselves, and how we come across to others and get candid feedback from colleagues, employees, friends, and family. She addresses both the myths and truths that provide deep insights into the bigger picture of how to lead ourselves in a more ambiguous, volatile, complex and uncertain world.
THE LEADERSHIP DOJO
by Richard Strozzi-Heckler. Frog Ltd 2007
Richard brings together his considerable experience of leadership training that helps the person find resources within themselves to “be” a leader with their whole ‘way of being’. The book offers you a pragmatic and powerful methodology to be more effective and do good at the same time., by exploring the commitments we hold, the values that underpin them and our sense of presence in the world. It offers a range of practical exercises for how to train the body to “be” the best it can be in serving your needs and those of others.
LANGUAGE AND THE PURSUIT OF LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE
by Chalmers Brothers & Vinay Kumar. New Possibilities 2015
This is an excellent follow-on from Chalmers’ first book on the “pursuit of happiness”. He and Vinay have applied the principles of generative language to the challenges of leadership in organisations, but the practices apply equally as well in any situation where we take responsibility for the results we achieve from the actions we take. It offers a more detailed explanation of the main Speech Acts that we use in conversations of different kinds to secure understanding and agreement on what actions are needed, individually and collectively to achieve a common purpose with a shared meaning.
LEARNING TO LEARN & THE NAVIGATION OF MOODS
by Gloria Flores. Pluralistic Networks Publishing 2016
Learning to learn is critical to our success in all stages of our life. As children and adults, we need to cultivate this skill in order to acquire new distinctions and be successful at work and in life. In Learning to Learn Gloria explores how moods affect our ability to learn by promoting or preventing our ability to learn. You will learn how to navigate your moods and avoid falling into unproductive behaviours.
FIERCE LEADERSHIP
Alternative to the worst “best” practices of business by Susan Scott. 2009
This book explores ways in which we can look so that we see what was previously hidden from us. Susan refers to as the “Squid Eye” to identify practices that have no good outcomes and deliver no value demand. She explores the “reality creators” that are our senses, conversations, emotions, integrity and a trusting mood state. We are always practising something, but is it producing value and serving our intentions? Susan sees leadership as a state of mind, not a domain of knowledge. It has the capacity to make people happier and tap into their innate wisdom as human beings.
A NEW EARTH
Awakening to Your Life Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. Penguin 2005
In this book, Eckhart develops his theme of living in the moment and explores what he calls the illusory self and explains how the ego can create the moods and emotions that get in the way of us taking effective leadership for our own actions and reactions. He provides practical, life-affirming steps that you can use to discover the joy of “being” through the power of self-awareness and self-responsibility.
LANGUAGE AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
by Chalmers Brothers. 2005 New Possibilities
This book represents the cutting edge in personal and professional development. Human beings create through language, both in their speaking and listening. This book breaks through some of the destructive and manipulative myths contained in technique-laden communications programs. Chalmers Brothers explores how language is so much more than a means of communication. We use it to define our limits and potential to act in ways that get the results we want.
CONNECT
by Lyn Boyer. 2011 Leadership Options
This book explores ‘affective leadership’ as a way of being more effective at getting the cooperation and commitment of others. Lyn draws on a wide range of ontological concepts and techniques to explore the physical and emotional components of leadership. You are introduced to skills around leadership presence, language that builds trust, reflective listening, powerful questioning and lightness of spirit.
FROM KNOWLEDGE TO WISDOM
by Julio Olalla 2004 Newfield Network Inc
Explores how traditional ways of learning and knowing are insufficient for today’s world. In this landmark book, Julio Olalla uses a historical and philosophical lens to view contemporary learning, its devastating consequences and how new learning practices can generate the wisdom that is needed for transformational change.
BUILDING TRUST
by Robert Solomon and Fernando Flores 2001 Oxford Press
Trust is seen as an essential precondition upon which all real success depends. But what, precisely, is trust? How can it be achieved and sustained? And, most importantly, how can it be regained once it has been broken? In Building Trust the authors offer some deep and compelling answers to these questions and offer the notion of authentic trust.
