Vision As An Energy Field
We don’t often think of all the invisible forces we rely on to lead a normal life, but how could we live without gravity or magnetism or electricity? Space is filled with these invisible fields. Quantum physics posits that space is rich in the energy waves of particles. The only problem is these fields can’t be observed directly; we only know them by their effects.
Do organizations have fields, invisible forces that can’t be noted except by observing the behavior of employees, or by walking into that office or store? Most of us have dramatic experiences that indicate the existence of such fields. Perhaps it’s walking into a tense meeting and immediately “picking up the vibes.” Or perhaps it’s the sense we get when we walk into a store of how we’ll be treated as a customer.
If organizations do have fields, one of the more interesting questions is whether organizational vision acts as a field. Is the vision of the organization strong enough to be felt? If we meet with different employees at different levels of the organization, do we pick up the same messages or commitment to the vision? Is the space of this organization filled with consistent directions about purpose, direction, values?
If vision is a field, then we need to think about how to create it. What types of activities and focus are required to fill the space of our organization with consistent messages? If we figure out how to do this, field theory suggests that people will be positively influenced by this field. Instead of having to deliver the same message to all employees, especially new employees, the field will communicate that to them. Although these ideas are conjecture, one thing that field theory suggests is that organizational change could be easier and faster than we had thought. If we don’t have to directly influence each person or deliver training to every employee, change might occur through a consistent, intentional field that affects everyone in the organization simultaneously.
Excerpted from “A Perspective: Lessons from the New Science” by Margaret J. Wheatley (Taken from the Leader’s Guide for the CRM Learning video, Leadership & the New Science)
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Leadership and the New Science provides compelling evidence that things like chaos theory, quantum mechanics and field theory are just as relevant to organizational life as they are to nature. Also see The Clarity Imperative which shows how consistent organizational messaging - including articulating the vision - is the key to organizational focus, commitment and culture.
Tags: organizational vision, vision
