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Top > Science > Psychology > Branches of Psychology > Developmental Psychology > Spiral Dynamics

Klaus Mager

Vice President at Laschober+Sovich

well there are ways to do something, and it may be not so obvious. First of all, allow me to introduce spiral dynamics theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Dynamics

` Spiral Dynamics argues that human nature is not fixed: humans are able, when forced by life conditions, to adapt to their environment by constructing new, more complex, conceptual models of the world that allow them to handle the new problems.[1] Each new model transcends and includes all previous models. According to Beck and Cowan, these conceptual models are organized around so-called vmemes (pronounced "v memes"): systems of core values or collective intelligences, applicable to both individuals and entire cultures.

` In spiral dynamics, the term vmeme refers to a core value system, acting as an organizing principle, which expresses itself through memes (self-propagating ideas, habits, or cultural practices). The superscript letter v indicates these are not basic memes but value systems which include them. The colors act as reminders for the life conditions and mind capacities of each system and alternate between cool and warm colors as a part of the model.[2] Within the model, individuals and cultures do not fall clearly in any single category (color). Each person/culture embodies a mixture of the value patterns, with varying degrees of intensity in each. Spiral Dynamics claims not to be a linear or hierarchical model.

` To be clear; a person operating at the highest possible mind capacity can do so from a value pattern of morality, or from total debasement. Both mind capacity and value system combined create the vMeme, what Bateson refers to as MIND.

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https://www.valuematch.net/en/en-spiral-dynamics

Spiral Dynamics ®

All ValueMatch instruments are based on the Spiral Dynamics ® (Integral) philosophy developed by prof. Clare W. Graves and Dr. Don Beck. This is a model and language which describes the evolutionary development of people, organizations and society. It is a new way of mapping and understanding the interaction between people. It distinguishes different value systems (these are driving forces, world views and living rules) of people and cultures, see the adjacent diagram. In addition, an important part of Spiral Dynamics is a description of just how people and the environment change and what stages are passed through in making such a change.

Spiral Dynamics ® Integral can be equally applied at an individual, organizational, social and even geopolitical level. ValueMatch has done considerable work to define how the value systems are visible in organizations. Below you will find a detailed description of Spiral Dynamics and the value systems.

Detailed description of Spiral Dynamics ®

To understand the dynamics that occur between people, in teams and within organizations, we need to look beyond thoughts and behavior to discern the underlying motivation that is the cause of people’s thoughts and behavior. Every person is motivated, but not by the same things. A lot of the conflicts, misunderstandings and friction that arise in organizations originate in the expectation that other people have the same motivation and drives as ourselves. In most organizations this is not the case, however.  And it isn’t necessary either, as people with very different motivations and drives can work together perfectly well, as long as there is a general agreement on the direction and a clear, shared goal.

Graves and Spiral Dynamics

From the 1950s to the 80s, Dr. Clare W. Graves, professor of psychology at Union College in New York, conducted extensive research into people’s drives and into what makes people happy. He discovered that a person’s development can be seen as several clearly distinct stages. In each of these stages, which we term ‘value systems’, people have different motivations and drives. Each of these value systems emerges through interaction with specific home or work circumstances. Thus, people living in a tribal culture have a different dominant value system than people living in, say, a communist state. The value systems represent the way that the human psyche adapts in order to thrive in each given environment. As human beings developed further, the life environment and the associated value systems have become increasingly complex.

Graves’s work was continued by Dr. Don Beck and Chris Cowan, who assigned a certain color to each value system and who designated the Spiral Dynamics® model, as shown in the table on the next page. This table shows 6 of the 8 systems described by Graves. The first system, with the beige color code, is not relevant to the analysis of organizations, and the eighth system, turquoise, has barely been developed and is also not relevant to the application presented here; see Appendix A for further explanation.

Graves’s work can be used to analyze both the interaction between a person and society, and between a person and his/her work environment. Each value system will flourish in a specific work environment; thus, someone strongly developed in a competitive mentality (a feature of the orange value system) will probably feel more at home in a commercially driven ‘orange’ organization than in a ‘green’ organization, which focuses more on people and harmony.

The dynamics

The successive value systems become increasingly complex. This applies both to the life conditions and to the psyche that needs to deal with these life conditions. This development is apparent in our steadily more complicated society, evolving from the original tribal culture to today’s global technological society. Similarly, for individuals, as we grow older we are confronted with increasingly more complicated circumstances that drive the development of our psychology. This complexity mainly pertains to social interaction, and has no bearing on one’s intelligence. A person with a strongly developed green drive is not more intelligent than a person with a strongly developed orange system. The value systems can also not be classified in terms of better or worse: each system fulfills its own function in the right environment. The system that develops within a person depends on numerous factors, such as background, personal preferences, the problems one encounters, but particularly on the environment in which you live.