UNDERSTANDING COMPUTERS AND COGNITION
A New Foundation for Design by Fernando Flores &Terry Winograd 1986 Intellect Books
This volume is a theoretical and practical approach to the design of computer technology. The design and development of new technology will require an implicit understanding of human nature and work. The authors assert that the deep questions of design are those encountered when it is recognized that in designing tools we are designing new ways of being.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman 1996 Bloomsbury
Goleman makes the case for “emotional intelligence” being the strongest indicator of human success. He defines emotional intelligence in terms of self-awareness, altruism, personal motivation, empathy and the ability to love and be loved by friends, partners, and family members. People who possess high emotional intelligence are the people who truly succeed in work as well as play, building flourishing careers and lasting, meaningful relationships
SIMPLE HABITS FOR COMPLEX TIMES
by Jennifer Garvey Berger & Keith Johnston. 2015 Stanford Business Books
This book offers powerful and practical insights into effective leadership in complex organisations. It offers practical ways of thinking, acting and engaging differently. It is s blend of stories and lessons. You learn, not just how to cope with complexity but how to thrive on it. It’s a simple explanation of Snowden’s Cynefin Framework is very insightful as a distinction is made between probable and possible causes.
THE UNOPENED GIFT
by Dan Newby & Lucy Nunez. Amazon Media 2017
This book reveals what we have not yet understood about emotions. Emotions aren’t in competition with reason, but are an essential part of thinking; they are constantly giving us information about the world around us; each emotion exists for a specific purpose and takes care of a particular aspect of life; that life without emotions would be like art without colour.
COACHING WITH THE BRAIN IN MIND
by David Rock & Linda Page. Wiley 2009
This book explains how the brain works to help coaches, leaders and learners better tailor their strategies to be more effective. It contains a wealth of tools and methodologies that can be used in everyday situations to enhance the quality of your communication with others. It shows how the language of coaching can be enhanced by attuning it to how the brain operates, [, particularly in relation to setting goals, making connections, becoming more aware, seeking breakthroughs and taking effective action.
CONSCIOUS BUSINESS
How to Build Value through Values by Fred Kofman. Sounds True 2006
In this book, the author provides arguments and techniques to help leaders and coaches think differently to shape a new future by creating a different map for interpreting reality and not just accepting existing assumptions as “the truth”. There are many perspectives that contain parts of “the truth” and you can be open to them by living and leading more consciously. The book explores behaviours such as responsibility, integrity, authenticity, coordination, negotiation and mastery in personal performance and in relationships.
LEADERSHIP FOR OUTSTANDING RESULTS
By Graeme J Schache. National Biographic 2008
This book brings together psychological and ontological perspectives on leadership. He examines the role that conversations can have on being a highly effective leader, making distinctions in listening to hear beyond what is said. Graeme also explores the ontological domains of language, moods, emotions and the body to be an effective and respected leader.
PRESENCE-BASED COACHING
Cultivating Self-Generative Leaders through Mind, Body and Heart by Doug Silsbee. Jossey-Bass 2008
This book offers practical resources for developing the capacities and skills involved in ontological leadership and coaching, particularly how to let go of habitual, and often ineffective ways of responding. The author explains how to master the inner moves of directing your own attention. He shows you how to cultivate the capacity to be fully conscious and connect to yourself (inside-out), other people (bottom-up), best practices (top-down) and the environment (outside-in).
These books are based on the thinking that was introduced by Dr Flores and is a new way of understanding the nature of being human. This learning has helped me to more effectively communicate, generate action in others, suffer less and open new possibilities. It was Flores who invented the term Ontological Coaching. He wanted to produce more than a theoretical discipline. He was keen to ensure that the knowledge of a new discipline would be relevant and applicable to everyday living.
COACHING: EVOKING EXCELLENCE IN OTHERS
by James Flaherty 2005 Elsevier
Written for coaches, this book offers invaluable insights for leaders on how to adopt an ontological approach to enhance relationships. It suggests ways of creating relationships based on mutual trust, respect and freedom of expression. It will get you to rethink and possibly relearn how you relate to others no matter who they are, and how you can produce long-term excellent performance in yourself. This 2nd edition includes new chapters on working with the body and what to do when you find yourself stuck in our coaching efforts.
INVISIBLE POWER
by Ken Manning, Robin Charbit and Sandra Krot. 2015 Insight Principles
This book uses and explores the three principles of Sydney Banks to throw new light on the power of insight and its role in creative and clear thinking. It provides practical guidance on how we can make the most of the unpredictable nature of the human mind and transforms the way we can think about how to be more effective in our thoughts and actions. Higher levels of consciousness hold the key to finding transformational results from calming and opening the mind to infinite possibilities.
