simply living in a complex world

Simply Living in a Complex World

The keys to human development in today’s rapidly changing, ever morecomplex, society are differentiation of self and integration. Differentiation refersto a process Carl Jung called individuation – a lifelong commitment to self-discovery that leads to each of us becoming an increasingly more unique andinteresting person – like no other on the planet and a leader in our own uniquefield. Integration refers to connecting with others through developing commonbonds. As organisations and society become more complex, without abalance of differentiation and integration, we can only look forward toincreasing confusion. Balance is important. A person who is differentiated andnot integrated may attain great accomplishments, though runs the risk of beingoverly self-centred and egoistic. On the other hand, if people focus solely onintegration, they will be connected and secure, but lack autonomousindividuality – they become slaves to the whims of others.

Differentiation is achieved through each of us exploring our personal valuesand developing skills, habits and strategies to live them effectively. Integrationis achieved through a collective exploration of shared values and developingnorms through which we will live these shared values.

The Minessence Group is dedicated to developing tools, techniques and otherresources to facilitate the twin processes of differentiation and integration.Since the main vehicle to address these twin processes is values exploration,we have given particular attention to the development of a values inventory(AVI). The AVI is now one of the most widely used values inventories inAustralia and is rapidly becoming popular overseas.

You can find out more about this at our website: www.minessence.net

The Minessence Group’s valuesinventory, the AVI, is designed tohelp you decide what future youwant for yourself and how best toget there. An important part of theprocess is an exploration of yourvalues. Finding your true path is noteasy. Many people will give youadvice according to their values.That’s why exploring your own valuesis so important – you must discoverthe path that is ‘right’ for you :

Your True North

Copyright 2002 - Paul Chippendale – [email protected] – shop.minessence.net

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WhatWhatWhatWhat are values?are values?are values?are values?

Unlike competencies, which can be classified as skills, knowledge and attitudes – i.e.the ability to perform activities effectively within an occupation or function to thestandard required in employment, values are our lifestyle priorities. They express ourwants, desires and preferences. For most people, they are also unconsciousmotivators. A key characteristic of successful people, however, is that their values arenot unconscious motivators, they are conscious motivators. Successful people knowwhat their values are.

Researchers over the past 30 years have identified 125 human values. They form thebuilding blocks of human nature and relationships. These 125 values cover all thingsthat could potentially be important to a person, for example:

Play/Recreation Being Self

Knowledge/Discovery/Insight Empathy

Adaptability/Flexibility Control/Order/Discipline

Human Rights/Social Order Accountability/Ethics

The Environment, etc. Beliefs/Vision

Achievement/Success Sharing/Listening/Trust


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Why are VALUES important to highWhy are VALUES important to highWhy are VALUES important to highWhy are VALUES important to highperformance and success?performance and success?performance and success?performance and success?

The following series of charts look at why, and how, exploring your values is the keyto you creating a successful and happy life.

CHART 1CHART 1CHART 1CHART 1 – To perform effectively, the three dimensions of FOCUS, WILLand CAPABILITY must be in place.


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CHART 2CHART 2CHART 2CHART 2 – If you have CAPABILITY and WILL – without FOCUS, thenyou MAY ACT – then again you may not. If you lack FOCUS you are likely tojust “run around in all directions” doing unrelated things and accomplishinglittle of significance. In short, chaos reigns and your performance andeffectiveness at achieving anything suffers.

CHART 3CHART 3CHART 3CHART 3 – If you have CAPABILITY and FOCUS – without WILL, youCOULD ACT – but probably won’t because you do not have the motivation –i.e. you know what to do, how to do it, but lack the drive.


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CHART 4CHART 4CHART 4CHART 4 – If you have FOCUS and WILL – without CAPABILITY, youWOULD love to ACT – but are unable to, because, even though you haveclarity about what you want to do, and the motivation to do it, you do not havethe necessary skills, abilities or resources.

CHART 5CHART 5CHART 5CHART 5 - It is only when you have FOCUS, WILL and CAPABILITY thatyou CAN ACT effectively. This is where VALUES come in: (1) You attain focus through personal values clarity. (2) You are most motivated to do things which match YOUR values. (3) You have a preference to gaining skills and abilities only around things relating to YOUR values.VALUES are the key to your personal success, and in attaining high levels ofperformance and happiness.


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Focus, Will and Capabilities – How?Focus, Will and Capabilities – How?Focus, Will and Capabilities – How?Focus, Will and Capabilities – How?

A person’s focus, will and capability dimensions are best explored through a processof values clarification.

Focus

An effective technique for developing clarity of focus is to use the metaphors of TrueNorth and Magnetic North.

True North

Your True North is your sense of who you really are. It is your sense of direction, andwhere you intend to go in your life.

True North is what you are passionate about. It is where you find the best in yourselfand where life offers you the greatest returns on your efforts.

True North is a way of behaving and being. It is a journey, not a destination. A TrueNorth journey will be effortless and easy. One way of staying True North is todiscover your personal values and honour them.

Magnetic North

Magnetic North is when you are off track, living a life that is constantly stressful,meaningless, boring, tiring, draining, difficult, unrewarding, and requires excessiveeffort just to maintain your current position. It may even be a simple unrelentingfeeling that something is missing in your life – but you are not sure what that is. It isa way of living where your effort is increased and your return is diminished.

