Our PurposeAt West Coast Integral Initiatives, we believe that our work will be most effective when it is both practical and results-oriented at the same time as it serves a high-level purpose.
Our purpose is to foster excellence and emergence in self, systems and society.
What does this mean?
Excellence acknowledges the importance of results-oriented logics and evidence-based practices. And it goes a little further. Our approach to excellence includes a commitment to being the best we can be, in all aspects of our lives, personal and professional. It reminds us that excellence in ourselves leads to excellence in actions and outcomes.
Emergence reminds us that human development continues throughout the lifecourse. Harvard University’s eminent developmental researcher Robert Kegan calls development the “hidden curriculum of adult life.” Ample evidence suggests that adults not only have the potential to develop, but that our very health and well-being depend on it.
Self refers to the individual at the centre of the change equation. Excellence and emergence show up in each of us as self-development. When we talk about the self, we’re not just referring to our actions, behaviours and skills. We’re also referring to our mental models, our values, our morals, and our psychological and spiritual well-being. Inner and outer development are interconnected, of course. Paying attention to all aspects of the self makes us more effective practitioners and leaders.
Systems describes the structures and processes that support our work, and influence the effectiveness of our actions. Our lives are shaped by both human-designed systems and natural systems. When natural systems such as the environment are out of balance, health, well-being and healthy development in humans is adversely affected. And when human-designed systems are out of balance with human and environmental needs, health and well-being are severely compromised.
Society refers to the cultural dimensions of our shared lives – in our families, our organizations, and our communities. Those cultural dimensions are reflected in social norms, values, worldviews and ethics, and strongly influence the health of both human-designed and natural systems. With a healthy culture, systems flourish. And with healthy systems, people prosper.
Putting this purpose to work – fostering excellence and emergence in self, system and society – the team at West Coast Integral Initiatives seeks to generate health, well-being and healthy development in all of the contexts in which we work. The overarching goal: people, organizations and communities that thrive.
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