Each new value system can only develop in people, teams and organizations if the preceding systems have been worked through and developed sufficiently. For example, for a team that is working on a complex project that requires a strategic, ‘orange’ way of thinking and acting, it must have sufficient structure and order within itself. These are aspects that were developed through the preceding blue system. If these did not develop, or did not develop sufficiently, then the orange system will drop through its blue foundation, so to speak, and the short-term mentality and chaos which are characteristic of the preceding red system will come to dominate.

It is important to realize that a value system describes how people think about things, and not what they think. It describes, for instance, why religion becomes important to someone at a certain point in time, but not which religion or creed the person adheres to. Value systems do not say anything about personal tastes but about the stages of development that we go through, just like everyone else, which are expressed in our drives, in our view of the world, and how we arrive at choices. What drives us can vary between the different areas of our life, such as family or work, and can change quickly when life circumstances suddenly change, for example when someone loses his job and can no longer pay off the mortgage, and therefore feels under pressure.

Value systems should therefore not be seen as static: different parts of our life or changing circumstances can sometimes trigger very different value systems in us. Thus, the sickness of a family member can bring out the purple system in us, while a vigorous sports match can bring out the red system.

The eight value systems

Below we describe the eight value systems.

Beige

The first system is beige. This is actually the first form of human existence, of an instinctive nature and geared to survival. Time is only a matter of the here and now, and the focus is on satisfying physical needs.

This system is manifest in for example infant children and drug addicts, and also becomes manifest in life-threatening situations such as a natural disaster. The only drive is to survive. The beige system is not measured by the ValueMatch questionnaire, as this system has only limited relevance for people nowadays.

Purple

In periods in which the human race had to deal with strenuous circumstances (such as hunger, cold, hazards and threats), people found safety in numbers, and thus learned to cooperate. People started living as tribes and developed the power of speech and social interaction forms.

This heralded the second, purple system, which gave a strong impetus to mankind’s capacity for associative thought. Objects and natural phenomena gained significance in the form of spirits. The tribe provided for safety and shelter, and the individual was faithful to the customs of the tribe. The awareness of time became cyclical, and people lived according to the rhythm of nature and the seasons.

Today, this system is clearly visible in family ties and in children’s development, when fairy tales, rituals and cuddly toys become important. In organizations, purple is manifest in unwritten rules and bonding rituals such as after-work drinks, outings and birthday cakes. In times of crisis this system becomes more active, as people start to seek the safety of a group.

Red

Within the safety and the shelter offered by the purple group, the I-awareness or individuality is born (comparable to a child’s ”terrible twos” in which “no” and ‘I’ and ‘me’ first gain significance). This ‘I’ becomes aware of his own drives and of the ability to impose his will on others. This forms the basis of the red system. The underlying theme here is, ‘Stand up for your own interests, satisfy your own desires by doing what you want to do, regardless of others’. The red system releases strong I-powers such as the lust for life and an unrestrained desire for power and possession. It can represent both healthy empowerment and unhealthy power. While purple people huddle together in case of danger, the red individual meets the danger head-on, with courage and resolve. When tribes battle each other for territory, the red leaders are victorious. Red feels no guilt, but cares for respect and honor, which it will protect at all costs.

In today’s world, red is manifest in children’s drive to assert themselves and to bully others, in physical contact sports such as rugby, but also in street gangs and hooliganism. With respect to management, a healthy red translates into decisive action, but if uncontrolled it can convert into the abuse of power, causing insecurity among personnel.

Blue

The red system ultimately leads to chaos, as well as to a widening gap between rich and poor, between the rulers and the ruled. This generates in response a need for calm, for order and stability, and so we see the blue system develop. Whereas red sought immediate satisfaction at the expense of everyone and everything, people now realize that the community is served by the ability to control those desires. People’s lives gain meaning within the context of their own group, in which the members adhere to similar values and standards. The here and now is no longer paramount; instead there is a life in service of one God, one truth, one right way. People are willing to follow the rules and to comply with an overarching plan, for which they will be rewarded in the future.

In today’s society, Blue is of course clearly apparent in the various church denominations, but it also forms the basic drives of ‘ideologies’ such as atheist communism. The blue system has brought much structure to our society, such as the state with its extensive system of laws and regulations, the justice system, property rights, infrastructure, and so on.

Organizations cannot survive without the structure provided by blue, but in an unhealthy form it brings too much bureaucracy, making the organization rigid and unable to adapt to changing circumstances. Blue can furthermore breed a dogmatic right-or-wrong mentality, and an unforgiveable sense of guilt if one fails to obey the rules.

