How Large-Scale Change Really Happens - Working With Emergence
“It’s not critical mass we have to achieve. It’s critical connections.”
“In spite of current ads and slogans, the world doesn’t change one person at a time. It changes as networks of relationships form among people who share a common cause and vision of what’s possible. This is good news for those of us who want to change public education. We don’t need to convince large numbers of people to change; instead, we need to connect with kindred spirits.”
“This is why networks are so important. But networks aren’t the whole story. They need to evolve into intentional working relationships where new knowledge, practices, courage, and commitment can develop, such as happens in Communities of Practice. From these relationships, emergence becomes possible. Emergence is the process by which all large-scale change happens on this planet. Separate, local efforts connect and strengthen their interactions and interdependencies. What emerges as these become stronger is a system of influence, a powerful cultural shift that then greatly influences behaviors and defines accepted practices.”
“The world doesn’t change one person at a time. It changes as networks of relationships form among people who discover they share a common cause and vision of what’s possible”
“When separate, local efforts connect with each other as networks, then strengthen as communities of practice, suddenly and surprisingly a new system emerges at a greater level of scale”
“Emergence is how Life creates radical change and takes things to scale.”
“Emergence has a life-cycle. It begins with networks, shifts to intentional communities of practice and evolves into powerful systems capable of global influence” ”