Web Sites Of The Month

Triarchy Press

Gerard is the author of The Three Ways of Getting Things Done: Hierarchy, Heterarchy & Responsible Autonomy in Organisations (Triarchy Press, Dorset, 2005). He established a printing house,Triarchy Press, to disseminate this important literary work which claims that our society has become "addicted to hierarchy." He gives us a model of how organizations of the future will become less hierarchal and more self-autonomous. Gerard brings his own experience as a CEO of Celltech, a leading biopharmaceutical company, and his many years as an advisor to various government and academic institutions. Read the executive summary of his book to understand how the three models differ from each other and what the advantages are for each.

The Psychological "Bully-Victim" Relationship

Dr. Silas M. Wesley has posted an article that examines the psychological nature of dysfunctional bully-victim relationships, the causes and the cures. In it, Dr. Wesley notices that the roles of judge/supplicant are inherent in many different relationships, not just school yard dramas. The professor concludes with several self-help techniques to identify the roles we each play in perpetuating these types of relationships, whether we be the bully or the victim. Of particular note is the position that despite identifying a dysfunctional relationship, this does not require us to change it. It merely requires us to accept it and make a choice of whether we wish to continue with it or not.

Why are those who are fresh from getting the love of god so mean?

Pucx recounts his tale of Christian bullies on Sunday. This blog discusses some of the common Sunday activities of church-goers, like shopping, eating out after church, and the giving of their time, money or even sympathy. You will be surprised to see how these activities are perceived by the less privileged wait staff, the cooks, the cashiers, the handicapped, and all those who serve those who go out on Sunday after church. The bully exists even in church and religion. Those that are not as privileged with money or rank in this society know when they come out to play.

Higher Self Tech: Examine Your Beliefs

In order to move from a hierarchal model to a self-autonomous model of existence requires us to examine the beliefs that brought about our alignment with hierarchy in the first place. Several core beliefs influence the dependence of people to hierarchy. Some of them are:

  • Image
  • Authority
  • Duplicity
  • Order

With regards to image, we can examine how what we believe about the present ranks associated with positions in a hierarchal order. Is someone at the top more knowledgeable than someone at the bottom of a hierarchy? More powerful? More worthy? Why do we think this is the case? What do we think about ourselves based on the image we project to others? Why do we want to project a specific image and is it tied to hierarchy?

With regards to authority, we can examine how we interact and treat people in authority. Are we an authority on something? What does that mean about what we believe about others who are not in authority like us? Is authority absolute? Helpful? Not helpful? Desirable? Who gave us those beliefs about authority? Was it our parents, our teachers, our employers? How do we limit ourselves by believing certain people have inherent authority over us?

With regards to duplicity, we can examine how we feel about a hierarchy model of life. Is it better or worse than another system of organization? Why do we hold somethings as better or worse? Do we have to align with the winner/loser mentality or is there another way? Can we be at peace with ourselves if we choose not to compare ourselves to other? Does judging something as good bring us happiness in the long run?

With regards to order, we can examine our fears of living without specific structure or instructions. Is a messy house better than a clean house. If so, why do you prefer one over the other? Does order stifle creativity or enhance it? Can we feel free in a system of order or does it require no system?

There are so very many beliefs that we hold that we must examine to understand why we have created our lives the way they are. We can see them reflected in every choice we make even if it is not a major choice. The jobs we have chosen speak a lot about how we view ourselves, how we align with hierarchy, our ideals or authority, our sense of right and wrong (duplicity) or even whether we prefer very rigidly and ordered environments. Notice the choices you make day to day and you will notice the beliefs that have influenced those choices. By understanding them, you can generate a point of choice to decide whether they work for you or you would like to expand to new choices. This is how self-autonomy works in the long run.

 

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