Forces refer to those characteristics of the container which you couldn’t see but could sense. These forces are the accumulation of the energy which all the archetypes bring to the container.
To detect the forces, your systems thinking function is hardly enough. You would need to employ both systems feeling and systems sensing functions for this. Needless to say, a certain level of higher sensitivity is required to identify these forces- and that’s an attribute which may be developed with experience.
There are a couple of reasons why forces are important within a temenos. The first reason is that the manner in which you handle, or manipulate these various forces within a container, determines how successful a change agent you are.
A transformation is a voyage, and better handling of the forces makes for smooth sailing
As mentioned before, the forces are not easily discernible. This means that following human inclination, the change agent would first try to control those aspects in the container which are easily discerned. However, if s/he is unable to help guide the forces, the effort put in manipulating the easily discernible elements wouldn’t be fruitful. At least, not as much as the change agent wants it to be.
This makes understanding the forces and the effect they could have in a container extremely important.
Another reason forces are crucial is because they offer you a chance to develop a level of sensitivity which you may have lacked before. That’s an additional skill which would give you an edge over your competitors.
Since it’s been mentioned that the forces are essentially ‘invisible’, we could perhaps draw an interesting analogy from science- a field that’s rather well known to be a playground of invisible waves and radiations.
Let’s look at the most common of these waves- the radio waves. These waves, among other things, help us tune into some of our favorite entertainment/informative programs. But though radio waves are manipulated these days for various purposes, the existence of such waves was once nothing more than speculation. An educated speculation, but speculation nonetheless.
It was the Scottish scientist James Clarke Maxwell who predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves. He predicted that these waves not just move at the speed of light, but light itself is a wave of this kind(Which turned out to be true). It was quite the ‘wild’ theory when Maxwell published it in 1865.
Like circles within a rectangle, the forces are ever-present in a container
But not until 1886 was the first successful attempt to prove the existence of the waves made. It was done by the German named Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. A young physicist who was just 29 years old at the time, Hertz has been quite fascinated by Maxwell’s theory by this point. To create the world’s first radio wave transmitter- a device by which he could manipulate the invisible force- he used a capacitor, a high voltage induction coil, a spark gap and his own zest for scientific discovery.
More than a century and a half later, we are still benefiting from the discovery of radio waves. From helping pilots navigate their planes to enabling us to communicate over phone, not to mention listen to our favorite radio shows, radio waves- and more precisely, their manipulation- make the world a better place.
In a similar fashion, understanding the forces inside a container and learning how to handle them would help you create a better functioning, more productive temenos. The different forces would be discussed in the coming blog posts. The key forces are mentioned below:
Context: This is the ground your container sits on. This could refer to the industry which the organization belongs to, current financial state etc.
Uniqueness: The ability of the change agent to look at the the container in a fresh perspective. In other words, the ability to reinvent your view of the container.
Balance: This refers to the homeostatic tendency of a container to remain in a state of equilibrium.
Safety: The utmost level of transformation an organization can accommodate at the present moment.
Mixed signals: Contradictory signals regarding a transformation. It’s the push-pull of ‘Go ahead!’ and ‘Restrain!’ that comes from different members of an organization whose attitude towards the transformation may vary from the completely supportive to the somewhat skeptical.
The set of forces with a container
For change agents and leaders, not to benefit from meaningful events and gatherings is a missed opportunity! We invite you to indulge in some of the most transformational events from Temenos; designed with hard-earned understanding, organized just for you.
Temenos Vision Lab- Toronto, Canada( June 8, 2018)
This proprietary lab helps you focus all your energy on building your inner Vision, aiding organizational transformation.
TrustTemenos Adventure Gathering 2018- Frankfurt, Germany( Sep 28, 2018)
We invite you to this special gathering, which brings together a group of wonderful people who fill workplaces with joy and energy. By connecting with each other, you embark on a journey that leads to better clarity about the changes you seek, gain collaboration opportunities and leave with a concrete action plan.
Temenos Vision Lab- Amsterdam, Netherlands( Nov 2, 2018)
Another venue to take an exquisite inner journey, to find your true Vision.
Temenos Effect Gathering 2018- Bengaluru, India(Nov 22 to Nov 25, 2018)
An event dedicated to the idea of personal mastery, for nurturing your beautiful self, for change agents and leaders to become their true selves.
For more details, visit our website - https://www.visiontemenos.com/events
