The “visionary” business clearly reconnects with its body

The legacy of Descartes is clear to see in the culture of business performance, with cognitive power to the fore. “I think therefore I am” is a strong and undeniable reference point. Organisational vision is developed in the “head” and then cascaded to inspire and engage the “body” of  the organisation in the adventure of change. Together, the head and body are a genuine collective intelligence, capable of great things. Apart, they create glass ceilings and silos that sabotage the organisation’s ability to be agile and its capacity to succeed together.

Literally and metaphorically, at Tesla Elon Musk and Robert Dilts have created this valuable connection – both literal and figurative – between the head and the body. Their empowerment model is the work of visionaries, allowing coherence and cohesion throughout the system while fostering the desire to fully engage and succeed. Head and body are one, aligned in a dynamic of small steps with the motto “make it happen”.

The cascade approach: system coherence and cohesion

Jokingly referred to as “the bam bam bam approach”, the process of aligning the energies of the whole organisation with the keystone of collective success – intention – raises the key questions “what do we want to achieve together?” and  “what is our master project?”.

INTENTION is cascaded pragmatically and sequentially to the whole organisation through the MISSION – the key drivers of change and actions, AMBITION – objectives and cadence of change, and ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES – talents and playing fields. Interfaces are initially vertical, then transversal. Each person therefore feels themselves to be at the centre of the system, connected to everything else and aware of their role. Industry 4.0 sees the rise of the holonic organisation, which links and unifies everyone around a coherent view of ALL. Such an organisation can adapt to a changing world as it grows.

The somatic approach: commitment and the determination to succeed

With no disrespect to Descartes, activating the whole of an organisation around a collective intention isn’t just a matter for the head. Bringing the body into play is essential when you decide to implement agile change. Every decision needs to be associated with a concrete and specific action to change the future, to avoid building plans made out of daydreams. “I think therefore I am” gives way to “I think therefore I do”.

This is how we introduce Empowerment to organisations in the middle of the “bam bam bam” approach, with a powerful and authentic somatic process that brings the desire to succeed to life flexibly and with focus and determination.

In “Striking Thoughts” Bruce Lee wrote that body and spirit support each other. The body converts ideas and dreams into results. As a “holon”, the visionary business brings together again elements that have long been dissociated and disconnected from long-term success: the power of the reconnected body and head.

Original article (in French) Agefi (11 February 2020):  https://agefi.com/actualites/acteurs/lentreprise-visionnaire-reconnecte-definitivement-avec-le-corps