Orange

The blue group pressure represses individual freedom, expression and innovation. In response, an awareness awakens that each individual should also be able to determine his or her own life, and be entitled to personal success. The resulting orange system is strongly oriented toward individual freedom of thought and autonomy. Like red, orange is attached to self-expression, but in a more strategic manner. Orange comprises blue and for that reason, in a healthy form, will want to operate within the existing structures as much as possible – although it will enjoy the challenge to identify the loopholes and exploit these. Where red dominates by exercising power, orange plays the game strategically for the thrill of winning, and so it has an interest in the willingness of other players to continue playing the game as well.

The western world’s economy has a strong orange character: ambitious, geared to growth, innovation and individual success. Many trainings on the theme of personal leadership and effectiveness seek to activate this drive.

In organizations, orange delivers financial success, and strategic and goal-directed operation, but if it goes too far it can repress the blue order and hence lead to the collapse of the organization.

Green

Orange brings abundance, but the ‘rat race’ also generates a sense of emptiness and loneliness. Many people nowadays are familiar with the experience of having everything they want and need such as a nice job, their own house, a family, but of being plagued nevertheless by the question if this is all there is? The green system arises out of a need for a sense of meaning, with a focus on people’s wellbeing and a sense of inner peace. It seeks a life in harmony with people and nature. Green is attentive to feelings and emotions, and reintroduces intuition and spirituality into the mechanical, material orange world. Since green only emerges once people have become so affluent that they needn’t spend all their time on working and achieving success, this system only emerges fully in prosperous societies, and only peripherally in less developed areas of the world.

This system has grown strongly in the Northern European countries, Canada and New Zeeland over the past decades, particularly with the advent of the welfare state in the 1960s with its emphasis on social care and wellbeing, and on the emancipation of minorities. Green repairs many of the important elements lost or damaged in earlier parts of the spiral, such as the equality of man and woman, the balance between work and private life and the equilibrium between mankind and nature, and it reintroduces a spiritual awareness.

In respect of management, green is visible in the care for personnel and their personal development, the need for a horizontal organization with self-directing teams, but also in the urge to involve everyone in interminable discussion rounds, without achieving any substantial results.

Green reintroduces important elements in the spiral, but it also has a lot of trouble dealing with the problems generated and encountered by contemporary society. One of the main pitfalls for green is its neglect of hierarchy in people’s development, and hence of the qualities of earlier value systems. Green counters the right-or-wrong mentality of blue, but in doing so it undermines rules and structure. It fights against the distinction between winners and losers and the lack of human dignity in orange, but in doing so undermines the system that created the wealth which made it possible in the first place to start devoting attention to the human and humane sides of life.

Green has trouble dealing with the unhealthy expressions of red because it is unwilling to impose limits on undesirable behavior, which is instead freely tolerated. These are exactly the aspects that many individuals and organizations and society as a whole are struggling with. Thus, we see that many organizations feel a need for decisive action (red) as well as for a proper structure (blue), and for a goal-driven performance (orange) as well as for caring for people (green). To combine all these aspects requires a more complex level of thinking, which is indeed what we see emerging today.

Yellow

As part of his research, Clare Graves discovered that people can, at a certain point in their development, take a huge step, with a loss of fear of failure and a huge increase in creativity, enabling them to solve much more complex problems. This is termed the yellow system, in which people are no longer driven by external forces such as social pressure, but from within, autonomously. As this is a relatively unfamiliar system, we shall describe yellow more extensively. 

In yellow, a person recognizes all underlying value systems in himself and in others, and is able to bring these systems into alignment. Yellow responds to threats, such as the growing climate problem, not with fear but with the question what solution would serve the entire system. Yellow sees life as a kaleidoscope of opportunities in which each person seeks his or her unique destiny, by aligning oneself with the natural flow that drives our development. From this dynamic system it is also easier for people to see that others are driven by their own value system, so that they no longer attempt to convince others of their own viewpoint (value system). Yellow can cope with chaos and tumultuous change, and can trust that time itself can take care of things (think of concepts like synchronicity and serendipity). Nobody but me is responsible for who I am.

Examples of a yellow approach can be found in the work of Peter Senge, and in systems that emerge from apparent chaos such as Wikipedia and Open Source software development. In the some countries where green has developed strongly such as The Netherlands, this yellow system is emerging in response to the increasing complexity of society and the failure of orange and green to find satisfactory solutions for matters such as conflicting values between population groups, the spiraling costs of our healthcare system, and climate change. Yellow is capable of carrying out complex projects involving many different interest groups, without a central coordinating figure.

With regard to management, yellow is revealed in outlines of long-term perspectives in which the interests of the organization and of society coincide (circular economy), in operating within autonomous networks, and in the ability to adapt the management style to the situation. Yellow does not think outside the box but lives outside the box, from where it creates organizations that serve all stakeholders, and society, and the development that the world is currently undergoing. One example is Moyee Coffee, which went beyond Fair Trade in which we gave farmers a better price for their coffee, to Fair Chain, in which Africans directly take control of the chain of coffee production and thereby become independent of western development aid and multinationals.

Of course yellow comes with its own distortions, but as this is still a budding value system, not much can be said about this at present. Aspects of its distortion are that it imagines matters to be more complex than they actually are, that is it impatient with incompetence, and can be somewhat hard to follow.

Turquoise

It is inevitable that the emergence of a system oriented on self-expression or on ‘I’ (such as beige, red, orange or yellow) is followed by a system oriented on WE, with aspects of bringing parties and interests together and of self-sacrifice (such as purple, blue and green). Hence, besides the emergence of yellow, in parts of the world we are also witnessing the emergence of the next system, namely turquoise. This system has a holistic worldview, with people experiencing their life as being one with the earth and the universe and all that exists. Turquoise sees the world as a single dynamic organism with a collective consciousness. The self is both autonomous and blends seamlessly into the whole. This system is starting to develop more vigorously, as manifested in an increasing interest in the integration of science and spirituality.

Although many claim to be turquoise, we rarely see any real expression of this in society. But we do see it in models such as the Zero Point Field described by Lynn McTaggert, the cosmic consciousness described in the work of Brian Swimme, or the theories by David Bohm and Rupert Sheldrake.

This value system may well generate the awareness and the coherence required to truly tackle the growing global climate crisis. The ValueMatch profiles ignore this system because it doesn’t yet play a role in our present-day organizations and society, and practical experience shows that it is currently difficult to measure with questionnaires. As you may have noticed, self-expression systems alternate with self-sacrifice systems. This is the recurrent pendulum movement between yin and yang, or the masculine and feminine poles of life. Some people develop more along the vector of self-expression, with comparatively little development in self-sacrifice systems, and for others it is vice versa.

Our society and organizations harbor many different value systems, and people perform best when they are in an environment that suits their dominant value system. ValueMatch tools reveal which people flourish in what type of environment. Although we have described later-developed systems as being more complex than earlier systems, this does not mean that they are better or that people that have developed these are more intelligent. The goal of ValueMatch is to help people flourish, which occurs in situations where their life and/or work circumstances accord with their dominant value system.

Dynamics of change

The change profile reveals to what extent your current work and home environment suit you, whether you experience any tension and if so, how much, and the measure of change that is occurring in your life and how you experience that change.

A change process generally proceeds as visualized in the illustration below. The vertical axis represents the degree of harmony with your life environment, with a lot of harmony at the top and a lack of harmony at the bottom. The horizontal axis indicates your position in the change process. It is important to realize that change processes often do not proceed in a linear fashion, and that you can move forward as well as backward along the lines. This also makes it difficult to predict the future course.

Stability (the yellow-colored field) shows the degree to which your work and home environment suit you. A high Alpha score indicates that you experience a lot of harmony with your work and home environment.

Changes within yourself or in your environment initially give rise to tension (the grey field), which is revealed by a higher Beta score. This sometimes concerns minor matters that can be resolved fairly quickly, to then see harmony restored again. For example, your current work conditions may not suit you, but you are soon assigned other tasks within your department that are better suited to you and you go back to stability in alpha.

If the tension cannot be reduced through small changes, then this suggests that there are larger changes at stake. Such change can either be initiated by an internal shift, which may relate to a shift in value systems, or by external shifts in our life conditions such as changes in the organization we work in or dynamics within our relationship. We usually tend to shy away from such changes, as it often implies having to take leave (to some extent) from our familiar environment, but also because solutions are generally not yet visible at this stage or because our new view on the world still has to develop further.  As a result, we experience a barrier, which causes the tension to rise further (revealed by higher scores for both Beta and Gamma). The tension may rise to such an extent that we can no longer ignore the change and solutions present themselves, and at a certain point we overcome the barrier and allow the change to proceed (Delta). Things then start moving (represented by the green field) and the change takes shape in your life. This could be a new job, a change in home environment, or an important change in your personal relationship(s). As soon as the change has become integrated in your life, you will again experience harmony with your work or home environment. This is reflected in a higher New Alpha score, indicating a greater stability in your life.

To the extent that it is easier for us to release the old situation, for example because our emotional attachment to the situation is less or because we can already see clearly how the change will take shape, the change process can also proceed via the alternative Flex route. Flex represents turbulent changes to which you can give in more easily. That is why there is no barrier to this pathway.

The biggest changes in our life often involve a transition between value systems. Since we simply lack the vision to see where we will end up, this process is often shrouded in darkness. In that situation, the transition means that we will start seeing not just our life but even our own identity from, quite literally, another viewpoint, so that we will inevitably have to go through a period of not-knowing. This feels as if the ground beneath our feet is swept away, which arouses a strong emotional resistance. That is why this category of change almost always entails an experience of hopelessness, anger, frustration and even despair (a high Gamma score).

