Evolution Butterfly

Butterflies have always been the symbol of regeneration and transformation. Humanity is now in the midst of profound changes that could lead to a new civilization. Yes, humanity is on the verge of a great leap in its evolution as a biological species! And this trend is driven by our decisions and actions.

The Butterfly symbol reminds us that we live in an emerging world in which our decisions and actions really matter! It reminds us that we live in a world of connectivity, that we are not alone, but together. In partnership we can achieve much more! We live in a plentiful Univers and not exploitation and competition will bring us this wealth, but collaboration and partnership!

In our history as a species, we have gone through a number of successive stages. At every stage we made a leap in our abilities to deal with the complexity of the world. With every new stage we explored new ways to collaborate and organize ourselves. Life evolves from simplicity to diversification and subsequent integration of diversity through collaboration. We believe that humanity, as a whole, is facing a new leap forward towards a new level of collaboration.

1.Infrared egalitarian bands partnership

2.Magenta egalitarian tribes partnership

3.Red warlike chiefdoms authority/obedience

4.Amber warlike empires authority/obedience

5.Orange warlike nations authority/obedience

....... we are living ”between stories”.......

6.Green peaceful organization, having ”family” as metaphor

7.Teal peaceful organization, having ”living system” as metaphor

8.Turquoise peaceful organization, having ”a morphic field” as metaphor

Infrared is the time of the beginning of human species. We lived in small bands in a more instinctive way, deeply related with Nature, as part of Nature. Relations between bands were more probable teritorial, but inside the band was a partnership kind of organization in which survival of the band hangs from the members cooperation and good-understanding.

A very important moment in our biological development occur because of a natural event: the eruption of Toba volcano about 73.000 years ago. Specialists say that in that times our survival as a species was really at edge. We succeded to survive only because we made a very important step forward towards more cooperation. We overpass the threshold from bands to tribes and from fear to trust and collaboration even between tribes. From now we lived in tribes leaded by elders wisdom and autority. Collaboration and trust was one of the main features which have shaped our species.

Magenta is a long period in which the human species evolved and developed biological qualities that have made us thrive in any habitat. Was a time of partnership, survival and team-work. When I say ”biological qualities” I refere first of all to so called moral qualities and then to biological adaptations. Human biological adaptations are more cultural adaptation (ways of organization which aloud us to cooperate and sustain each other) and techological advances (which gave us a powerfull surviving advantage). But moral qualities are our greatest inheritance: courage, altruism, responsability, trust, openness to collaboration, loyalty, generosity etc. What we name ”moral” in ethical realm is ”physiologic” in biological realm. Is ”healthy” for an organism or environment. You could think that courage, loyalty or generosity are ”just virtues” only for heroes or saints, a useless ornament in real life of human communities. But you could not be more wrong: the courage is an extremly important community quality who help us to remain a community, to stand for justice and wellbeing of yours companions. Responsability or altruism are the same – a biological evolution for a better communication and fairness within human species. All this moral qualities and a lot of our cultural and technological adaptations appeared during this time. This was the time of Great Goddess of Life, a time that really shaped us as a collaborative species. Old European Civilization belongs to this era.

Starting from unknown roots emerged warlike tribes with warlike religions. It was another path that some humans chose for exploration. They come from Iranian-Scythian branch of Indo-European tribes who started invading Europe around 3.500 BC. Their organizations are structured around a strong leader who has a great power over others. Of course, this kind of hierarchical and warlike organization gave a biological advantage for their initiators: the emerging ruling elites.

Red hierarchical warlike tribes conquered the world and with them a new era of warlike empires started. Mafia and street gangs are red organization.

After Red follow Amber medieval and antique empires. The age of slavery, brutal force and extreme injustice. A world of castes and privileges and continuous wars. Organization has a static pyramidal structure of stacked layers of hierarchy and a clear chain of command. People identify with job titles and job descriptions and their place in the hierarchy. “Command and control” is the dominant leadership style: decisions are made at upper levels of the hierarchy while lower levels simply follow orders. Today these organizations are still very present: most government agencies, public schools, the Catholic Church are run on Amber principles and practices. Military institution is a good metaphor for these organizations.

In Orange modern nations, capitalism/communism and so called ”democracy” the pyramid remains the fundamental structure. In the pursuit of innovation and to beat competition, more degrees of freedom become necessary. “Command and control” gives way to “predict and control”: managers and employees are given targets to achieve, and some freedom in how to achieve them. Today, Orange is the dominating worldview in business and politics. Choose any of the defining brands of our time – say, BMW, Shell, Nike, or Coca Cola – and you’re likely to have picked an organization whose structures, principles and cultures are inspired by the Orange paradigm.

Red, Amber and Orange – from warlike chiefdoms and unrest wars until neocolonialism, nations in world wars, corporate economic exploitations, resourse depletions and generalised soil/water/air pollutions – this is the time of Empire, a world of organizations based on authority/obedience, exploatation, manipulation and all sort of ideologies.

Now we are in a times of a great change: from red-amber-orange organization based on authority/obedience relations to a green-teal-turquoise organizations based on partnership relations.

Green organizations is a first step forward towards more egalitarian and partnership kind of relations. They still operate with a pyramidal organizational structure and staff functions, but there is an emphasis on empowering front-line employees. Top and middle managers are effectively asked to share power and give up some control: to move from being doers, problem solvers and fixers to be servant leaders. This is often symbolized in the notion of “inverted pyramid”, where the CEO at the bottom supports senior and middle managers who support front-line employees. In green, relationships is above outcomes. The perspective is build from all the stakeholder points of view.

Teal organizations consciously operate as complex adaptive systems with distributed authority, often structured as decentralized, self-managing teams or networks. The static hierarchy of the pyramid finally gives way to fluid natural hierarchies, where power flows to people who have most expertise, passion or interest. The dynamic actualization of hierarchies and relations is ensured thanks to a new perspective about collaboration and partnership, about how Nature and human communities really work. The aim of teal organizations is to harvest the collective intelligence. The new way of organization mimic Nature's model.

Turquoise stage is a new step forward. I feel it as a leap from self-managing teams but with a clear purpose to a ”evolutionary purpose”, to an open purpose, co-discovered, co-sensed and co-create through joyful collaboration.

The Old Story of Empire is not an aberration, but is a legitimate exploration of a path. The human species chose 6.000 years ago this path and tried to see where authority and obedience, separation and competition, power for domination and exploitation could lead us. We saw where and understood why. Old Metaphysics of competition and separation begins to dissolve and a new metaphysics, a New Story of collaboration and organic communities begins to rise.

I chose to draw an Evolution Butterfly to remind us our common path.

Is important to understand that we are together. Humans and Nature – we are together. We are Life. Life itself chose this path of competition and separation that we humans are exploring it for almost 6000 years. Finally, Life understand that is an unsustainable path. Now we, as part of Life itself, are searching for a new sustainable path. To discover, to imagine, to build. To evolve towards.

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