Part 2: Tuning Into The Evolutionary Dance of the Universe
Part 2: People and Organization — Differentiated, Yet Not Separated
In article one, I defined terms and arrived at an understanding of self-organization as the evolutionary organizing principle of the universe. We ended with the question of how to move forward toward self-organization in a way that supports people and organizational purpose, without confusing the organization context and the social context of the people who energize it. This is fundamentally a question of differentiation and integration, and to answer it we must first understand holarchy and holons.
Holarchy and holons
The term “holon” was first used by the author Arthur Koestler in his book The Ghost in the Machine, and later integrated into the works of Ken Wilber who famously said, “reality as a whole is not composed of things or processes, but of holons”.
When we use the term “hierarchy”, what we usually mean in simple words is a structure where those higher in rank have more power, while those lower in rank have less. The structure of nature is fundamentally different. It is a holarchy: an evolving, self-organizing structure that consists of holons. A holon, from the Greek holos or “whole,” is defined as “something that is simultaneously a whole in itself and at the same time nested within another holon. As such, it is “part of something much larger than itself.” (Wikipedia)
In a holarchy information flows bidirectionally between smaller and larger systems
The description continues, “Since a holon is embedded in larger wholes, it is influenced by and influences these larger wholes. And since a holon also contains subsystems, or parts, it is similarly influenced by and influences these parts. Information flows bidirectionally between smaller and larger systems. When this bi-directionality of information flow and understanding of role is compromised, for whatever reason, the system begins to break down: wholes no longer recognize their dependence on their subsidiary parts, and parts no longer recognize the organizing authority of the wholes. Cancer may be understood as such a breakdown in the biological realm.”
Two types of holons: individual and social
To understand the concept of holarchy in the context of self-organization, it is vital to understand and differentiate between two distinctly different yet deeply interconnected types of holons. It is in this differentiation that we can truly begin to understand self-organizing in a way that serves humans AND the organizations whose purposes they energize.
Every individual holon has distinct autonomy, is self-contained and self-directed, and is made up of parts. A human being is an individual holon with a distinct “I-ness”, and yet still made up of organs such as the heart, liver, and lungs. Those organs consist of cells, molecules, atoms, and so on. Each organ, cell, molecule, etc. in itself is an individual holon. Each holds parts that are individual holons and, at the same time, are a part of a larger whole.
The human cell — an individual holon with its parts
Wikipedia says in a description of individual holons: “When a human exercises agency, taking a step to the left, for example, the entire holon, including the constituent parts, moves together as one unit.” So when you, as an individual holon, want to move from one room to the next, you can not just send your head to go there. Your “I-ness” simply makes that impossible.
A social holon emerges when individual holons commune. From the same article in Wikipedia: “rather than possessing discrete agency, a social holon possesses what is defined as nexus agency. An illustration of nexus agency is best described by a flock of geese. Each goose is an individual holon, the flock makes up a social holon. Although the flock moves as one unit when flying, and it is “directed” by the choices of the lead goose, the flock itself is not mandated to follow that lead goose.”
A flock of geese — an example of a social holon
Both types of holons have their own structures, rules, and processes, all geared towards keeping the holons alive and purpose-aligned. The rules and processes governing individual versus social holons are starkly different.
An individual holon evolves without ever losing its “I-ness”. Its internal, self-organized dynamics decide its self-organized evolutionary development. A social holon, on the other hand, consists of members, each contributing to the “We-ness” of the holon and each with the potential to influence the collective activity in its own unique way.
Listen to Ken Wilber speaking about the differentiation of an individual and a social holon in this video.
Organizations, like organisms, are individual holons
Following this line of thought, an organization identifies as an individual holon. As such, it can be compared to an organic structure, in service of its purpose, with a distinct I-ness. It has parts (e.g. circles, roles, accountabilities, etc.) and it evolves organically through rules and processes based on self-organizing principles.
Every organic structure needs energy to live and evolve. That’s where we humans come in. We individually decide to lend our time, talent, and energy to the structure by energizing the parts — in Holacracy (the most detailed and concisely described self-organizing practice), by taking on a role or multiple roles — thus becoming sensors for the organization in service of its purpose. As we do so, we take on the responsibility a) to follow the rules and processes of the organization and b) to take on role(s) perspective. We don’t become the roles, but we energize the specific perspectives of roles as they are described by the organization.
