Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership and Change

Spiral Dynamics possesses a childish charm that is typically absent in any study of such intellectual depth. At the core, Spiral Dynamics is a heirarchical (holarchical) evolution of values, motivations and drives. These are WIDELY applicable in business, sociology, anthropology, politics, and foreign policy. The initial theorems were concocted by the late Clare Graves, and his two predecessors Beck and Cowan have not only adapted these profound analyses to a broader (non-academic) audience, but have added a unique flavor of their own. Now I have friends who have been mildly exposed to Spiral Dynamics, and they're immediately put off by the color scheme, with a puritanical disgust for anything with such an "unintellectual" resemblance. On top of that, the kiddie analogies even make the reader feel quite... well, admittedly juvenile at times. But the beautiful thing is, these are SERIOUS and PROFOUND discoveries with WIDE implications (as been shown by Beck and Cowan's social and cultural work around the planet); these simplistic representations of such dynamic and deep material helps the student understand the points and quickly push to deeper and more pertinent questions. For instance, instead of saying "The membership-driven meme, desiring conformity and sociocentric awareness," it's much easier to say "The Blue Meme." On top of that, the book leaves an open-end with the mathematical structure of the spiral which has interesting implications as far as patterns of evolution are concerned (in whatever medium they occur). Enough of the mumbo-jumbo, highly recommended.

The authors of this book have an excellent theoretical framework and though a bit technical, they explain it very well. The theory is extremely valuable and useful but we should also beware of the inherent danger in theories like this. Because of our egotistical nature as readers, we automatically assume we belong to the higher level memes and begin pigeonholing and stereotyping others assuming that others are at lower level memes never noticing that this type of thinking is one of the characteristics of memes at certain levels. A great book that reminds of the fact that we are all participants in this process and not mere observers looking down from above is "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It shows us that it is not only important to understand the process but to facilitate the process by respectfully participating in it.

A brief note regarding comments made by the previous reviewer:When Blackwell Business Publishers published Spiral Dynamics, they did not include an index developed by Don Beck and Chris Cowan (mistakes like this do happen sometimes with academic publishers). Interested readers can contact the authors directly at ... for further details and updated research. Any initial "X-Files" feeling is dispelled once you become more familiar with the model, and the milieu that it evolved from.Spiral Dynamics draws extensively upon over 40 years of research by Beck, Cowan, and their mentor Clare W. Graves. The original research data includes over 500,000 interviews conducted over five continents, and is comparable to other "biopsychosocial systems development" research conducted by Jane Loevinger, Stanley Milgram, Laurence Kohlberg, Erik Erikson etc.What makes Graves unique however is that he created a dynamic model of human consciousness evolution which can assimilate other models and worldviews. He also recognised that insights from Cognitive Psychology, Genetics, and Neurophysiology would need to be examined. Fans of NeuroLinguistic Programming, General Systems Theory, Memetics and the Human Potential Movement will find a wealth of material, plus reading resources for further specialised research.SD has been applied to resolve racial tension in South Africa, in education systems and government, by the World Future Society State of the World Forum, Arlington Institute, and Integral Institute, and by major companies such as Nedbank and SouthWest Airlines. Anyone questioning its credentials simply haven't done their research.Its scope and depth surpasses what masquerades as "snake-oil" solutions: SD asks "why" such solutions are posed; what the prevailing "life conditions" are in an individual's life, company's growth, or country's situation (the interaction of historical times, geographic place, human existential problems, and social circumstances); and in examining change, questions "from what . . . to what?"

The flaws in this book should not obscure the fact that this may be one of the most important books on human behavior of the millennium-probably even more important than even the authors realize. For this is the first book to link two of the most important concepts in human behavior of our time-the theories of psychologist Clare Graves and the concept of memes. (I have been working with Graves' theories for about 25 years, and had the pleasure to collaborate with him on a consulting project in 1976. Regarding memes, I have been teaching about them for about 5 years.) Graves integrated "bio-psycho-and socio-" in a way that resulted in the identification of clearly distinct levels of existence, with each level having its own psychological and behavioral characteristics. This was a remarkable revolutionary achievement, especially in light of the subsequent work of others that corroborate the characteristics of each level. Beck and Cowan have conveniently provided excellent references for each level.A second revolutionary idea comes from the 1973 work of Richard Dawkins, who while discussing the need that genes have to replicate themselves ("The Selfish Gene"), also posited the existence of another replicator, a unit of cultural transmission, which he dubbed a "meme" after the French word for imitation. After lying dormant for many years (except at Microsoft-see Richard Brodie's "Virus of the Mind") the concept of memes has arrived. And although I have been teaching about memes for five years, even I have underestimated their importance until recently, thanks to Susan Blackmore's book "The Meme Machine." Since Beck and Cowan are the first to write about the linkage of Graves' theories and memes, they are blazing the trail for what may become a major field of study in the future. And now for some nit picking. The authors use colors (Red, Blue, Orange, etc.) to identify the Gravesian levels. I understand why they did so, because I, too, have grappled with the issue of whether to use Graves' original nomenclature or some other scheme. I personally prefer Graves' original nomenclature, and believe colors have more disadvantages than advantages. Somewhat more troublesome is the authors' tendency not to clearly differentiate Dr. Graves' theories from their own extensions of his work. While I have no trouble separating the two, the average reader would have trouble doing so. Nor am I comfortable with calling the various levels "vMEMES," because it implies that each Gravesian level is primarily memes as opposed to a complex combination of a neuro-chemical predisposition and memes that are compatible with it.One major advantage of Graves' theories is that it allows for prediction of second tier characteristics based on the characteristics of corresponding first tier levels. The authors missed the opportunity to project what the "Coral" (Graves' C'P') level would look like. The authors also omitted consider

Based on the 'Bio-Psycho-Social' Systems framework of Dr. Clare W. Graves, authors Dr. Don Edward Beck and Christopher C. Cowan have developed a powerful tool for revitalising individuals, business and sporting teams, and communities. This book is truly 'third-way' thinking for the new millennium.Beck and Cowan fuse many different elements together into a powerful and *practical* synthesis, including the latest scientific research from neuro-biology, multiple intelligences, memetics, paleo-psychology, values systems design, and various schools of business management. Like grasping Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), this initially takes some personal commitment and intensive self-study, but the longterm benefits of Beck and Cowan's lucid comments are well worth the initial effort. The models are part of a wider 'Third Culture' paradigm that many academics and cultural theorists firmly believe will become a major force within empirical mainstream science over the next fifteen years.The book also has an invaluable extensive reading list covering the major conceptual theorists and models across many disciplines. It covers over thirty years of pioneering academic research and subsequent real-world application.Spiral Dynamics principles have been successfully applied to a wide variety of situations, including blue-chip corporations, sports teams, and high-level government institutions, and the authors have consulted with many international institutions, including the Clinton (U.S.) and Blair (U.K.) administrations, the World Future Society, the London School of Economics, and the EC Committee for the Future. Beck is highly regarded for his 'behind-the-scenes' geo-political work since the early 1980s in South Africa dismantling apartheid.Like the 'Six Thinking Hats' of Edward de Bono, the controversial 'crazy wisdom' of Tom Peters, or the leadership principles of Stephen Covey, a knowledge of Spiral Dynamics will add a powerful real-time diagnostic tool to your perceptual engineering toolkit. In an increasingly hyper-real postmodern world, Spiral Dynamics principles will enable you to outwit your competitors, gain an understanding of the 'psychological DNA' of your customers and market niche, and promote effective and efficient high-performance teams and encourage leadership within your organisation.