Sharing or not Sharing - that is here the Question?

Larger organisations showing often unhealthy, sometimes insane structures. We all know that. We all experience that: teachers, ans scooters in schools, c-levels, managers, and employees at work, officers, IT support, … see e.g. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/corporate-insanity-failure-4-symptoms-fred-haentjens-?trk=hb_ntf_MEGAPHONE_ARTICLE_POST 

It is a symptom of our time. I think a fundamental root cause lies in our beliefs driving our behaviours and leading to certain habits. 

Human potential is originated to grow skills and knowledge, not only due to neuroplasticity and learnability. We have the capability to share skills and knowledge. This is based on the brain’s characteristics, but also depends on the environment, we are situated in. There are sharing and non-sharing cultures. 

Environments can be divided into cultures having a belief system that favours for potential. And there are cultures with systems inhibiting potential. That depends mainly on considering the possibility of developing talents or exploiting these talents at the expense of others. 

Disadvantageous for the development of talents are limiting and inhibiting beliefs. These beliefs reduce the person to a shape, a role, some pre-defined object. That leads to formal workers, requiring a process and literally adhering to it, and it creates defending actions: The "This is not my business" syndrome or "I am not responsible". The other class are inhibiting beliefs. These are related to effects on others. Who would suffer or what would it cost developing talent? It would consume resources. It would create differences. It changes the state. It is new and might be disruptive. It is dangerous. Not only for the other, but also for the talented. Generally, it requires energy to change and to sustain change. The higher the focus on such beliefs the more energy is necessary.  

For people embedded in limiting communities, it is difficult to acquire knowledge and skills, that are necessary to create constructive relationships. These mostly stick to their belief systems creating barriers to protect themselves against potential perilous dependencies and influences.

Don’t get me wrong. Such belief system have their advantages, otherwise they would not exist. They even require social competence. I see the capability to survive in a difficult environment characterised by many dependencies as a sign for sozial competency.  

It is a sustaining trait, if a person has developed the competency to gain advantages on the cost of others, gaining power or recognition, or even treating their mates as objects prosecuting their targets. Such a trait can be either gained by copy successful role models or can be continuously and unconsciously adopted as advantage behavioural strategy with rewards from the environment. This is beneficial for controlling people.

There is another kind of social culture, where people are not treated as objects, e.g. as employees working for some manager, but as subjects, sharing their skills and knowledge. In such an open culture, everyone is a willing to learn from each other for the benefit of all. A culture that allows self-direction, appreciates empowered and mindful people that design their future together. 

Currently, most cultures define relationships by expectations, treating individuals as objects. But we can change that! Not by replacement of clever alternatives dressing up people to mediocrity. Instead I propose establishing open mind set, appreciating each as a unique gift allowing them to show up and enable them to develop and contribute their talents. Finally this is a decision and not a question.

If this sounds too esoteric, try to look at the whole topic as search for talents. That happens automatically when you less rate, educate, prosecute, reward or punish. Think about it as a treasure hunt. You are not obliged to find something, but sometimes you are lucky and find gold nuggets. I consider it helpful to invite and encourage myself and other people to try a new challenge, just to make some experience and advancement - just for fun.