Thinking and acting with a "value network" perspective presents participants with a unique opportunity for getting into the flow. It helps you to achieve win-win outcomes in most situations, particularly in business, and guides you in the adoption of new mind sets to become fit for purpose in challenging environments.
There are three steps.
1) Seek out the formal processes that cross functional silos and other hierarchical boundaries. Identify what each participating group is designed to contribute as tangible deliverables.
2) Ask, "How do we really do the work around here?" Identify the informal social networks that provided the basis for relationship building and sharing of information, co-creating knowledge and the transmission of other favours without expecting immediate payback.
3) Be still, reflect, meditate/pray and be open to the energy that transforms disorder into order. Judge whether it is energy that destroys or builds for the future. ( See, for example, how to relate this to credit crunch issues here)
With this trinity of flows, be ready to transform your relationships and effectiveness with others whether in community, enterprises, regions, globally.
Optionally, inject some spirit into affairs, using whatever source inspires you or you are open to.
Note how your capabilities are enhanced and how behaviour changes.
Notes: Acknowledgement is given to the Verna Allee and Oliver Schwabe for the ideas behind the NetMat TM approach to visualising value networks, and Joan Bird for many conversations about energy in networks.
Comments
Existence and VNA.jpg
But how they enjoyed themselves was similar. When they performed activities which engaged their minds and feelings, they would enter flow. This occurred when the following conditions were met:
Closure
Focus
Clear targets
Response
Fulfilling
Unselfconscious
Expanded time
This creative peak is experienced by everyone at some time:
Athletes refer to being in the zone
Comedians call it being on a roll
Musicians call it getting into the groove
(See here for a great example of a conversation about value networks being in the groove)
Psychologists call it flow or optimal experience
(Extracted from "Five star mind" Tom Wujec, 1995 ISBN: 0-384-41462-5)