TRIBES
by Seth Godin
This book explores how any group of people, large or small who are connected to one another, a leader and an idea are a tribe. Seth explains that leadership is about creating change that you believe in. Using simple and relevant distinctions, this book argues that any one of us can take ownership of what we care about and lead others to support us in making change happen. It’s a quick and easy read but a challenge to traditional thinking. It’s an ontological gem. The book helps you consider changes that you are willing to lead your life for and how you might go about organising and supporting a tribe that you care about.
LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DECEPTION
by The Arbinger Institute. Penguin 2002
Arbinger is a worldwide institute that helps organizations, families, individuals, and communities solve the problems created by self-deception. This is a profound book, with deep and sweeping implications. It is engaging, fresh, easy to read, and packed with insights. It identifies the central issue in all organizational performance. Like truth itself, this book reveals more with each re-examination. The concepts in this book are powerful. They are fundamental to success whether on the playing field, in the office, or perhaps most importantly, at home. it’s one of those rare books that touches both the personal as well as professional lives of life leaders.
HEALING THE WHOLE PERSON
A Solution-focused Approach to Using Empowering Language, Emotions and Actions in Therapy by Robert McNeilly 2000 Wiley
Solution-oriented therapy is a form of brief therapy that focuses on resolving or defusing clients’ immediate concerns and helping them resume normal functioning. This is a comprehensive manual for conducting solution-oriented therapy that combines positive language, emotions, and body orientations to effect change.
MASTERFUL COACHING
by Robert Hargrave 2002 Pfeiffer Wiley
The book provides guiding ideas, tools, and methods that will empower you on your own journey to Masterful Coaching. You will learn to empower people to transform who they are as leaders and at the same time their ability to produce results that were previously considered impossible by applying triple-loop learning.
THE ART OF CHOOSING
by Sheena Iyengar. 2011 Abacus
This book is a mix of biology, business and psychology guided by what it means to be human. It focuses on the many different perspectives on the way we make choices as it performs a critical role in our quality of life and the achievement of fulfilment. This happens when we have to face the facts that lead to life-changing choices. For example, whether to stay in a relationship, take a new job or address a major concern for our health.
THE COLLECTED WISDOM OF HERACLITUS
Translated by Brooks Haxton
Heraclitus is a strikingly relevant philosopher who wrote five hundred years before our era. Every sentence is an invitation to wonder and question our presuppositions. Full of wisdom.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY
by Matthew Budd & Larry Rothstein. 2000 Three Rivers
This book shows you how to use the power of language to change mood and body state to combat stress and promote well-being. It draws on cognitive biological and neurological research to show how the body learns how to react to words because of the meanings the nervous system attaches to them. We react emotionally to what we hear, both consciously and unconsciously. To change your ‘way of being’ you have to learn how to unlock the fears that cause the body to tense and make us ill. They talk about 10 linguistic viruses that can damage health and relationships.
THE ASCENT OF HUMANITY
by Charles Eisenstein
The main claim of the author is that all crises of our time are the consequence of our definition of ourselves as “discrete subjects separate from each other and separate from the world around us.” This book will have a great impact on ontological coaches. The range of issues that it covers, the courage to explore realms that many people prefer not even to consider, and the cosmological, epistemological, and ontological coherence that offers is simply amazing. Truly a fearless and rigorous read.
The author portrays a sombre future, while at the same time, he builds hope. Reading it is a must for us in our community, and I also believe is a must for all of us who care about the present state of affairs on the planet. Give yourself time to reflect and to wonder about Charles’ words. It will open conversations in all domains. It is a jewel—a book that will rank among the giants.
SHIFTING THE PATTERNS
by If Price and Ray Shaw 1998 Management Books
Professor If Price and Ray Shaw show how the ‘meme’, a cultural equivalent of the biological gene, can be used to make sense of individual and organisational behaviour. It’s as if organisations have their own strain of corporate DNA which moulds behaviour and development. The book brings together developments in Complexity Theory and Brain Science to explain how we can shift the hidden blocks that lead to underperformance and rigid attitudes. It offers a range of suggestions on how old habits can be shifted.
METAPHORS IN MIND: TRANSFORMATION THROUGH SYMBOLIC MODELLING
by James Lawley and Penny Tompkins 2003 Developing Company
The content of this book is rooted in Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It gives leaders, managers and coaches the opportunity to discover how symbolic perceptions are organised in the mind to create our reality. They are revealed through metaphor. The book explains what needs to happen to change these perceptions and transform thinking and behaviour. James and Penny travel the world sharing their skills which were pioneered by David Grove as a therapeutic technique known as Clean Language. Includes valuable client transcripts.
