New Paradigms in Organization Development: Positivity, Spirituality, and Complexity

Organization Development Journal, Spring 2009 by Karakas, Fahri

As they face more complexities, competition, and change than at any other time in history, organizations that thrive in the new century will be those that learn new capabilities suited to coping with the new conditions. Sources of competitive advantage will derive from an organization's ability to practice ethics and social responsibility, collaboration, relationship building, creativity and innovation, adaptation and flexibility, and systems thinking, as well as to manage complexity and thrive in chaos.

To help organizations and managers to navigate successfully in the new world of business, Organization developement professionals and consultants of the new century will perform seven new creative roles or functions implicit in the new Organization developement paradigm shown in Table 1:

a) Social artist

b) Ethical pioneer

c) Spiritual visionary

d) Creative catalyst

e) Cultural innovator

f ) Holistic thinker

g) Community builder

Social artists. Social artists are individuals who continually work on themselves to develop skills to provide consultation, leadership, and guidance on changing paradigms, values, laws, and structures of their societies and organizations. Social artists work in collaborative networks to create social innovation. They help cultures and organizations to move from patriarchy to lateral partnership, from dominance to circular sharing. They utilize reflective, artistic, and relational spaces, reflect through music and art, and engage in continuous self-development and reflection to create social innovation. Social artists help people to envision, discover, and realize the most beautiful, powerful, and evolutionary of the possibilities-one that evokes a better world that works for everyone.

Ethical pioneers. Ethical pioneers are individuals who try to put ethics at the center of business through ethical decision making based on values. They are deeply aware of own ethics and values; seeing the long-term implications of their decisions and actions on the larger system. Ethical pioneers engage in constant questioning and reflection to make responsible and conscious choices that benefit all stakeholders and future generations. They model integrity and authenticity by walking their talk and acting consistently. They stand up for what's right with ultimate integrity and they pioneer principled and thoughtful thinking.

Spiritual visionaries. Spiritual visionaries are individuals who interpret the universe and people's roles therein- or in the case of an organization, its role in business and society and its students' roles in fulfilling its mission. They articulate with authority, eloquence, and depth of insight. They provide deeper meanings, inspiration, and fresh insights about the human condition. They create and utilize powerful visions, metaphors, and symbols. They are the gateways for humanity to explore new facets of the future, to explore collective consciousness. Spiritual visionaries pioneer new, dynamic, and flexible ways of thinking about holistic problems and questions of the world. They embody and model the search for wholeness, unity, completeness, love, peace, and fulfillment; emphasizing social and spiritual responsibility toward the community, society and the world.