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Integral Mapping
"Integral, whatever it is...has to feed people."
Simple, but no simpler; solves more problems that it creates.
Making it real using integral mapping or
emergenics:
The key to integral mapping is actionability.
If the map is not actionable then no action
is likely to be undertaken to adapt the system.
A brief review of actionability:
Example: If we do provide advice, it
is usually not actionable; Actionable Advice has these characteristics
(paraphrased from Flawed Advice and the Management Trap, C. Argyris,
2000)
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Advice that specify the sequence of
behavior required to produce the intended consequences
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Advice should be crafted in ways that
make the causality transparent (in other words we know exactly what
causes us to get certain effects)
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Causality embedded in advice in use is
testable in normal situations
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Actionable knowledge must specify the
values or governing variables that underlie and govern the advice or
design of the advice
Therefore Integral Mapping is only valuable
if it is actionable.
Remember: "Integral, whatever it
is...has to feed people."
The easiest way to begin Integral Mapping is to view
(SLOT) Strengths, Limitations, Opportunities and Threats through an
Integral Lens.
The integral lens consists of an inventory or map where
capability/capacity permits; capacity defined as awareness, purpose,
competence and capability of adapting those parameters to life conditions
to create well being using integral mapping tools.
First application of the lens is with SLOT.
This is actually quite easy to do without any integral
experience.
Have someone map or inventory their responses to:
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strengths
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limitations
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opportunities
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threats
Review that inventory through an integral lens.
Identify where in that map/inventory of reality exists
multiple perspectives by literally placing a P for personal, PR for
professional, B for business and N for network beside each of their
items. If some represent more than one domain of effect, then
place those initials next to the items.
Once this is done, you can easily dialogue with the
person about their map, it's strengths, limitations, opportunities and
threats as viewed through domains of effect.
How tight of a circle have these people drawn around
their SLOT by limiting perspectives?
The next step requires a review of the map using the
four perspectives in the integral lens: internal, external, financial
and developmental. Again, using abbreviations: I for internal, E
for external, F for financial and D for developmental; review the SLOT.
What does this produce in terms of considerations or
comments from the person mapping?
To complete the exercise with SLOT, review the SLOT
items with them in terms of time: past, now, near and far.
This map using a very simple system will often produce
sufficient matter for dialogue.
If the person mapping is of the will to proceed with more
differentiation, then we employ an integral mapping formula called
Integrated Strategic Intention or ISIS.
ISIS is essentially a strategic mapping system for
creating a theory of action called RightACTION. RightACTION is a
process where the right people are doing the right things in the right way
at the right time for the right reasons to create the RightRESULTS.
Regardless of domain, RightACTION planning can be used to
effectively map intended reality using an integral lens.
ISIS is a much more complex system than our SLOT exercise,
which can be combined with ISIS to produce a reference map for use in the
area of creating assumptions.
The ISIS can be studied in
http://www.b-coach.com or in
http://www.strategyfocusedcoaching.com systems.
ISIS as an online system can be purchased as a single
user license at http://www.1isis.com.
Another form of Reality Mapping using an Integral Approach
has been designed to include a resilience framework adapted from the
frameworks of Spiral Dynamics using Emergenics.
This system produces an integral map of reality in order
to promote resilient frameworks or adaptive responses to a broad array of
life/work demands.
Integral Mapping is a powerful tool for coaches, leaders,
managers, professionals and people interested in more efficient and
effective living and working in a complex, yet global system.
Using the Integral Lens in a metasystematic approach can
be enormously supportive to decision making efficacy.
"What lies behind us and what lies before are tiny
matters compared to what lies within."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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