DESCARTES’ ERROR
Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain by Antonio Damasio 2006 Vintage
In this book, Antonio Damasio challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. He takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected, that emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behaviour. Much of his findings are backed by more recent research into the workings of the brain’s Limbic System.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TRUTH
De-confusing and Re-constructing the Postmodern World (New Consciousness Read read by Walter Truett Anderson. 1995 Warner
This is not a book about philosophy, it is about the dreams, worries and struggles of real people who live in the real world; their world. This is an excellent book if you want to understand the people and cultures of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It’s hard to see how we are in the midst of a great cultural shift when you are in the middle of it.
NAVIGATING COMPLEXITY
Essential Guide to Complexity Theory in Business and Management (Managers Library Series) by Arthur Battram. 1996 Industrial Society
I have included this book, not just because I made major contributions to its content after working closely with Arthur in my days as an Od Consultant, It offers a layman’s guide to the concepts emerging from a range of new complexity sciences. These sciences are changing the way we approach leadership development, the latest of which is Neuro Leadership. We have to see ourselves and organisations as Complex Adaptive Systems with highly flexible, self-organising and infinitely creative component parts – people.
INTELLIGENCE IN NATURE
An Inquiry into Knowledge by Jeremy Nerby. Tarcher 2006
Is there intelligence in nature, in bacteria, animals and plants? How can we define intelligence? The author writes, “intelligence refers to choosing between and implies the capacity to make decisions.” Given the mechanistic view of nature that modernity developed, we can hardly claim the existence of intelligence in nature, but science is moving away from that interpretation giving room to observe life differently and recognize that bacteria, bees, ants, plants and other forms of life develop behaviour that we can assess clearly as intelligent. They respond to changes in their environment.
RESONANT LEADERSHIP
By Richard Boyatis & Annie McKee. Harvard 2005
This book goes to the heart of what it means to “be” a leader when faced with relentless stress. It explores how mindfulness, hope, and compassion can be powerful forces in life and in the workplace. It addresses the growing trend in business today to address the intellectual and emotional challenges of working across boundaries with key stakeholders. Leaders have to find resilience, a peaceful mind, and mental clarity when there is precious little time to recover and re-establish balance and resonance with a wide range of competing and cooperative relationships.
SUSTAINABILITY BY DESIGN
A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture by John R. Ehrenfeld. Vale Press 2009
As well as offering a number of environmental remedies, such us eco-efficiency, sustainable development, and corporate responsibility, the author argues that they could do more harm than good. He challenges the conventional understanding of “solving” environmental problems and offers a new set of radical strategies to attain sustainability.
As John sees it, sustainability is the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on Earth forever. To achieve that, we will have to face many obstacles, and overcoming them will require us to transform our behaviour, both individually and collectively. That transformation will require a change of being and a new way to conceive our lives, our planet, and our universe.
THE TRANSFORMATION
A Guide to Inevitable Changes in Humankind by George Leonard. Tarcher 1983
This book, published 36 years ago, is still amazingly valid today. Leonard foresaw the forces creating turmoil on the planet that we see today. He was able to see that the kind of life we were building a civilization could not be sustained, not just ecologically but also from a soul perspective. Leonard’s thinking is courageous, unpretentious, deep, and warm.
THE ALBA OF EMOTIONS
By Susana Bloch
This book offers us an extraordinary possibility to reflect on six basic emotions: sadness, fear, anger, joy, tenderness, and eroticism, and from there to observe and better understand the complex, mixed emotions that we normally experience. It shows the essential role of breathing in our emoting and ways to learn individually and collectively in this field. Susana Bloch is an internationally known neuroscientist and research psychologist specialising in neurophysiology and psychophysiology. She is the author of over 100 scientific publications in international magazines on the brain and behaviour. After many years of research, she created her own method of expanding emotional learning, called “Alba Emoting.”
BIOLOGY REVISIONED
By Willis W. Harman, PhD & Elisabet Sahtouris, Ph.D.
This book presents an engaging look at the changing state of biology and proposes that we reconsider our views of science and life. The authors suggest that it is a historical accident that physics came to be the generally accepted root discipline of science. If for example, biology were instead the foundation, life sciences would be analyzed in a completely different way. We would need to look at wholes (organisms and ecological systems) prior to parts (fundamental particles). The book examines several theories of “new biology.” But, the bottom line, it strongly argues for the need of a new epistemology. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is inspiring, challenging and a fundamental piece in the building of new thinking.
