society, somatics and awareness

Any type of organisational theory or practice soon starts to break conventional boundaries. Organisations aren't simply places where we work, of course. All kinds of social, economic and political groups (up to society at large) qualify as organisations and demonstrate many of the behaviours that we associate with 'conventional' organisations.

At the same time, organisations are largely (but not exclusively) made up of people - so what applies to organisations also applies to people.

Systems Thinking, which informs many Triarchy books, has been extended by a number of our authors and developed in ways which are rather more useful for individuals and society. One of the most important developments has been the shift away from seeing the organisation and the individual human as a fixed structure and towards seeing them as constantly changing processes. Some relevant terms - each of which is developed in one of the books below - include 'Ecological Thinking', 'Tropisms', 'Socioperception', 'Becoming Human', 'Mythogeography', 'Social Acupuncture' and 'The Ecological Body'.

Follow the links below to Triarchy publications in this field. Articles and Idioticon entries are available for you to read online, free of charge:

Books

A Sardine Street Box of Tricks (2012, 84 pages)

This book is based on a mis-guided 'Tour of Sardine Street' that they the authors Phil Smith and Simon Persighetti created for Queen Street in Exeter during 2011 and is designed to help anyone who makes, or would like to make, walk-performances or variations on the guided tour. It describes a range of different approaches and tactics, and illustrates them with examples from their tour of Queen Street.

Economies of Life: Patterns of Health and Wealth (2010, 100 pages)

Uses the principles of ecological thinking to redefine our narrow under-standing of terms like economy and value. Considers what keeps each economy healthy and what sort of wealth each one accumulates. Art, it claims, is the currency of experience.

In Search of the Missing Elephant (2010, 124 pages)

A collection of essays by Don Michael. They offer a real source of hope in taking on those messy, seemingly intractable issues - notably in health, learning, governance and enterprise - where paradox, ambiguity and complexity characterise the landscape, where rapid change means yesterday's solution no longer works, where only genuine innovation has any chance of success.

Mythogeography (2010, 256 pages)

Mythogeography is like Psychogeography, but looking at layers of meaning in the 'place' rather than in the mind of the passer-by. Part 1 is the story of the author's walk in the footsteps of a man who crossed northern England 100 years ago planting acorns. Part 2 has advice, tasks, kits and mental maps: a mythogeography toolbag.

Nine Ways of Seeing a Body (2011, 72 pages)

The author's approach to movement matches the systemic approach of our other authors towards organisations. Considers different ways in which we view the body (and the world around us), including: body as object (Cartesian), phenomenological body (the body holds its own meaning, contextual body (paying attention to self-reflection and self-awareness) and ecological body (drawing on Amerta Movement and mindfulness).

Ten Things to Do in a Conceptual Emergency (2009, 44 pages)

Looks at the crisis that arises when profound changes cut across our established ways of thinking. It suggests ten small but significant acts of hope that we can undertake. Beautifully illustrated and written, its ideas include practising social acupuncture and giving up on the myth of control.

Towards the Third Modernity: How Ordinary People Are Transforming the World (2008, 288 pages)

A detailed, decade-by-decade analysis of how social, family and political mores have changed over 50 years. Covering fashion, trade unions, religion, advertising, sex, shopping, holidays and work, the book monitors how and when our views changed. A fascinating insight into the mechanics of the social revolution that we all know has happened but cannot easily define.

Game

On Q game On Q. Designed as a way of 'surfacing' and discussing different views and perspectives in a work group, at meetings or amongst friends and family, On Q has 70 prompt cards. For example: What have you tried unsuccessfully to change? What prejudices do you have that you find hard to throw off? What is the first advertisement you can remember? What one thing would you like to guarantee?