An insightful meeting with the integral impulses of the Cologne Association for Integral Forum recently brought the topic of wholeness into focus, which plays a central role in our counselling work, especially in connection with the ideas of Frederic Laloux.
In our counselling concept, wholeness is positioned in the upper left quadrant of the four-quadrant model. This symbolises the inside of the individuals in an organisation – the psyche and the desired state of mind that supports organisations on their journey towards holistic integration or corporate culture.
The international meeting with about 12 participants from different countries proved to be extremely interesting. It was discussed how the concept of wholeness affects the different stages of development, for example in the green, orange, blue and red stages of the Spiral Dynamics theory. In the green stage, for example, organisations strive for harmony and good cooperation, while the orange stage is dominated by individual success and the desire to get ahead. The blue stage focuses on compliance with rules and the creation of structure, while the red stage emphasises the desire for assertion and dominance.
The aim is to combine the skills of the previous levels and also to achieve personal wholeness – overcoming shadows, recognising one’s own patterns and ego parts, as a prerequisite for the transformation that is currently being talked about so much.
The discussion made it clear that the attitude of managers and organisational structures are crucial to promoting the wholeness of people in the organisation. An open, eye-level attitude on the part of managers and the dismantling of hierarchical and fear-based structures, such as hierarchy-emphasising communication and management tools, are essential for this.
This exciting exchange encouraged people to think about the importance of wholeness in organisations and to actively work on creating an environment in which wholeness is possible.
