Consultative procedure fosters success, innovation

 
From an inspiring article on a company's modus operandi.
(Excerpts)

Methodology

We...share a commitment to [some] basic principles:
1st of all, we believe that breakthrough creativity and innovation is a natural outcome of true COLLABORATION. We often find that great ideas are born through the clash of differing opinions when truth-seeking is the goal. When true collaboration is happening, you can feel it. Something gels and clicks within the group and everyone present is aware of an organic co-creation process that they are participating in… something magical happens....

We believe that co-creation through collaboration yields the greatest results....

Distinct from the “group think” that characterizes some initiatives, in collaboration people may change their opinions and ideas multiple times as they influence the discussion and the discussion influences them. The best work comes from an interactive and collaborative process where no one knows where the idea came from but it was created together....
(Emphasis added)

Read the full article here.

Regarding consultation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated:

The members [of the Assembly] must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt.... The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions.

(Selections #44)

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For "Open government," tenets of participation, transparency, collaboration

 
The article below, on the requisites for "open government," carries as much relevance for the workings of Bahá'í Institutions as it does for secular government. Shoghi Effendi has stated:

[The elected representatives - members of National and Local Spiritual Assemblies] should approach their task with extreme humility, and endeavor, by their open-mindedness, their high sense of justice and duty, their candor, their modesty, their entire devotion to the welfare and interests of the friends, the Cause, and humanity, to win, not only the confidence and the genuine support and respect of those whom they serve, but also their esteem and real affection. They must, at all times, avoid the spirit of exclusiveness, the atmosphere of secrecy, free themselves from a domineering attitude, and banish all forms of prejudice and passion from their deliberations. They should, within the limits of wise discretion, take the friends into their confidence, acquaint them with their plans, share with them their problems and anxieties, and seek their advice and counsel.

- Bahá'í Administration 64

Culture of Yes

By Jessy

Washington, DC’s recently released open government directive has a lot of us...stoked about the mandate we are...being given...to make government more transparent and accessible.

The three tenets of participation, transparency, and collaboration are particularly relevant because,...if you look closely, they are focused on process– as much as, if not more than, on outcome. This reflects the fact that open government is not somewhere we arrive or something we check off on a task list, but it’s about how we go about the business of governing ourselves.

When I say we, I don’t mean “we” the people who work for government– I mean all of us. “We” as a residents of the United States, and citizens of the world. For me, open government encourages us to think of the government not [as] an entity separate from the “us” or the “we.” If you work for the government, that doesn’t mean you are not also a recipient of its services, its policies, or its limitations....

[W]e had several meetings discussing how to create an environment where new ideas are valued and encouraged. We identified, with center leadership, that the current culture is often a “Culture of No”. The safe answer, the one least likely to get you in trouble, is to say “No”. Saying yes is associated with more work, and with risk. Since the Culture of No exists all the way up the management chain, that work burden and risk are personal ones, ones that involve putting yourself on the line. It’s clear why people are dis-inclined to do so....

Yes, We Can!

We decided to propagate a new saying: “Culture of Yes”. We wanted to cultivate an environment where people’s answer to new or crazy ideas was “Yes,” or maybe even “Yes, but…”. But not “No” or “No, and…”. One where you are actually rewarded for those ideas, and where it is, eventually, procedurally more expensive to say “No.”

Source: http://blog.quaternio.net/2010/01/06/culture-of-yes/
 

Requisites for nearness to God

 

A day of joy, today, Naw-Ruz! The start of the New Year. Will anything be the same again? The old year has been left behind. A new chapter has begun. The onrush of springtime brings closer the attainment of the goal - realization of our true identity as nothingness in a sea of grace.

 

'Abdu'l-Bahá speaks of severance, thus:

The greatest attainment in the world of humanity is nearness to God. Every lasting glory, honor, grace and beauty which comes to man comes through nearness to God. All the Prophets and apostles longed and prayed for nearness to the Creator... [H]ow many days they devoted to supplication for this attainment, seeking ever to draw nigh unto Him! But nearness to God is not an easy accomplishment.... Divine nearness is dependent upon

• attainment to the knowledge of God, upon
• severance from all else save God. It is contingent upon
• self-sacrifice and to be found only through
• forfeiting wealth and worldly possessions. It is made possible through the
• baptism of water and fire revealed in the Gospels.

Water symbolizes the water of life, which is knowledge, and fire is the fire of the love of God; therefore, man must be baptized with

• the water of life,
• the Holy Spirit and
• the fire of the love of the Kingdom.

Until he attains these three degrees, nearness to God is not possible. This is the process by which the Bahá’ís of Persia have attained it. They gave their lives for this station, sacrificed honor, comfort and possessions, hastened with the utmost joy to the place of martyrdom; their blood was spilled, their bodies were tortured and destroyed, their homes pillaged, their children carried into captivity. They endured all these conditions joyfully and willingly. Through such sacrifice nearness to God is made possible. And be it known that this nearness is not dependent upon time or place. Nearness to God is dependent upon purity of the heart and exhilaration of the spirit through the glad tidings of the Kingdom. Consider how a pure, well-polished mirror fully reflects the effulgence of the sun, no matter how distant the sun may be. As soon as the mirror is cleaned and purified, the sun will manifest itself. The more pure and sanctified the heart of man becomes, the nearer it draws to God, and the light of the Sun of Reality is revealed within it. This light sets hearts aglow with the fire of the love of God, opens in them the doors of knowledge and unseals the divine mysteries so that spiritual discoveries are made possible. All the Prophets have drawn near to God through severance. We must emulate those Holy Souls and renounce our own wishes and desires. We must purify ourselves from the mire and soil of earthly contact until our hearts become as mirrors in clearness and the light of the most great guidance reveals itself in them.