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Dynamics

Spiral Dynamics is a dynamic model of human development and development of memes carrying systems - such as a social network, society or company - introduced in the 1996 book Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Chris Cowan. The book was based on the 1970s theories of psychologist Clare W. Graves.

Spiral Dynamics argues that human nature is not fixed: humans are able, when forced by life conditions, to adapt to their environment by constructing new, more complex, conceptual models of the world that allow them to handle the new problems.^[1] Each new model transcends and includes all previous models. According to Beck and Cowan, these conceptual models are organized around so-called ^vmemes (pronounced "v memes"): systems of core values or collective intelligences, applicable to both individuals and entire cultures.

In spiral dynamics, the term ^vmeme refers to a core value system, acting as an organizing principle, which expresses itself through memes (self-propagating ideas, habits, or cultural practices). The superscript letter v indicates these are not basic memes but value systems which include them. The colors act as reminders for the life conditions and mind capacities of each system and alternate between cool and warm colors as a part of the model.^[2] Within the model, individuals and cultures do not fall clearly in any single category (color). Each person/culture embodies a mixture of the value patterns, with varying degrees of intensity in each. Spiral Dynamics claims not to be a linear or hierarchical model.

According to Spiral Dynamics, there are infinite stages of progress and regression over time, dependent upon the life circumstances of the person or culture, which are constantly in flux. Attaining higher stages of development is not synonymous with attaining a "better" or "more correct" values system. All stages co-exist in both healthy and unhealthy states, meaning any stage of development can lead to undesirable outcomes with respect to the health of the human and social environment.^[3]

^vMEMEs

First-tier value-systems Memes (vMEMEs) are focused on different themes for existence and include almost all of the worldviews, cultures, and mental attitudes up to today. New systems build on adaptations of previous levels and seek to solve problems created by living in those earlier ways. Attaching concrete examples to these levels of psychological existence is difficult and often misleading because first, there can be multiple reasons for the same behavior and second, centralization in a single level regarding all aspects of living is rare. Some advocates of spiral dynamics argue that these are ways of thinking about things, not types of people. However, Spiral Dynamics does explicitly define a category of people labeled "spiral wizards" who have attained equilibrium around "higher-level" vMEMEs.^[4]

THE FIRST TIER VALUE SYSTEMS; The Levels of Subsistence^[5]

Beige

"Survival/Sense. The Instinctive ^vMEME

• Automatic, autistic, reflexive
• Centers around satisfaction
• Driven by deep brain programs, instincts and genetics
• Little awareness of self as a distinct being (undifferentiated)
• Lives "off the land" much as other animals
• Minimal impact on or control over environment"^[6]

Purple

"Kin Spirits. The Clannish ^vMEME

• Obey desires of the mystical spirit beings
• Show allegiance to elders, custom, clan
• Preserve sacred places, objects, rituals
• Bond together to endure and find safety
• Live in an enchanted, magical village
• Seek harmony with nature's power"^[7]

Red

"PowerGods. The Egocentric ^vMEME

• In a world of haves and have-nots, it's good to be a have
• Avoid shame, defend reputation, be respected
• Gratify impulses and sense immediately
• Fight remorselessly and without guilt to break constraints
• Don't worry about consequences that may not come"^[8]

Blue

"TruthForce. The Purposeful ^vMEME

• Find meaning and purpose in living
• Sacrifice self to the Way for deferred reward
• Bring order and stability to all things
• Control impulsivity and respond to guilt
• Enforce principles of righteous living
• Divine plan assigns people to their places"^[9]

Orange

"StriveDrive. The Strategic ^vMEME

• Strive for autonomy and independence
• Seek out "the good life" and material abundance
• Progress through searching out the best solutions
• Enhance living for many through science and technology
• Play to win and enjoy competition
• Learning through tried-and-true experience"^[10]

Green

"HumanBond. The Relativistic ^vMEME

• Explore the inner beings of self and others
• Promote a sense of community and unity
• Share society's resources among all
• Liberate humans from greed and dogma
• Reach decisions through consensus
• Refresh spirituality and bring harmony"^[11]

Spiral dynamics theory sees second-tier ^vMEMEs as emerging levels that gradually move away from a focus on subsistence-level concerns of the first tier and towards a being-level existence. The existence of two different tiers of psychological development was introduced by the founder Graves. Cowan claims it is possible that Graves introduced the tier system as a marketing instrument. Up to today, there is no research evidence showing the two tiers exist. Cowan no longer supports the existence of two tiers but claims the only thing now known about the yellow and turquoise systems is that they are more complex versions of orange and green. The open-ended theory suggests that the levels Coral and beyond are not yet substantially formed and will solidify as a greater portion of society develops towards those ^vMEMEs.

