Life is creative. It makes it up as it goes along.
As we let go of the machine model of work, we begin to step back and see ourselves in new ways, to appreciate wholeness, and to design organizations that honor and make use of the totality of who we are.
Power is the capacity to generate relationships.
Space is the basic ingredient of the universe; there is more of it than anything else.
It is time to stop waiting for someone to save us. It is time to face the truth of our situation – that we’re all in this together, that we all have a voice – and figure out how to mobilize the hearts and minds of everyone in our workplaces and communities.
A world based on machine images is a world filled with boundaries. In a machine, every piece knows its place.
To make a system stronger, we need to make stronger relationships.
We could focus our efforts on discovering solutions that work uniquely for us.
Ask what’s possible, not what’s wrong. Keep asking.
Power in organizations is the capacity generated by relationships. It is an energy that comes into existence through relationships.
Self-production: the characteristic of living systems to continuously renew themselves and to regulate this process in such a way that the integrity of their structure is maintained. It is a natural process which supports the quest for structure, process renewal and integrity.
In the past, it was easier to believe in my own effectiveness. If I worked hard, with good colleagues and good ideas, we could make a difference. But now, I sincerely doubt that.
Independence is a political concept, not a biological concept.
Organizations are now confronted with two sources of change: the traditional type that is initiated and managed; and external changes over which no one has control.
Even though worker capacity and motivation are destroyed when leaders choose power over productivity, it appears that bosses would rather be in control than have the organization work well.
I’ve found that I can only change how I act if I stay aware of my beliefs and assumptions. Thoughts always reveal themselves in behavior.
And time for reflection with colleagues is for me a lifesaver; it is not just a nice thing to do if you have the time. It is the only way you can survive.
Most people associate command and control leadership with the military.
Destroying is a necessary function in life. Everything has its season, and all things eventually lose their effectiveness and die.
Aggression only moves in one direction – it creates more aggression.