When a person steps out of a role, the energy is gone but the role still exists and remains a part of the structure. The loss of energy in one part of the structure will trigger the need for a solution, aka a “tension”, followed by a self-organized response within the holon which consequently leads to an evolutionary adaptation to resolve the tension. This dynamic can be described as “sense and respond”. It is a predictable and therefore reliable pattern that repeats itself whenever a need for adaptation emerges. It is a pattern that can be put into practice in every organization that is self-organized.
Collectives of people form social holons
The collective of people — that is, the social system that forms through those who come together to lend their time, talent, and energy to the organization in service of its purpose by energizing roles — is a whole different thing. It is a social holon — a system with a distinct We-ness. It consists of members (not parts). Each social system develops its own dynamics and patterns: it’s own culture. Members of a social system can leave and new members can join from outside the system and many different needs can show up in relation to intra- and/or interpersonal dynamics, and the processes, solutions, and adaptations within the social system will follow distinctly different patterns than they would in an individual holon.
From the perspective of the social system, the same situation as described above (stepping out of a role) will raise entirely different questions and tensions. The complexity of what this situation might trigger in the social system can vary immensely. Was the decision understandable for other members? Was the way in which it was done, and the associated behaviors, expected by the members? Did the decision or behaviors hurt, disappoint, or anger some members? Were some members happy that it happened? Did the person step out of just one role, or leave the system entirely? How do relationships and cultural norms play out here? The list of questions to explore is endless. This is about the concerns of the people involved. This is the complex social system, located in the People Context. People-related tensions (vs. role-related tensions) need to be processed and resolved in a totally different way.
Bringing it to the point: Each enterprise has its own Organization Context (an individual holon) and its own People Context (a social holon). In article four of this series, we will dive deeper into how this translates into practice.
Shifting perspective
Having said all this, I invite you to shift your perspective on what an organization is. Before I do so, let me first say what I believe an organization is not:
An organization is NOT a complex social system!
My decades-long journey with self-organization has helped me recognize the harm — to both people and organizations — that can come from understanding an organization as a complex social system. I would even go so far as to call this understanding (or mis-understanding) the core obstacle for evolving self-organization.
Humanity, then and now
Self-organization is the principle upon which the universe has developed and thrived since the beginning of time, and the long stretch of human history is inextricably entwined with this principle. Our survival as a species has been, since the dawn of humanity, an expression of our self-organizing capacities. For eons, humanity has learned and perfected our methods of organizing. It’s only natural: adapting and evolving is what we humans do together, in sync with the rest of the universe.
Some time ago, however, something in our collective behavior shifted. We learned, on a large scale, to use our capacity for organization in service to self-interest without equal attention to the interests of the planet and humanity as a whole.
Social injustice, climate catastrophe, political and social turmoil, and an ecosystem out of balance demand that we find ways to simultaneously care for the needs of people and planet. In this pivotal moment in our shared history, self-organization offers support for the necessary shift in human consciousness. The needs of people and planet provide the multitude of worthy purposes for which we humans can engage, and to which we can lend our time, talent, and energy.
Organization an individual holon
We can use what we’ve come to understand about self-organization, evolution, complexity, holons and holarchy to say:
An organization is an organic structure that self-organizes work in service of its purpose
The organization can not live and evolve independently from us humans, but it is distinct, bounded, and self-directed. Despite common misconceptions, an organization has its own evolutionary purpose, and it is not synonymous with a social system of the humans who energize it.
We humans, as we gather to lend our energy to the purpose of the organization, form yet another holon — a social one. This social holon functions because each member feels purpose aligned in her or his unique way.
This social holon has its own suitable way of self-organizing, its own suitable structures and processes, and its own evolutionary path, though inseparable of, and atuned to the organization. It is possible to embrace self-organization successfully, from the perspective of organization and people, when one can differentiate the individual holon of the organizational system from the social holon of the social system. With their distinct attributes acknowledged and their boundaries respected, both can thrive, together, in symbiosis.
Looking at how we come together as humans from this new perspective and how we then organize in service of a purpose that is greater than ourselves, has proven to drive the need for a radical shift in mindset and in many fundamental beliefs most humans have been holding for a very long time, probably even for centuries. These shifts require a development in consciousness and with it a deep journey of personal development.
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You can find a continuation of the two articles and a deeper dive into the addressed topics and their practical application in my recently published eBook “The Art of Conscious Collaboration; How to Lead in Complex Adaptive Systems: Principles, Concepts, Processes, and Practices.”