THE SECOND TIER VALUE SYSTEMS; The Levels of "Being"^[5]

Yellow

"FlexFlow. The Systemic ^vMEME

• Accept the inevitability of nature's flows and forms
• Focus on functionality, competence, flexibility, and spontaneity
• Find natural mix of conflicting "truths" and "uncertainties"
• Discovering personal freedom without harm to others or excesses of self-interest
• Experience fullness of living on an Earth of such diversity in multiple dimensions
• Demand integrative and open systems"^[12]

Turquoise

"GlobalView. The Holistic^vMEME

• Blending and harmonizing a strong collective of individuals
• Focus on the good of all living entities as integrated systems
• Expanded use of human brain/mind tools and competencies
• Self is part of larger, conscious, spiritual whole that also serves self
• Global (and whole-spiral!) networking seen as routine
• Acts for minimalist living so less actually is more"^[13]

Further development

The color system was added in the 1970s as a graphic element to decorate training materials used by Cowan and Beck. The term ^vMeme was introduced by Beck and Cowan in Spiral Dynamics where the color language replaced original Graves terminology. Graves had used letter pairs to refer to each level and had not considered any connection with memetics. Beck and Cowan emphasized "change states" which are part of the Graves theory. They identify landmarks on the transformational path between the levels. Graves's original theory uses a double helix model to show the interrelatedness of an individual's perception of life conditions with their inner neuronal systems, producing a level of psychological existence. This double helix of two interacting forces is referred to as a spiral in Spiral Dynamics. ^[14]

Following the release of their book, Beck and Cowan taught this theory in two courses, SD I (Spiral Dynamics 1) and SD II (Spiral Dynamics 2). They ceased their formal working relationship in 1999.[1] Since this break, both have continued to offer training courses of various types as well as carrying out consultancy work. Beck spent several years applying the theory of spiral dynamics while working with individuals and groups in South Africa involved in the transition from Apartheid,^[15][16][17] for which he received a legislative honor from the state of Texas.^[18] Beck has continued to facilitate sessions using the model in both business and politics.^[19][20]

Beck and Ken Wilber (with his integral theory) became interested in each other's work, resulting in Beck developing a branch of spiral dynamics that he calls Spiral Dynamics Integral (SDi). This version of the theory uses integral concepts such as the four quadrants. Beck is also associated with the spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen.^[21][22] This approach continues to be applied and further developed in organizational and societal contexts.

Cowan does not subscribe to these developments and promotes a version of the theory which he describes as remaining more faithful to the original research of Clare Graves and extending from it. He continues to use the term "spiral dynamics" to describe his work since he co-created it. With his partner, Natasha Todorovic, he has undertaken work in integrating spiral dynamics with NLP and other models, and in developing corporate strategy and practical applications. He has also suggested an additional second-tier ^vmeme Coral which deals with the development of neurological capacities.^[23]

Each of the external websites listed below promotes the organization of one of the two co-authors.

Pathologies

According to Don Edward Beck and Ken Wilber, each ^vmeme has both healthy and unhealthy versions. The pathologies are sometimes referred to as being "mean" as in "mean green ^vMEME" (MGM) or "mean orange ^vMEME" (MOM) . As examples, the MOM includes the extremes of capitalism like exploitation, environmental devastation and a general lack of ethics and sensitivity, while the MGM includes performative contradictions like anti-hierarchy, anti-competition, etc.

Cowan disputes that any credible evidence exists for the existence of the mean green ^vmeme and that it is a misrepresentation of the theory. While he recognizes the problems mentioned above, Cowan argues that they exist in other value systems as well, such that attaching them only to the green ^vMEME is too simplistic. He considers the term "mean" to be inappropriate and a theoretical distortion when questions of adaptation or maladaptation, congruence or ineffectiveness are more to the point. Psychopathology potentially exists at all levels and is a different dimension.^[24]

Todorovic^[25] offers data and analysis leading to the conclusion that the mean green meme conjecture is contradicted by the data. Todorovic further concludes that MGM is a "failure of analysis" based on a variety of misconceptions about spiral dynamics and constitutes an "alarming misdiagnosis" and brands MGM a harmful "form of spiral fundamentalism."

