Revealing Paradigms - Edition 16 of Exploring, Inviting, Pondering

Hello and welcome to my monthly letter. Here I'll share my reflections on a topic I've been exploring through my work and life, invite you to engage with some of the sources of my explorations, and provide a prompt for you to ponder if you'd like to carry your own reflections with you.

This month I'll be reflecting on the process of revealing paradigms. I decided to focus on this topic here now based on a pair of interactions last week. In both I noted a significant affect within the people who experienced a new awareness of paradigms. Both explicitly noted these as 'break-through' experiences, and prompted me to reflect on my own break-throughs, or break-ins perhaps more appropriately.

One of the simplest definitions of a paradigm is a pattern that defines perception. A shift in paradigm is defined as a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions (ref. Oxford Languages). The process of revealing paradigms shows up in my work as a series of dialogues, referencing frameworks and examples from our real world, right now, which demonstrate the presence of a pattern which informs how we view the situation, person, team, project, product, organisation etc.

The role of paradigm awareness in attending to our ways of seeing, interpreting and recognising patterns, and consciously deciding on the appropriate intervention.

As you'll note in reaching previous letters, core to my own shifting over years past has been becoming aware of living systems theory and practices, which revealed to me that most of my approaches to work and life were through a paradigm of mechanical theories of human behaviour and organising.

I invite you to source from some of the major instigators of my shifts in awareness of paradigm. I'll name 4 here and provide a link or two to their work. There's many more who I have cited in other letters and articles and to all who have enabled and activated me, I am incredibly grateful.

Will Steffen - meeting Will and connecting with his work as an Earth Systems Scientist helped me see the need for, and benefit of, applying living systems work to climate change mitigation and adaption. Will is one of the most concise and effective speakers I've met on this subject, watch here one of his most 'popular' talks on his seminal work - Hot House Earth - and how so much of what needs to change in response is driven by how we see ourselves, our work, societies and economies.

Dr Michelle Maloney - listen here to my conversation with Michelle about seeing the world differently as a means to nurture conditions for radical transformation, and listen here to one of Michelle's key focus areas in what is possible when we do that foundational shifting work - the emergence of a 'new economy. Keep a watchful and anticipatory eye out for Michelle's new co-authored book coming soon!

Giles Hutchins - listen here to Giles giving voice to a section of one of his previous books (The Illusion of Separation) and listen by exploring his podcast sharing the name of his latest book, Leading by Nature

Four Arrows - listen here to my conversation with Four Arrows, and explore his fantastic, revelatory book 'Restoring the Kinship worldview'

Here's a prompt to consider and carry with you for reflection if you feel called to do so...

What would I change if how I see the world shifted?

I'll complete my letter here, wishing you well in all your endeavours, and that you be well, lead well and keep on co-creating better futures.

Until my next letter, farewell,

Tim