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation 147-8 (emphasis added)

 

Posted via web from alexinoslo's posterous

Talk Deeply, Be Happy?

via well.blogs.nytimes.com

An interesting study (though the results are hardly surprising!) -
(Excerpts:)

[Dr. Mehl] proposed [that] substantive conversation seemed to hold the key to happiness...
"By engaging in meaningful conversations, ...interpersonally ...you bond with your interactive partner, and we know that interpersonal connection...is a core fundamental foundation of happiness.”

[T]he happiest person in the study...had twice as many substantive conversations, and only one-third of the amount of small talk as the unhappiest.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/talk-deeply-be-happy/

A Bahá'í quotation touching upon meaningful conversation, in the terms of consultation:

In all things it is necessary to consult. This matter should be forcibly stressed by thee, so that consultation may be observed by all. ...inasmuch as it is and will always be a cause of awareness and of awakening and a source of good and well-being.

- Bahá'u'lláh
http://info.bahai.org/article-1-3-6-6.html

Musings 10-15.3 - Confronting challenges; benefit of teachers; making contacts

15.3
Means are needed to connect with the people one meets. Means: Commonalities; characteristics of one's transactions (e.g. of a service or an item); shared experiences; genuine virtues one sees in the other (courtesy, care, helpfulness, attention, joyfulness, rectitude etc.). Watering the tree of world unity with the drops of one's fellowship.

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

[R]egard ye not one another as strangers...

- Bahá'u'lláh, WOB 203, Bahá'u'lláh 16

14.3
A learning situation - permitting experimentation - overseen by a dedicated teacher, must be among the most beneficial, life-transforming situations imaginable to one. God bless these teachers!

10.3
When facing difficulties and uncertainty, the benevolence of Providence always comes to one's aid (and does a better job than I myself can). Why fear a challenge?
 

An integrated approach to SED

 
The conclusions of an article on social economic development (SED) that reminds one of guidance from the Universal House of Justice regarding the requirements of any viable plan:

Success will depend on the manner in which lines of action are integrated and on the attitude of learning that is adopted.

- 9 January 2001, §14

An Integrated Approach to Managing Change

Discussion and Conclusions

One of the greatest challenges the world community is facing in this century is the interdependence among the critical factors generated by globalization. Since equilibrium between the reasons for economic development and environmental sustainability must be found, an integrated approach is mandatory for the implementation of efficient long-term governance policies. Reaching a common consensus on the value of sustainable development within the international community is the crucial factor for coordination among states.

General consensus about values must be accompanied with fully consistent policies with the requirements imposed by integrated approach: solutions flexible to the external environment, shared responsibility among policy makers, attention to the relations among the players involved and the use of different levels of analysis. All these requirements must be met because the lack of even only one of them could compromise the entire policy implementation and the capacity of this kind of solutions to react to change.

The way to manage global governance in 2020 and beyond should be a new approach to present and future issues that take into consideration the integration of all the variables related. The study cases show that there are more aspects to consider at the same time: (1) different sectors (economic, social and environmental), (2) different levels (from global to local), and (3) different perspectives (macro and micro). A multi-sector/level/perspective integrated approach is strongly needed.

In this paper, integrated approach has been demonstrated to be applicable to a great variety of situations. Future research studies should be aimed to promote, in all the fields, this approach in order to strongly increase our ability to manage the complexity of changing systems.

Authors: Valeria Andreoni1, Stefano Bisogni, Gabriele Buson, Otello Campanelli, Brunella Cozzo, Marco Duriavig, Yuri Kato, Hirokazu Kubo, Roberta Sanasi, Kodai Tateno and Akira Watanabe

Links to the full article: http://www.springerlink.com/content/666141666046535m/fulltext.html
http://www.springerlink.com/content/666141666046535m/
 

Wisdom of nature: diversity increases productivity

 
Interesting observations in the article below: "[A] basic rule of nature: the greater the diversity, the greater the productivity." "One of the keys to success is to ensure...diversity..."

Referring to the value of diversity, 'Abdu'l-Bahá has likewise stated:

Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form, and shape, yet...this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty... Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof.

- Tablets 103

EDUCATION-URUGUAY: Gardens of Knowledge

By Silvana Silveira

MONTEVIDEO, Mar 10, 2010 (IPS) - "Nature is wise, and if we take the time to observe it, we can learn so much" is the underlying philosophy of a number of innovative programmes being carried out in Uruguayan schools that are using gardens as a teaching resource, explained Edith Moraes, director of the national Primary Education Board.

He said the children who participate in these programmes learn "the importance of making a commitment to taking care of something in order to reach a goal and obtain an outcome. They learn that effort and persistence are needed to get results, and also that nature has its own laws and cycles that must be respected."

Living laboratories

[According to] executive director of Fundación Logros, Graciela Gancman,

"The greatest contribution is the transfer of knowledge. It is essential to have adequate know-how and sources of information to know what to do in the event of insect infestations, bad weather and other external factors."

One of the keys to success is to ensure a diversity of crops. "If we look back on the gardens planted by our grandparents, who brought this knowledge with them from Europe, they didn’t plant rows and rows of lettuce; everything was mixed up together, a little bit of each vegetable to serve at the family table," she noted.

"This is a basic rule of nature: the greater the diversity, the greater the productivity," stressed Gancman, who referred to the school gardens and orchards as "living laboratories" that enable learning through experience.

Link to the complete article: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50622

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