REALITY ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE
By Walter Truett Anderson 1999 Harper
A tour through the contemporary social-cultural-political landscape, making sense of everything from punk rock to terrorism to New Age religions, to give a new view of what is happening in our time. It is a penetrating view of the world we are moving into.
SMART WORLD
Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideas by Richard Ogle
In this wonderful book, the author argues that creative breakthroughs are not just the results of brilliant individuals working in isolation, but rather they happened when individuals and groups had access to new idea spaces and exploited the principles that governed them. Richard Ogle boldly challenges the ontology of the mind that modernity has developed as an epiphenomenon of the brain, and takes us to an understanding that privileges the contexts and the conversational connections that take place in those contexts. Great reading – don’t miss it.
LEADERSHIP AND THE NEW SCIENCE
Discovering Order in a Chaotic World by Margaret Wheatley 1994 Berrett-Koehler
Initially published in 1992, the book outlined an unquestionably unique but extremely challenging view of change, leadership and the structure of groups. It contains powerful insights into the design, leadership and management of organisations. This edition has been expanded and revised and has an epilogue in which Mary Wheatley chronicles her experiences since the first edition.
DISCLOSING NEW WORLDS
Entrepreneurship, Democratic Action and the Cultivation of Solidarity by Charles Spinosa, Fernando Flores & Hubert Dreyfus 1999 MIT Books
This text argues that human beings are at their best not when they are engaged in abstract reflection, but when they are intensely involved in changing the taken-for-granted, everyday practices in some domain of their culture – that is, when they are making history.
BOOMERITIS
By Ken Wilber
A novel that allows for a better understanding of Wilber’s integral thinking. He contrasts the “flatland” of scientific materialism with its integral vision which embraces body, mind, soul and spirit in self, culture and nature.
THE INSIDE-OUT REVOLUTION
by Michael Neill. 2013 Hay House.
This book takes a pragmatic look at how to create the space for new possibilities to emerge. Michael explores where our feelings come from and we can transform our mood state to transform how we experience life so that we can deal with everyday anxieties and work-related stress. It is full of practical suggestions for wrestling with the paradox and uncertainty we gave every day. Michael explains how to engage in transformative conversations to open your mind and empower yourself.
LEADERSHIP WITHOUT EASY ANSWERS
By Ronald A. Heifetz
A well-developed set of prescriptions about leaders in very different environments and situations. Brilliant research.
LEADERSHIP AND THE NEW SCIENCE
By Margaret J. Wheatley
It is already a classic. The author connects the revolutionary discoveries in quantum physics, chaos theory, and evolutionary biology and brings them to illuminate fundamental issues of organizations, work, and people.
SITTING IN THE FIRE
Large Group Transformation Using Conflict and Diversity
Arnold Mindell 1995 Lao Tse Press
Using examples ranging from disputes in small organisations to large-scale conflicts in countries around the world, this volume offers practical methods for working with conflict, leadership crises, stagnation, abuse, terrorism, violence, and other social action issues. It brings an understanding of the psychology of conflict and the knowledge that many disputes can be traced back to inequalities of rank and power between parties, providing tools that will enable people to use conflict to build community.
THE WISDOM WITHIN
By Roger Mills & Elsie Spittle 2001 Lone Pine
This book explores profound discoveries about the role of our thought in mental stability and peace of mind. Their work is practised in boardrooms and the roughest city streets which is enriching lives and building community.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYTHING
By Ken Wilbur 2001 Gateway
In clear, non-technical language, Wilber presents the complex, cutting-edge theories and models that integrate the realms of body, mind, soul, and spirit. He then demonstrates how these theories and models can be applied to real-world problems in fields such as politics, medicine, business, education and the environment.
PRESENCE
Exploring Profound Change in People, Organizations and Society by Peter Senge. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski & Betty Sue Flowers
The book offers a leading-edge understanding of human learning and awareness. It shows us how to become change agents for the future, by offering a new set of social innovations and promises to shift humanity away from its destructive path towards a brighter planetary civilisation.
MYTHS OF LIFE
By Joseph Campbell
At his death, Campbell left a large volume of unreleased work. Here some of that work is published and, as always, he brings his mastery to explore the principles that underlie all great religions.
THE SPELL OF THE SENSUOUS
By David Abram
A brilliantly written book on the subtle dependence of human cognition on the natural environment. It addresses the sensual foundations of language as probably nobody has ever done it.
