Ivan Illich was once asked what did he think the was the most radical way to change society; was it through violent revolution or gradual reform? He gave a careful answer. Neither. Rather, he suggested that if one wanted to change society, then one must tell an alternative story. Illich is right; we need to reframe our understandings though a different lens, an alternative story, if we wish to move beyond the captivity of the predominantly institutional paradigm which clearly dominates our current approach to leadership and church.
A paradigm, or systems story, is the set of core beliefs which result from the multiplicity of conversations and which maintains the unity of the culture. The ‘petals’ in this diagram are the manifestations of culture which result from the influence of the paradigm. Most change programs concentrate on the petals; that is, they try to effect change by looking at structures, systems and processes. Experience shows us that these initiatives usually have a limited success.
1 comment:
The issue is not, “do we need change” but what specifically needs changing? Subsequently how do we identify the order of change and actually change those things and what is the time frame for change? What do we do with people who don’t want to change
Post a Comment