Criticisms of Spiral Dynamics

Critics point out that the model's implications are political as well as developmental and that while the terminology of the theory is self-consciously inclusive, the practical implications of the model can be seen as socially elitist and authoritarian.^[26] In his work on the subject, Beck emphasizes that one of the characteristics of "tier two" individuals, also called "spiral wizards," is their ability to make superior decisions for all parties concerned and to manufacture consent for their approaches at lower levels using resonant terms and ideas.^[27] In addition to outlining an underlying developmental theory, Spiral Dynamics gives explicit suggestions to these "wizards" for both consensual and non-consensual management of "lower-tier" individuals. One critic of spiral dynamics, Michel Bauwens, has argued that some conceptions of what it means to be "second tier" have come to resemble Nietzsche's idea of the Übermensch.^[28] Co-author Cowan has publicly dissociated himself from the ideas that are currently being promoted by his ex-partner Beck in conjunction with Ken Wilber.^[29] Many practitioners of Beck's branch of Spiral Dynamics today see Bauwens' views as those of the Green-Egalitarian Sixth level system that is arrested in political correctness and only sees the unhealthy half of the emergent nature of the theory.

Evolution of Spiral Dynamics and The Value-Systems Framework

In 2013 after working with Beck for more than a decade in research and training at The Center for Human Emergence Middle East,^[30] cultural economist Said E. Dawlabani published MEMEnomics; The Next Generation Economic System (with a foreword by Beck). The book frames US economic history, present and future through the different levels of Spiral development and provides numerous examples and analysis that serve as real life applications of the value-systems framework. While his work provides for an evolutionary understanding to the field of economics, Dawlabani acknowledges that over 90% of global economic policies today are still driven by First Tier values.^[31] In his book, Dawlabani added a clarification to the ^vMEME Attractor concept based on his experience with Beck. While Beck & Cowan referred to large meme groupings, such as religion, fashion, philosophy, etc.. as "^vMEME-attractors",^[32] Dawlabani re-branded these specialized meta-memes as General category Memes, or ^GMEMEs for short, which gave continuity to the concept of memes for large scale applications such as the economics ^GMEME.^[33] Beck considers Dawlabani's work a representation of the Third Generation Gravesian thinking.^[34]

See also

• Evolutionary economics
• Cultural economics
• Emergence
• value system
• Holism
• Law of Complexity/Consciousness

References

1. ^ Van Marrewijk, Marcel. "Strategic Orientations: Multiple Ways for Implementing Sustainable Performance." Technology and Investment, 2010, 1, 85-96. PDF, doi:10.4236/ti.2010.12010 (pdf)
2. ^ Straatsma, M., et al. "Impact of value-driven scenarios on the geomorphology and ecology of lower Rhine floodplains under a changing climate." Landscape and Urban Planning 92 (2009) 160–174. pdf
3. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 155786-940-5.
4. ^ Beck, Don and Cowan, Chris (1996). Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership and Change. Blackwell Business. ISBN 1-55786-940-5..
5. ^ ^{a b} Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 274. ISBN 155786-940-5.
6. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 197. ISBN 155786-940-5.
7. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 155786-940-5.
8. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 215. ISBN 155786-940-5.
9. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 229. ISBN 155786-940-5.
10. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 155786-940-5.
11. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 260. ISBN 155786-940-5.
12. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 275. ISBN 155786-940-5.
13. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 287. ISBN 155786-940-5.
14. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 155786-940-5.
15. ^ DC Wahl, S Baxter, The Designer’s Role in Facilitating Sustainable Solutions, MIT Press Journals 2008. online
16. ^ The story behind ‘Invictus’: Man aided team now onscreen. Denton Record-Chronicle, December 24, 2009, found on Invictus: Reflections on Power and Love, Don Beck and Rugby in South Africa. Integral Leadership Review Volume X, No. 1 - January 2010
17. ^ Don Beck and Graham Linscott, The Crucible: Forging South Africa’s Future, Denton 1991, ISBN 0-620-16241-4
18. ^ http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/74R/billtext/html/HR00627F.htm
19. ^ Changing the World and Work. ABC Radio National (Australia), March 7, 2004
20. ^ The eight-stage spiral to peace in the Mideast. Haaretz, February 12, 2006
21. ^ Leap Into the Future: Leadership for the 21st Century
22. ^ Don Beck & Andrew Cohen - A Perspective That Changes Everything
23. ^ http://www.spiraldynamics.org/aboutsd_overview.htm
24. ^ Chris Cowan, Wilber's misrepresentations of Spiral Dynamics, Part I - Part II
25. ^ Natasha Todorovic, "Mean Green Meme: Fact or Fiction"
26. ^ Jeff Meyerhoff. "Social Evolution", Integral World
27. ^ Spiral Dynamics, p. 110
28. ^ Michel Bauwens, “A Critique of Wilber and Beck’s SD-Integral”, P/I: Pluralities/Integration, no. 61: March 23, 2005
29. ^ http://www.spiraldynamics.org/faq_integral.htm
30. ^ http://www.humanemergencemiddleeast.org/
31. ^ Dawlabani, Said (2013). MEMEnomics, The Next-Generation Economic System. New York, NY: SelectBooks, Inc. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-59079-996-3.
32. ^ Beck, Don (2003). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 155786-940-5.
33. ^ Dawlabani, Said (2013). MEMEnomics, The Next-Generation Economic System. New York, NY: SelectBooks, Inc. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-59079-996-3.
34. ^ Dawlabani, Said (2013). MEMEnomics, The Next-Generation Economic System. New York, NY: SelectBooks, Inc. p. xiii. ISBN 978-1-59079-996-3.