GLOBAL MIND CHANGE
By Willis Harman
“If the world that science tells us about is real, how does it happen that we don’t feel more at home in it?” asks Harman at the opening of this classic book. A fundamental book to read if you want to have some understanding of the world we live in.
QUANTUM QUESTIONS
By Ken Wilber
A collection of mystical writings by great physicists: Heisenberg, Schroedinger, Einstein, De Broglie, Planck, Jeans, Pauli Eddington. Surprising and revealing aspects of their thinking come to life, connecting realms we stubbornly have pushed apart, like matter and spirit, science and religion.
MASTERY
By George Leonard
Mastery can bring not only a higher level of excellence but also a deeper sense of satisfaction and fulfilment in our lives. From his expertise in the martial art of aikido and drawing on Zen philosophy, George Leonard writes a delightfully simple and profound book.
CO-ACTIVE COACHING
New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life by Laura Whitworth, Henry Kimsey-House & Phil Sandahl 1998 Davies-Black
Presenting an approach allowing client and coach to work together to identify both work-related and personal areas of development, this book is aimed at professional coaches who want to increase their proficiency and at those interested in integrating coaching skills into their current practice
THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
The Biological Roots of Human Understanding by Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela
The authors explain at the same time our human processes of thought and the facts of biology. It may not be an easy read, but it is rewarding all the way.
LEADING THROUGH CONFLICT
How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities by Mark Gerzon 2006 HBS
This book provides a powerful new framework for the leader as a mediator and outlines eight specific tools these leaders use to transform seemingly intractable differences into progress on deep-seated problems. Both practical and passionate, this book makes the tools of cross-border leaders accessible to anyone who wants to help create healthier companies, communities, and countries. As globalization puts together people of different backgrounds and worldviews, our world becomes more interdependent and full of old and new kinds of conflicts that desperately require “mediating leadership.” This book addresses that issue, pointing to what is needed to transform defensive energy into creativity and collaboration. The author draws from Integral Vision, System Thinking, and Conscious Communication. This book is a good reading, particularly for coaches who work with leaders.
COSMOS AND PSYCHE
Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas
A fascinating, deep, challenging and, above all, courageous book. Tarnas brings his encyclopedic knowledge and his compelling writing to invite us to reflect on the cosmology of our times and its impact in all aspects of our civilization. “The great enigma of our situation, he writes, is that we have unprecedented resources for dealing with those problems (the global, local, social, political, ecological problems of our times), yet it is as if some larger or deeper context, some invisible constraint, were negating our capacity and resolve.” And with great rigour he takes us to an amazing journey of discovery, where we rigorously face our present metaphysical disorientation, our sense of alienation and the need for a deeper insight into those unconscious forces and tendencies, creative and destructive, that play such a powerful role in shaping human lives, history, and the life of the planet. In a few words, a masterpiece.
THE REVENGE OF GAIA
Earth’s Climate Crisis & The Fate of Humanity by James Lovelock
The author of this book is the originator of the Gaia Hypothesis, now Gaia Theory, that tells us that the entire Earth, including the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and upper layers of rock, functions as a single living super-organism, regulating its internal environment much us an animal regulates its body temperature and chemical balance. Today, James Lovelock says that organism is sick and has some fever, in part due to human activity, especially the emission of carbon dioxide and the agricultural practices of our times. Our civilization is in danger and we are still sleeping. The author provides grounding for his interpretation of the serious danger we are facing, and he proposes some controversial actions. It is a beautifully written book, a WAKE-UP CALL, and a strong challenge for traditional environmentalists.
THE END OF FAITH
Religion, Terror, and The Future of Reason by Sam Harris
While warning against the invasion of organized religion into world politics, the author delivers a brilliant analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. Reading it is a challenging experience. Harris does nothing to compromise or to come to a soft middle ground. He writes passionately, drawing insights from neuroscience and philosophy, to call for a modern foundation of ethics and spirituality that is both secular and humanistic. If you read the book, prepare yourself for a ride! For you, dear graduate, another good book in the “interior/exterior” debate.
THE LANGUAGE OF GOD
A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins
Francis Collins, the head of the Human Genome Project, and one of the world´s leading scientists offers his evidence for the existence of God. As all of us are very aware, the topic of the relationship between science and religion, matter and spirit, exterior and interior, is being discussed extensively these days. From an atheistic perspective, we have a series of books published lately by scientists and philosophers like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, the author of The End of Faith. But what is different here, and makes this book very attractive, is the fact that it is a scientist who argues for the existence of God. He does not see any contradiction between Darwin´s theory of evolution and the concept of a universe created by God and writes extensively explaining why. The book is a mix of reason and revelation, science and spirit, logic and wonder.
