Just read this delightful little book this weekend - The Alchemist, by Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho.  Thanks Avi, my new friend from Ryze, for the kick ! 

A neat review here ... ' This story, timeless and entertaining, exotic yet simple, breaks down the journey we all take to find the most meaningful treasures in our lives into steps that are at once natural and magical. It is about the faith, power, and courage we all have within us to pursue the intricate path of a Personal Legend, a path charted by the mysterious magnet of destiny but obscured by distractions. Santiago shows how along the way we learn to trust our hearts, read the seemingly inconspicuous signs, and understand that as we look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find us just the same, if we let it. '

Some phrases and paras i marked while reading : 

"The boy didn't know what a person's "destiny" was. It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny."

"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision"

"Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life."

"When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It's always a positive force. "

"People become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World."

"The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other."

Its a tale told at many levels ... simple yet profound.  The type of tale that makes you feel you need to read it again ... and again .... each occasion unravelling a new layer.   

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For some time now, i've been interested in studying colour and the way it reflects and is a reflection of our emotional states, moods, attitudes, personality, society - in short, any form of human existence.  I started this exploration with the Luscher Color Test ... moved onto the more 'quick-fix' Colorgenics tests - and to my delight i stumbled upon the application of Dr. Clare W. Graves' Emergent, Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory Applied : COLORS of Thinking in the area of Spiral Dynamics.

The Spiral Dynamics model is derived from the original thinking of Dr. Clare W. Graves - and speaks of Eight Value Systems / ^vMemes  - that have emerged to date and still exist side-by-side on earth. 

The authors' note on the book : 'Spiral Dynamics reveals the hidden codes that shape human nature, create global diversities, and drive organizational change. This fresh perspective integrates the pioneering work of Dr. Clare W. Graves in emergent thinking systems and value structures with memetics, the exciting new science of ideas and their movements. Through the STREAMS and TEMPLATES frameworks, it offers specific guidelines for designing better organizations, improving communication, more effective leadership, and enhanced interpersonal relations based on how people -- as individuals and groups -- sense their worlds to be now and what they are likely to become next.'

Ken Wilbur, speaks of six levels as "subsistence levels" marked by "first-tier thinking." - beige (archaic instinctual), purple (magical animistic), red (power of gods), blue (mythic order), orange (scientific achievement), green (the sensitive self).  Then there occurs a revolutionary shift in consciousness: the emergence of "being levels" and "second-tier thinking," of which there are two major waves - yellow (integrative), turquoise (holistic).

Here's is a brief description of all eight waves, the percentage of the world population at each wave, and the percentage of social power held by each.

Now all of this may sound terribly 'heavy', and i must admit the book by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan is heavy reading, what interests and impresses me particularly is the insights it provides into understanding and reading individuals in the context of their social and business networks.  Its a neat framework for anyone involved in understanding and managing complex systems - with applications useful in our persoanl and business lives, by explaining how and why our circumstances and environment influence our perceptions and values, how change occurs and how it can be 'managed' better.  Here are some of the ways it can be applied by organisations :

• Spiral Dynamics can help you to think better about emergent processes by addressing these questions:
  IF it is time for change, then change FROM what TO what?
  And IF it is time for change, then which of the Seven Variations of Change is appropriate?
  Finally, to connect it all together, ask: How should Who Manage (lead, teach, etc.) Whom to do What, and When?
• Use Spiral Dynamics to communicate with people in ways they understand best on their terms, not yours.
• Use Spiral Dynamics to motivate people in ways that matter to them, at this time, in this place.
• Use Spiral Dynamics to construct organizations that align the work to be done, the people who will be doing it, the management that fits those people, and the technologies that apply naturally. In other words: Get the system right before trying to make the styles Fit. Seek out the natural by using a Spiral Dynamics framework.

All in all, in my experience, a neat perspective and guide for observers and facilitators of groups and their dynamics.  For instance, I found it useful to develop a colourboard, as a facilitation tool, when studying the behaviour of a specific consumer segment, and in evolving strategy for a brand targetted at them.  Mapping the evolution of the brand, as consumers perceive it (within the context of their own changing world) and exploring future scenarios.  The colourboard helped facilitate the process ... and more importantly, in a short span of time, revealed the 'hidden' (read subconscious) values that are otherwise difficult to articulate. 

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