Quantum
Organizations

During the past century, the great success of organizations in the Western world was achieved through extreme specialization. Experts could resolve well-structured problems within well-defined fields—and put a man on the moon.

But the immense success of specialization has also resulted in a daunting progression of unintended consequences: Specialization has created widespread fragmentation—in people, organizations, and nations. Problems no longer fit within strict scientific specialties or traditional management functions but, instead, exist in between the specialties, fields, disciplines, and categories that evolved from prior centuries. Complex problems now swirl across—and encircle—the entire globe. The new millennium finds itself deeply entangled with the intermingling of all social, economic, political, biological, psychological, spiritual, and environmental problems.

What were once simple problems that could be solved by extreme specialization have become complex problems that challenge fragmented categories. To succeed in the new millennium, accordingly, requires holistic categories that will enable members and their organizations to (1) clearly  see the flowing interconnections surrounding the globe, (2) consciously  think about interconnected problems in comprehensive ways, and (3) purposely  behave in a manner that stimulates the meaningfulness and coevolution of life and nature throughout the world and the expanding universe. Seeing, thinking, and behaving with new—holistic—categories requires a mental revolution in self-aware consciousness.

All members and their organizations are intimately interconnected within the global ecosystem. Their success now depends on whether they are active participants in the holistic movement that is progressing toward self-aware consciousness. They can choose to ignore it and simply continue down the narrow course of specialization—with blinders in place. Or they can choose to embrace it—and transform the way they see, think, and behave. But one thing has become especially clear: Denying, ignoring, or avoiding what is already happening in between scientific spheres, management functions, and most other categories is not fully engaging with reality. We live in an interconnected world yet suffer from acute fragmentation.

The distinctive purpose of my book is twofold: (1) to provide a deep understanding of a new paradigm with self-aware consciousness at center stage and (2) to offer a completely integrated program of eight tracks for effectively—and compassionately—accelerating self-aware consciousness in complex systems. By applying these insights and tracks, it is possible to create quantum organizations and thereby achieve success, happiness, and meaning.

Although I have included many examples about various aspects of self-transformation and quantum organizations in my book, I cannot point to any organization that incorporates all attributes of a quantum organization. Actually, my hope is that this book will challenge people to examine their own paradigms and those of their organizations. As people achieve both self-aware consciousness and self-transformation, they will create living proof of quantum organizations. At some point, we can then determine if holistic categories with organized action can effectively heal the interconnected problems that encircle our globe.