THE DIVINE MATRIX
Bridging Time, Space, Miracles and Belief by Gregg Braden
Recent scientific discoveries are showing that Plank’s “matrix” is real. Gregg brings together research in the new sciences with ancient texts to show how the miracle that is our imagination can be made real in our lives. It seems that our ability to create a new reality is limited only by our imagination and our beliefs about change.
LEADING WITH SOUL
An Uncommon Journey of Spirit by Lee Bolman & Terrence Deal
This contemporary parable chronicles the journey of Steve, a dispirited leader in search of something deeper and more satisfying than a preoccupation with the bottom line. He seeks answers from Maria, a sage whose wisdom was forged in her own hard-won business career. Although Maria’s initial questions seem far afield from business, Steve unexpectedly discovers the true meaning of leadership.
THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE
By Michael Talbot
This book written in 1991, like all great books, maintains its freshness and power by making discoveries in physics available to the non-scientist reader as the author addresses questions about the paranormal abilities of the mind and the unresolved riddles of brain and body.
ISAAC NEWTON
By James Gleick
Biographies are generally a wonderful way to reflect on human genius and the prevalent worldview and the thinking of a particular era. This book is a great look not at the first modern scientist but at the last medieval magician.
A WORLD LIT ONLY BY FIRE
The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance by William Manchester
A wonderful portrait of an age that helps us to understand the sources of our present discourses.
THE SOUL OF CAPITALISM
Opening Paths to a Moral Economy by William Greider
How the greatest economy of the world is failing most of us, why it must be changed, and how some pioneers are beginning to transform it.
THE SCIENTIST IN THE CRIB
What Early Learning Tells Us about the Mind by Alison Gopnik, PhD, Andrew Meltzoff PhD and Patricia Kuhl, PhD
The authors are pioneers in the field of cognitive sciences who write about how babies and young children learn. It reveals in fascinating ways how they use some of the same methods that allow scientists to learn so much about the world.
THE LONG EMERGENCY
Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century by James Howard
This book develops a possible and very probable scenario of what is ahead of us in the present century. Considering the end of oil and climate change, the author shows with implacable force and with much grounding the impossibility of sustaining the present kind of life in the near future. His analysis focuses on the United States, but his considerations have a global reach. America’s dependency on oil is too strong to undo quickly, therefore the impact of the end of cheap oil will affect every aspect of this country and the world. It is an eye-opener that integrates science, technology, economics, politics, education and social change. Frightening and blunt, it is indispensable reading.
THE ORIGIN OF WEALTH
Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics by Eric D. Beinhocker
A groundbreaking book on economics. The author claims that the field of economics was built on the fundamental assumptions of 19th-century physics and never actualized. He proposes a remaking of economics considering the new developments in science and philosophy, particularly complexity theory. This book is required reading for anyone interested in the future direction of economic thinking and its impact on business and society, in general.
PLATO’S SOPHIST
The professor of wisdom. Newburyport, MA: Focus Pub./R. Pullins.Brann, E. T., Kalkavage, P., & Salem, E. (1996)
This is a dialogue that focuses on the essential role of difference in the human experience of both knowing and being.
THE REBIRTH OF NATURE
The Greening of Science and God by Rupert Sheldrake. The Inner Traditions Bear and Company 2004
This challenging book explores the roots and evolution of conventional science to take a fresh look at humanity’s place in the Universe. It’s well-written and offers a spiritually-oriented reflection on what forces us to be aware of the basic preconceptions in our society that have led to devastating consequences. Sheldrake writes: “We urgently need to find practical ways of re-establishing our conscious sense of connection with living nature. Recognizing the life of nature demands a revolution in the way we live our lives. And we have no time to lose.
COMPLEXITY THEORY SERIES
Bibliography courtesy of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute
Bak, P. (1996). How nature works: The science of self-organized criticality. New York, NY, USA: Copernicus.
This is a clear and compelling description of self-organized criticality. Bak gives an explanation based on the accumulation and release of tension, which informed our definition of three kinds of change and the HSD theory of change.
Briggs, J., & Peat, F. D. (1989). Turbulent Mirror: An illustrated guide to chaos theory and the science of wholeness. New York: Harper & Row.
This provides a wonderful description of many fundamental ideas of chaos theory. It is the best description I am aware of that explains what attractor patterns are, how they show up in nature, and how they are computed from time series data.
