...May 4-7, 2006, in Vail, Colorado

JOIN DR. DON E. BECK, faculty member at Adizes Graduate School , for a series of Spiral Dynamics lectures at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, in the beautiful Vail Valley, Colorado!

The Edges Coaching Community (Edges) was created to give coaches a new, dynamic platform for building networks, strengthening skills, practicing craft and deepening connection. Edges is the place to turn to push the boundaries of the coaching profession in intimate community with other active minds. Membership comprises a rich cross section of the coaching landscape, many schools of thought and tracks of study. The community embraces multiple discourses of learning and is responsive to the offerings and interests of the membership.

Darrell B. Gooden, a Transformation Manager for the U.S. Navy and graduate student under Dr. Beck’s supervision, will be on hand to answer any questions regarding AGS graduate programs, further learning opportunities, and the integration of Spiral Dynamics into adizes proprietary methodology for managing change in organizations.

The Gathering will be an interactive, provoking opportunity for coaches to come together to delve into the richness and learning that springs from genuine collaboration and conversation. Features include a pre-conference workshop and welcome dinner on Thursday with presentations by the Board and staff; open space and activities; and presentations by Don, Richard Leider, Mark Mooney, Kulu Sadira, and Cherie Beck. All faculty will participate in scheduled open discussions. Dr. Don Beck’s presentations are scheduled for both Friday and Saturday mornings and include sessions on:

• The Dynamics of Human Development: A Big Picture Overview
• Learning to Recognize the Levels of Human Development
• Expanding Our Understanding of Human Development
• Recognizing Stages of Change

More opportunities to learn about Spiral Dynamics……

The Edges Gathering offers discounts as low as $300 for groups of only 2 or more! Visit their website for details! Click below for to Learn More about about Spiral Dynamics conceptual foundations. Opportunities for learning are available through Don’s 3-day Certification courses in Santa Barbara, California. Can’t travel? Marilyn Hamilton also teaches online!

…it is a matter of consciousness …..excerpts from Dr. Ichak Adizes…

The business institution, as a subsystem of society, is a very well oiled machine developed over thousand of years. It has it capital markets (and global, at that), stock markets, banking systems, private equity funds, and etcetera. So, if one has a well-tested idea, one can get the capital to start a business and, later on, finance its expansion.

It is so well oiled that it has developed a life of its own and is starting to endanger other subsystems of society like air, water, and natural resources. It is so well oiled that it dominates other segments of society - like the political and legal environments that are influenced by the deep pockets of the business world. And, it impacts the social environment by causing deep disintegration - more differentiation between rich and poor within a country as well as globally. It is impacting everything: environment, politics, society and the legal structure.

On the other hand, the greens, those socially conscious institutions that are trying to make a change in how the world is advancing to its demise, are very weak in comparison:

• They have no capital markets.
• They compete for limited donations.
• They are splintered and rarely cooperate because they compete for the same resources and volunteers.
• Many are managed by big egos. (The business word has big egos as well, but it is better controlled by the results the business organization generates.) That is not true for the NGO’s where an ego can dominate without restraint because there are no obvious restraints to cause a change.
• They have little training of their leadership.

The business world has programs to train its leadership: business schools, executive programs, and more. It has measurements of success; it has the clarity of measurable goals; it has no shame and no reluctance when it comes to forming strategic alliances to further growth and vision.

I sit at some meetings of those well-meaning organizations and I witness how badly their strategic thinking is. What they have plenty of is good intentions and sincere willingness to make a better world, but when you compare this to the logic and sharpness of thinking of the business world, these organizations pale in comparison.

These much needed organizations have goals that are managerially inferior to the business world. Their goals are often anti something: Anti- pollution, anti-global warming, anti this or that. It is more difficult to manage and reach negative goals than pro goals, such as more market share or more profits. So they end up chaining themselves to nuclear facilities gates or burning McDonald’s in their frustration and eagerness to make a change.

This, shall I say, imbalance between the business institutions and the socially conscious institutions means, to me, that the stronger will win.

Let me make one thing clear: I am not saying that businessmen are irresponsible and unconscious. Many of them see how our world is going south, and they join not-for-profits to try to change things. The problem is not of people. It is of a system that is stronger than the people that comprise it.

