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This chapter creates a logic that links the transformation of organizational consciousness with the creation of a more life affirming global consciousness. In it the author examines the relationship between the practice of Appreciative Inquiry, the concept of organizational consciousness and the need for global transformation. She suggests that Appreciative Inquiry, with its life giving focus, is uniquely suited to simultaneously bring about change in organizations and society through the elevation and evolution of organizational consciousness. Recognizing the need for transformation on a global scale, she challenges the field of organization development to move beyond the metaphor of organization culture toward the metaphor of organizational consciousness. Cultures are defined and bounded by national and corporate borders. Consciousness is all pervasive. It knows not boundaries of organizations, countries nor continents. Appreciative Inquiry practices, that involve the whole system in valuing the best of what is, envisioning generative possibilities and creating life-sustaining organizations, hold great potential for the evolution of organizational consciousness.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual understanding of organizational consciousness that expands the discussion of organizational analysis, and use a case study to apply it in the analysis of a merger between an academic health center and a regional medical center.

The paper draws on the experiences and insights of scholars who have been exploring complex organizational issues in relationship with consciousness.

Organizational consciousness is the organization's capacity for reflection; a centering point for the organization to “think” and find the degree of unity across systems; and a link to the organization's identity and self‐referencing attributes. It operates at three stages: reflective, social, and collective consciousness.

Translating abstract concepts such as consciousness to an organizational model is complex and interpretive. For now, the idea of organizational consciousness remains mostly a theoretical concept. Empirical evidence is needed to support the theory.

Faced with complicated and compelling issues for patient care, health care organizations must look beyond the analysis of structure and function, and be vigilant in their decisions on where important issues sit on the ladder of competing priorities. Organizational consciousness keeps the organization's attention focused on purpose and unifies the collective will to succeed.

If the paper can come to understand how consciousness operates in organizations, and learn how to apply it in organizational decisions, the pay‐off could be big in terms of leading initiatives for change. The final goal is to use what is learned to improve organizational outcomes.

The most widely used conceptualizations of organizing assume that organizational issues are known, and consequently, organizing targets on control and management. Traditional organizing focuses on planning for the known future with a small group of experts and for the most part neglects the experiential ambiguities of organizational stakeholders. That research stream neglects a topic of consciousness and if studied, it approaches consciousness mostly as an object. This chapter assumes that ambiguity holds many resources, which a storytelling approach – the quantum stream of it – accommodates. Furthermore, it indicates that consciousness can be included in the organization equation. It suggests understanding consciousness as an everyday process in organizations rather than a brain function only, and lets us to take consciousness seriously. This chapter draws on my dissertation about consciousness-based view of organizing. It claims that everyone working in organizations influences of the consciousness fields, which then become actors taking care of us in organizations unless we become aware of them. Consciousness provides momentous information for those interested in strategic leaps, accelerated innovations, and fosters sustainable and ethical ways of working and organizing.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new generic human resource management (HRM) system linked to a novel and more developed social and organizational paradigm: the common welfare HRM system.

This conceptual paper builds on the concept of individual consciousness to better understand the differences between the three generic HRM systems. It relates different levels of consciousness to one of the most cited HRM system typologies: the control and the commitment HRM systems. The control HRM system will be related to a low level of consciousness. The commitment HRM system will be related to a medium level of consciousness. And the highest level of consciousness is related to the proposed common welfare HRM system. This latter system of HRM practices will be supported by examples of three very innovative organizations.

This paper presents a new HRM system that intends to foster innovation and creativity all around the organization, and represents a development on the traditional control and commitment. The common welfare HRM system implies a new approach in management and HRM, away from the primacy of the ego, competition and hierarchy.

The common welfare HRM system is related to highly innovative organizations and implies a paradigm shift in which a more humanistic view of individuals is offered.

The paper clarifies the several HRM practices related to the three HRM systems: control, commitment and common welfare.

The paper theoretically underpins the existence of a new and more developed HRM system through consciousness levels and analyzes the particular HRM practices of this new system.

Explores how myths represent reality in the minds of organizational members of what the organization was, is, and can be. Applies the construct of a mythograph to trace the past transformation journey of the studied organization, which provides a context for envisioning the future journey. Illustrates how a typical modern organization can be stuck in a reductionistic model. Closes with the discussion on how evolution of organizational consciousness is fundamental to organizational transformation that is made possible by using myths as a vehicle.

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize resonant co-creation as a framework for cultivating strategic innovation and organizational change; to delineate worldview transformation as central to resonant co-creation and overview the theoretical and practical foundations of this approach; and to offer a model on the facilitation of resonant co-creation in organizations.

Conceptual development with case illustration.

Resonant co-creation fosters strategic innovation through coaching and facilitation techniques that cultivate awareness, empathy, and advanced communication skills. This results in a fundamental shift in the engagement and interactions of teams, creating a new space for innovation.