Bibliography

• Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change, Don Beck and Christopher Cowan, 1996, ISBN 1-55786-940-5
• Robinson, DA, Goleby, M, & Hosgood, N 2006 Entrepreneurship as a Values and Leadership Paradigm Paper presented to Fourth AGSE International Entrepreneurship RESEARCH Exchange 7–9 February 2007 BGSB, QUT, Brisbane
• The Never Ending Quest, Christopher Cowan and Natasha Todorovic, 2005, ISBN 978-0-9724742-1-4
• A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality, 2000, paperback ed.: ISBN 1-57062-855-6
• MEMEnomics; The Next-Generation Economic System, Said E. Dawlabani, foreword by Don E. Beck, 2013, ISBN 978-1-590070-996-3

External links

• The spiral dynamics homepage
• Clare W. Graves homepage
• Chris Cowan & Natasha Todorovic National Values Center Consulting
• Don Beck, Spiral Dynamics Integral
• The Center for Human Emergence, led by Beck, Wilber and others, uses Spiral Dynamics among other technologies
• Stratified Democracy: The Cultural Dynamics of Nation Building in Afghanistan Video with Don Beck on the World Bank website
• [2] The Center for Human Emergence Middle East and The Build Palestine Initiative.
• [3] The MEMEnomics Group Homepage.

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Indicator of Humanner Social Innovation Ecosystem

Creating lasting and effective cultural and behavioral change means recognising and working with values.

But where do values come from?

Values spring from worldviews. To effectively work with values means understanding worldviews – how people think, and why people adopt the values they do.

Insight into worldviews and ways of thinking is profoundly relevant to a range of areas including:

• leadership
• conflict management
• organisational change
• communication & marketing
• working with diverse communities
• cultural transformation

“The Theory that Explains Everything.”

Well, almost …

The model describes and makes sense of the enormous complexity of human existence, and then shows how to craft elegant, systemic problem – solutions that meet people and address situations where they are.

Spiral DynamicsTM reveals the hidden complexity codes that shape human nature, create global diversities, and drive evolutionary change. These dynamic Spiral forces attract and repel individuals, form the webs and meshes that connect people within groups, communities and organizations, and forge the rise and fall of nations and cultures.

Spiral Dynamics meshes the new science of memetics with Gravesian value systems to form “value memes” or “vMemes” to craft a model of transformational change. By exploring and describing the core intelligences and deep values that flow beneath what we believe and do, the model offers a profoundly incisive, dynamic perspective on complex matters such as:

• HOW people think about things (as opposed to “what” they think)
• WHY people make decisions in different ways
• WHY people respond to different motivators
• WHY and HOW values arise and spread

The nature of CHANGE

This powerful conceptual system has been field-tested in some of the most complex environments on the planet, from inner-city Chicago to racially plagued South Africa. Since the focus is on the deeper vMemetic foundations, Spiral Dynamics suggests ways to move more quickly in the direction of deep dialogue and comprehensive, integral solutions.

MICRO applications of Spiral Dynamics are found around the world in a variety of developmental, counseling and coaching projects. For example, leaders in a growing number of local, national and international youth development projects are currently using Spiral Dynamics Integral concepts.

MESO applications of Spiral Dynamics look through a wider lens between and among groups of people in large corporations, within local communities, and even as distinctive cultures in city-states and entire countries. As our world is now moving into the next stage of cultural pluralism and diversity programs, Spiral Dynamics offers a point of view that looks at the evolutionary dynamic of the deep underlying values systems.

MACRO applications of Spiral Dynamics re-examine the whole globalization issue through an entirely new lens. The focus is on the underlying vMeme currents and contours of the diverse, competing economic, political, health care, education, religious, and community-based models.

Spiral Dynamics connects everything to everything else. For example: The work shows clearly why attempts to deal with the HIV pandemic only through medical solutions fail dismally unless equal time and resources are spent on the interior, cultural Dynamics that contribute to the spread of the virus. It also demonstrates why simplistic, fragmented approaches to international and domestic terrorism, crime and drug-related problems, education, economic and social development – the list is endless – and the complexity of challenges in the Middle East and other hot spots around the globe will continue to confound us unless we integrate, align and synergize the efforts of all these stakeholders.

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Links  

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Limits to Growth was right

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