The DNA of a collective field

As Otto Scharmer and many other thought leaders call it, shifting from an Egosystem awareness to Ecosystem awareness is the essence of leadership at this time. For that to happen, we are called to consciously (re-)invent and give shape to the basic patterns of our collective fields.
How do we come together?
How do we think and sense together?
And how do we create together?

It’s not just about coming together in any form, or with the patterns of the past that we are conditioned with. We need to become aware of the level of attention and intention that we bring to our collective fields, and invent the new patterns and processes that will allow us re-align our energies with the larger systems within which we are operating. These core patterns could actually be seen as the DNA of a new species.

Looking at the honeybees and how they organize the colony can help us understand this form of DNA. These tiny insects live in a highly collective and self-organized manner, and that would not be possible unless there are some core patterns that repeat in every level of the organization. From that view, those core patterns are the DNA of the collective field of honeybees.

For an example to see it more clearly in the human level, a core pattern of our current collective field is what we know as presentation. One person holds the expertise or knowledge and communicates it in a linear way to the audience who are passive recipients. The visual format is, all facing one person or a few selected (panel). This pattern is repeated in most of our collective fields such as our classrooms, conferences, organizational meetings, when consultants guide us, when we sit in front of the TV, when politicians talk to us, and in churches. Through this pattern, the majority are the recipients of the information, knowledge, or inspiration. They do not actively contribute to the whole collective field.

Not that this pattern is absolutely wrong, in fact there are times when this way of organizing could be of use. For example when we need a centrally controlled situation, or when a person hold an inspiring story to be shared. But the point is, this is not the only pattern that we can use. For creating a collectively intelligent field we will need other patterns that allow and welcome the active contribution of everyone who’s involved. Patterns that allow every voice to be heard and considered in shaping the collective journey.

Since the time I started practicing the Circle I have felt it’s power in creating a highly intelligent collective field. Based on my personal experience, it’s a process that the more it’s being used, the more powerful it gets. After almost two years of practice I can confidently say that the Circle is one of those core patterns that we need to bring more of in our social fields. It could be considered as a DNA for a highly conscious and self-organizing species that is being born. We just need to make it a core pattern of our lives, and that means to practice it over and over when we come together.

When we intentionally sit in a Circle, we already are the next level of humanity.

Related posts:

• Spacial dynamics and the source of intelligence
• Leadership paradigm and ecosystem awareness
• Dancing with the crisis
• Dubai Sustainability Un-conference & the Field of New Possibilities
• Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Education – Dubai