The framework offered herein brings conceptual clarity to specific approaches to and applications of resonant co-creation to achieve strategic innovation. By providing perspective on processes leading to innovation, it possible to be more precise about the relationships between consulting practices and stated organizational change outcomes.

The presentation and clarification of the theoretical model (the underlying grammar of facilitation) and specific techniques that can be used to drive worldview transformation can benefit coaches, facilitators, and leaders who wish to implement a co-creative organizational culture or improve outcomes of co-creative programs. By linking theory to practice, this paper can help change makers and managers better justify and implement resonant co-creation within their organizational contexts.

Resonant co-creation facilitates an expansion of awareness that can lead to more sustainable business practices and workplace well-being. This benefits society at large through fostering more socially conscious and innovative organizations.

Resonant co-creation is a needed nuance to the very generalized notion of co-creation spread throughout organizations today. Clarifying this approach is useful to both practitioners and researchers who seek to understand or facilitate innovation and organizational change. The originality of this paper lies in the combination of the idea of co-creation with the psychological concept of worldview transformation. By creating shifts in individual and collective (organizational) worldview, resonant co-creation transforms the way people interact and ideate. This paper introduces a grammar of facilitation and specific techniques that shift worldview and create a space for strategic innovation.

This contribution suggests a conceptual framework for using complexity to understand human interactions in learning organizations. The particular lens adopted for this purpose is that of the Chaos perspective. The following general concepts are described: discontinuous growth, attractors: their basins and landscapes, the chaordic properties of consciousness, connectivity, indeterminacy, dissipation and emergence, orienteering and path finding, holons and holonic capacity, dialogue, emergent leadership, and individual and organizational mind. Because all human individuals act as agents and are seen as part of the holon, this framework helps to prevent any split between different frameworks of causality. It exclusively supports the use of a transformative teleology.

Healthcare systems receive criticism from both providers and recipients. The diversity in these systems throughout the world makes innovation and change difficult. However, a structured analysis of healthcare systems is crucial to identify areas for improvement and to share best practices for the betterment of healthcare throughout the world.

The paper uses organizational theory as an unbiased tool for evaluating healthcare systems. This theory analyses healthcare systems across five dimensions: environment, culture, social structure, physical structure and technology. This analysis provides an in-depth understanding of the organization's surroundings, formation and function. It offers a lens through which healthcare systems can be envisioned and establishes a vocabulary for communication.

Organizational theory presents a multifaceted approach to initiate assessments aiming to enhance existing healthcare systems and customize them to serve all stakeholders within the focused ecosystem. It alters the dynamics of criticism and presents an opportunity to sustainably address unforeseen healthcare challenges in the future. As the author proceeds to understand healthcare organizations through the perspective of organizational theory, the author also uncovers subtle yet crucial issues such as resource dependence, cultural clashes, organizational silence, bureaucracy, hierarchy, ethics, values, engagement and burnout.

This paper was crafted from a collaborative paper for the final of a master's degree. A collaboration was conceptualized using organisation theory as the tool to align processes and achieve successful outcome. The narrative of the collaboration has been edited and paper presented highlighting the importance of the tool of organisation theory in healthcare systems.

The growing interest in developing and applying “integral” approaches to organisations has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in different ways of interpreting this term. This article aims to present a set of criteria to help in defining the varieties of integral approaches to the study of organisations.

These criteria are derived from Ken Wilber's integral framework. The constitutive elements of Wilber's multi‐paradigm framework are used to develop a typology that honours the many forms that integral approaches can take.

It is proposed that the key criteria for assessing integral approaches to organisational life are: the structural focus, the engagement with process, and the emphasis on spirituality or essential purpose. Four type categories result from applying the structural criteria. These range from a general type that utilises broadly holistic concepts through to type which employs the detailed application of developmental quadrant and level concepts that formally define the integral approach as conceived by Ken Wilber. The engagement and spirituality criteria are additional enriching criteria that establish the integrity of the methods and purposes used in truly integral approaches.

The proposed typology will help in understanding how different authors, researchers and practitioners represent and apply the term “integral” within organisational contexts.

Asserts that the opposite of a rule may be true, particularly with regard to the creation of “unity in diversity” – the simultaneous strengthening of the two seemingly contradictory factors of integration and multiplicity – which will fundamentally enhance organizational performance. Common experience shows that there are plenty of diverse world views around. This multiplicity has many sources. Suggests that, in order to reap the benefits of this diversity, we need first to understand and indeed encourage it through empowerment, decentralization and self‐management. Second, we need to integrate the differences and ensure that everyone is working towards a common good under the influence of a unified company vision and a shared set of values. Argues that such a mature state of “unity in diversity” can only be realized through higher stages of individual and organizational development.