Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

202 COLLAGES OF BETTERMENTof an intervention depends on the interior condition ofthe intervener.” In other words, the success of a tangiblemove in a particular situation depends on the Self of theintervener. Although the various Eastern and Westerntraditions of inner cultivation and development differ intheir beliefs and assumptions, they all focus on practiceas key for enhancing personal cultivation and spiritualgrowth (Scharmer 2007).In my action research, I began practicing aikido indojo (an aikido school) and also practiced Japanesecalligraphy to understand by direct experience how tocreate energy and connect my energy with other persons.Leadership is the capacity to take effective action withothers in full awareness of one’s impact on those others,whether individuals, communities, organizations andeven society. As I emphasized at the beginning ofthis paper, social and organizational transformationbegins with personal transformation—changing theperceptions, intentions and commitments of those whocan influence the future. In the last two decades, therehave been many examples of leaders being engagedin experiences that broaden worldviews, enhancereadiness to act with others and tap inner sources ofinspiration and motivation. Tom Atlee, founder of thenon-profit Co-Intelligence Institute, has articulated hispersonal journey in connecting the field of energies inhis writing, “Democracy and the Evolution of SocietalIntelligence.” He wrote, “I have experienced a fewrare groups where everyone’s a peer, where leadershipis shared, where a special kind of energy among themallows them to explore and solve problems together,successfully. I have watched people with very differentideas, backgrounds, aptitudes and knowledge usingthat diversity creatively. They come up with brilliantsolutions and proposals—better than any of them couldcome up with alone. The group seems more intelligentthan its individual members…I call these dynamics‘collective intelligence’—which manifests as ‘groupintelligence’ in groups and ‘societal intelligence’ inwhole societies” (Atlee 2007).To facilitate such collaborative action, leaders mustlearn to embody social technology skills. Nowadays,there are many methodologies that could be learnedand practiced, such as appreciative inquiry, open spacetechnology, future search, dynamic facilitation, theWorld Cafe and the U-Process. There are many reportsabout using these new social technologies for systemicchange. Here is an example:“The work in Zambia exemplifies that theU-process offers both a methodology to addresschallenges, as well as a way to learn how to makea shift in how we pay attention. The Zambia teamused the U-process to design the workshops, aswell as to affect the overall process” (Kaeufer andFlick 2007).I have used those social methodologies such ascommunity planning and city participatory planningto ignite and connect people’s energy since 1997. InJuly 2004, I organized and facilitated the first people’spolitical meeting, “Big Bang Bangkok,” with 1,000participants. We invited Bangkok residents to sharetheir concerns, find common goals and present theirviews to the candidates of the gubernatorial election.The meeting was a success. The people’s forum wasbroadcast live on cable TV and was televised on theevening news and reported in the newspapers the nextmorning. On 8-9 October 2005, I used the World Caféand appreciative inquiry methods for the facilitationof a “People’s Assembly” with 3,000 participants fromaround 60 provinces of Thailand. My intention was toshowcase a strategic dialogue between people’s politicsand partisan politics. This could open a chance for Thaisociety to start taking a journey on a road less traveledto a “new democracy,” as Tom Atlee put it in TheTao of Democracy (Thirapantu 2007). Unfortunately,we could not pursue the follow-up actions as we hadplanned because one month later a political turmoilstarted in Thailand that eventually triggered the 19September 2006 coup. All political and civil societywork has stopped for almost two years, but I thinkthat the “People’s Assembly” still has some impact onthe Democrat Party’s strategies. In the Bangkok Postnewspaper’s top stories on Monday, 23 July 2007,there was an article reporting that the Democrat Partyhad kick-started the electoral race with its first generalmeeting on Friday, 20 July, and held its first fundraisera day later. Television spots featured a confidentAbhisit Vejjajiva, the party leader, proclaiming thatthe party’s new agenda, “People First,” had been aired(Prateepchaikul 2007).I believe that civil society organizations will have moreimpact on the destiny of their own societies when they“transcend” themselves to become real human beingsand if the transformative leaders utilize the socialtechnologies mentioned above to convene conversationsthat result in vitalizing a community that knows whatit wants, a community with a vision and capacityfor revitalizing even governmental systems. This canresult either from communities taking the initiative toact on their own behalf or an ongoing representativeconstituency that knows what it wants and whichcannot be ignored.Asian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows