Margaret J. Wheatley
Margaret J. Wheatley
Margaret J. Wheatleyis an American writer and management consultant who studies organizational behavior. Her approach includes systems thinking, theories of change, chaos theory, leadership and the learning organization: particularly its capacity to self-organize. Her work is often compared to that of Donella Meadows and Dee Hock. She describes her work as opposing "highly controlled mechanistic systems that only create robotic behaviors."...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
CountryUnited States of America
trying example natural
Probably the most visible example of unintended consequences, is what happens every time humans try to change the natural ecology of a place.
circles voice space
Circles create soothing space, where even reticent people can realize that their voice is welcome.
powerful life-changing simple
Nothing has given me more hope recently than to observe how simple conversations give birth to actions that can change lives and restore our faith in the future. There is no more powerful way to initiate significant social change than to start a conversation. When a group of people discover that they share a common concern, that's when the process of change begins.
appreciation moving order
One of the great errors organizations make is shutting down what is a natural, life-enhancing process-chaos. We are terrified of chaos. As a manager, it signals failure. But if you move out of control and into an appreciation of natural order, you understand that the only way a system changes is when it is far from equilibrium, when it moves from the 'quiet' we treasure and is confronted with the choice to die or reorganize. And you can't reorganize to a higher level unless you risk the perils of the path through chaos.
views world might
I've wanted to see beyond the Western, mechanical view of the world and see what else might appear when the lens was changed
stories easier circumstances
Whatever life we have experienced, if we can tell our story to someone who listens, we find it easier to deal with our circumstances.
thinking differences curious
Without aggression, it becomes possible to think well, to be curious about differences, and to enjoy each other's company.
order organization confusing
We have created trouble for ourselves in organizations by confusing control with order.
different gains interpretation
Everyone in a complex system has a slightly different interpretation. The more interpretations we gather, the easier it becomes to gain a sense of the whole.
love-is power realization
We would do well to ponder the realization that love is the most potent source of power.
work anger people
In our daily life, we encounter people we are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying ere is so their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together.
wise simple practice
Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don't have to do anything else. We don't have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen.
people listening benefits
There are many benefits to this process of listening. The first is that good listeners are created as people feel listened to. Listening is a reciprocal process - we become more attentive to others if they have attended to us.
moving roots healthy
Listening moves us closer, it helps us become more whole, more healthy, more holy. Not listening creates fragmentation, and fragmentation is the root of all suffering.