Cohen, J., & Stewart, I. (1994). The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering simplicity in a complex world. New York: Viking.
Jack Cohen is a reproductive biologist and Ian Stewart is a mathematician. Together they try to shine a light on the underlying phenomena of chaos theory.
Dooley, K. (1997). “A complex adaptive systems model of organizational change.” Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and the Life Sciences, 1: 69-97.
Eoyang, G. (2001). Conditions for Self-Organizing in Human Systems. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. The Union Institute and University.
This is available online (http://www.hsdinstitute.org/about-hsd/dr- glenda/glendaeoyang-dissertation.pdf) and includes the initial logic of and evidence for the CDE Model.
Eoygan, G. (1998). Coping with Chaos: Seven simple tools. Lagumo Press.
In this early book, Eoyang uses metaphors and recognized phenomena from complexity and chaos science to apply them as tools in organization challenges and opportunities.
Eoyang, G., Holladay, R. (2013). Adaptive Action: Leveraging uncertainty in our organization. Stanford University Press.
This is a deep and detailed explanation of how HSD helps see, understand and influence patterns in complex adaptive systems. It shares stories of practitioners who use HSD in their personal, public, and professional lives.
Galilei, G., Crew, H., & Salvio, A. D. (1933). Dialogues concerning two new sciences. New York: Macmillan.
This dialogue at the edge of a new science brings together the old theory paradigm of Aristotle, the new practice paradigm of a builder of bridges, and an ignorant interlocutor. In a shared inquiry they explore things that are known in practice and not fathomable in accepted theory. The argument about infinity is particularly compelling.
Gleick, J. (1987). Chaos: Making a new science. New York, NY, U.S.A.: Viking.
This was my introduction to chaos science. Here I met the ideas for the first time, and the metaphorical connections were obvious with my experience in business, consulting, teaching and facilitation.
Goldstein, J. (1994). The Unshackled Organization: Facing the challenge of unpredictability through spontaneous reorganization. Portland, Or.: Productivity Press.
Jeff gives a clear, concrete, powerful application of complexity and chaos metaphors to some common challenges for people and organizations.
Kelly, K. (1994). Out of Control: The rise of neo-biological civilization. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
This is a great collection of short pieces about many different natural systems that demonstrate chaotic or complex behaviour. The stories are exciting, and the principles are clear.
Olson, E., Eoyang, G. (2001) Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons from Complexity Science. Jossey-Bass/Pfeifer.
In this ground-breaking book, Olson and Eoyang offer the first published presentation of the Eoyang CDE model and its potential for changing how people understand organisational change.
Patterson, L., Holladay, R., Eoyang, G. (2013). Radical rules for schools: Adaptive action for complex change. HSD Institute Press.
This applies HSD in the challenges of school reform in the US, recommending a short list of Simple Rules that can change current patterns to support teaching and learning.
Poole, M.S., Van de Ven, A., Dooley, K. & Holmes, M. (2000). Organizational Change and Innovation Processes: Theory and Methods for Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
This group reviewed hundreds of journal articles on change in human systems and discovered some basic categories to inform research and practice.
Prigogine, I. & Stengers, I. (1984). Order out of Chaos: Man’s new dialogue with nature. Toronto: Bantam Books.
They begin with a brief history of science and make a compelling case for the necessity of a self-organizing science. Dissipative structures, irreversible time, and the concept of far-from-equilibrium dynamics are drawn from here.
Quade, K. Holladay, R. (2010). Dynamical Leadership: Building adaptive capacity for uncertain times. Gold Canyon Press.
In this book for leaders, HSD offers an explanation of how leaders can see, understand, and influence change across a landscape of difference.
Waldrop, M. M. (1992). Complexity: The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Two books entitled Complexity came out at almost the same time in 1992. This one, my favourite, uses examples from physics and mathematics to introduce the basic relationships and phenomena of complexity and chaos.
Weick, K. E. (1969). The social psychology of organizing. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub.
Weick lays out a theory of action that begins with tension and ends with new structures. While it pre-dated much of the work in chaos and complexity, it is quite close to the foundations of HSD.
Zimmerman, B., Lindberg, C., & Plsek, P. E. (1998). Edgeware: Insights from complexity science for healthcare leaders. Irving, TX: VHA.
This group, working through the Plexus Institute, collected many different models and methods and brought them together in a simple and accessible form. This approach has continued and is now recognized as “liberating structures.”