If one counts how many people are involved with NGOs globally, it will be more than a billion - and still their political influence does not reflect it. Thus, we will continue marching to our demise …

• Unless the NGO’s unite and start cooperating on a global scale.
• Unless they develop their own competitive edge.

To learn more about Adizes methodology for managing change including specific concepts like capi, coalesced power, authority and influence; you can attend a live seminar in Santa Barbara, California, take a graduate class or a leadership module online. Click below to Learn more….

...Colorado, Texas, California, Mexico, Greece, France, Canada, and online, too!

The Adizes Graduate School core curriculum for the online Masters and PhD programs focuses on two unique and powerful methodologies for managing change without destructive conflict. These are the Adizes methodology and Spiral Dynamics.

In 2006, AGS will be represented at a number of events worldwide for the first time. Darrell Gooden, an AGS Ph.D. student and Transformation Manager with the U.S. Navy, will be visiting special conferences to discuss his ongoing case study at the Navy which integrates both Adizes methodology and Spiral Dynamics. Darrell will be available to answer questions regarding how the AGS online Ph.D. program has facilitated his journey as an agent of change.

At some events, such as the Spiral Dynamics Confab in May and the World Future Society 40th Annual Conference in July, Darrell will actually demonstrate adizes rapid alignment diagnostic process or other integrated applications!

• April 21st, 2006, is the last day to apply for admission for the Spring term of study at Adizes Graduate School. Overseas students are encouraged to apply early for the online Masters or Ph.D. programs! Applications are available online, and the Springtime course is System Lifecycles taught by Dr. Cyd Strickland. A syllabus will be available soon! For details, contact AGS!
• April 23 - 26, 2006 in Nice, France, Dr. Amir Kfir will focus on Adizes lifecycles and related concepts for the ASIS International European Security Conference. Dr. Kfir will present a seminar on Making it Safe to Move the Company Ahead, one of only 3 Keynote addresses during the entire conference.
• May 4 – 7, 2006 - - The Edges Community Gathering at the Cordillera Lodge and Spa in Vail Valley, Colorado will host Dr. Don E. Beck as noted in the article above. Darrell Gooden will be on-hand during this session. Adizes Graduate School materials and books by Dr. Ichak Adizes will be available in the Edges bookstore.
• May 28 – June 2nd, 2006, are the dates of the 7th Annual Spiral Dynamics Confab in Dallas, Texas! The first few days include the core foundational training in SDi material, and then comes the confab, complete with the annual trip to the Stockyards! Durring the seminar, Darrell Gooden will be demonstrating an Adizes Syndag–a process for organizational diagnoses and rapid alignment without destructive conflict. The Adizes Graduate School has sponsored Darrell’s demonstration for this event. All participants will receive materials on the Adizes Graduate School online Masters and PhD programs.
• June 17-20th, 2006, Dr. Amir Kfir will address the IGI Congress in Cape Sounio, Greece. This is a special session for industry affiliates, but the Congress has graciously invited AGS to provide graduate program materials for attending delegates.
• June 22-24, 2006, Roberto Bonilla, a former PhD student at the Adizes Graduate School, will be on hand during the Spiral Dynamics seminars in Monterrey, Mexico to discuss the graduate programs and share materials with anyone who has questions regarding Adizes or Spiral Dynamics learning opportunities in either live or online formats. Contact Jazmin Calvillo for information or a Registration Form for the Monterrey Spiral Dynamics seminar.
• July 27 – 31, 2006, The World Future Society hosts their 40th annual conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! The WFS Conference will focus on Creating Global Strategies for Humanity’s Future. Dr. Don E. Beck will present an all-day workshop on Spiral Dynamics on July 27th . The Adizes Graduate School will sponsor Darrell Gooden’s participation in the Conference and his presentation during the SDi workshop. Darrell will be accessible for participants who have questions related to adizes, spiral dynamics, the Adizes Graduate School programs or his work with the U.S. Navy.
• November 6-11, 2006: Plan to visit Santa Barbara, California this November to participate in Spiral Dynamics Natural Designs: Second Tier Leadership, Organizational Elegance & Integral Management

If you have any questions about these events, online classs, or the AGS graduate programs, please click below to Learn More!