Magnetic North often lacks a sense of purpose. It is not self rewarding, nor is itfulfilling. One way to follow Magnetic North is be to be unaware of your own values,or through ignoring them.

The definitionof being lostis to have nopoints of reference.

Can you relate this definition to any point in your life?

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How do you find your True North?

To find your True North requires taking an inventory of your values – that is wherethe AVI, literally, a values inventory, comes in. Taking an inventory of your values(your life-style priorities) leads you to clarity regarding the life you want to live. Itenables you to clarify your vision (focus). This leads to self-empowerment (increasedlevels of will and motivation), and aids in identifying appropriate areas for skillsdevelopment (capabilities).

What is the AVI?What is the AVI?What is the AVI?What is the AVI?

The AVI is a web-based tool enabling people to take an inventory of their values. Ithad its origins with the Hall-Tonna Inventory of Values and, through a process of co-evolution, involving, primarily, members of the Minessence group, has become asignificantly different inventory to the Hall-Tonna Inventory. (To read more about itsevolution, or to become involved yourself in its further development, go to:http://www.minessence.net/chaordic/ )

How to access the AVI?

You will find a list of people who have been accredited to work with the AVI at:http://www.minessence.net/html/avi_consultants.htm. If you wish to becomeaccredited to use the AVI with people yourself then there are a range of options: (1) ifyou are an accredited lifestyle coach, personal trainer, or executive mentor, weconduct a one day workshop to show you how to integrate the AVI into your practice;(2) if you want to use the AVI with groups or organisations we provide three options;

– an eMentoring programme (a personal website and Paul Chippendale as yourmentor via web technologies),

– face-to-face mentoring conducted with Karynne Courts in Sydney, and

– a four day workshop + project conducted by Paul Chippendale in Australia andMichael Henderson in New Zealand.


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What does the AVI look like?

The first screen one comes to on the web depends on the consultant you go through.Typically you will see something like:

The following pages, walk you through what you are likely to see on the subsequentscreens.


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There are now a set of twenty five screens each with different value statements, forexample:

An the last page is…


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The responses to the values statements are processed in two locations, at the headoffice of the Values Education Network (Spring Hill, Brisbane) and at theconsultant’s site. At the head office, the responses are processed to produce a range ofreports for personal development, leadership development, vocational guidance, etc.These reports are mailed (or eMailed if outside Australia or New Zealand) to theconsultant for use with their clients. The responses can be processed at theconsultant’s site immediately after their client has completed the AVI on-line and thetwo main charts (a values map and a brain-preference map) for depicting their clientsvalues, can be printed:

Example Values Chart –“The Values Map”


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Example Values Chart – “Brain-Preference Map”

The values map helps people explore the nature of their world-view, that is, theirpersonal model of reality. It is used to develop a clear picture of one’s true north. It isalso used to help identify what skills one may need to live one’s values, and helps inbuilding relationships and developing teams.

The brain-preference map indicates how a person prefers to relate to the worldthrough their senses. It is particularly useful in career planning.

In summary, the values map helps explore the cogitative aspects of a person’s valuessystem and the brain-preference map helps explore the ‘sensational’ dimension oftheir values.

In the next section, a model is provided to show how values impact on people in thecontext of an organisation.

How do values influence organisations &How do values influence organisations &How do values influence organisations &How do values influence organisations &individuals?individuals?individuals?individuals?

Values dictate why we make the decisions we do, and underpin our actions. Valuesprovide our motivation and determine our levels of loyalty, commitment and energy.In an organisational context, the following model is a useful framework todemonstrate the importance of matching values.

Let's walk through the model step by step. For a start,each of us has values that lie behind the choices wemake, the goals we set for ourselves, and the life-style to which we aspire.

In the diagram to the right, people in the organisationhave their own goals, desired life-style, etc. They allhave a reasonable idea as to how far along the trackto attaining those aspirations they are. For thepurposes of the diagram, a person at position 3-4 issaid to have attained more of what they aspire to thana person at position 1-2.


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Each organisation has its own values (quiteoften different from the values shared by manypeople in the organisation). As depicted in thediagram to the left, the organisation's values liebehind the organisation's decisions about itsdesired culture, targets, vision, etc.

We can depict the extent to which anorganisation is performing in meeting itstargets, goals, etc. with arrows on the diagram.As the organisation lifts its performance fromposition 1-3 to position 2-4 it has moved closerto achieving its targets, etc. (i.e. it'sperformance level has increased)


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When we overlay the last two diagrams - the numbers 1, 2, 3 & 4 in the centralposition of the diagram below, take on a new significance...

POSITION ONE: This person is performing at anunsatisfactorily low level in the eyes of their organisation andthey have attained little in terms of their own aspirations.They are likely to be seeking an alternative career either oftheir own accord or assisted by their employer.


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POSITION TWO: At thislevel, the person isperforming well in the eyesof the organisation but ispersonally gaining littlefrom the experience. Theywill perform well only inthe short term, and arelikely to suffer stress anddissatisfaction, and willprobably leave or worsestill, become unwell.

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POSITION THREE: A person inthis position is attaining all theywant in life through theorganisation. The organisation onthe other hand does not considerthey are contributing enough.

This person may require feedback,coaching developing, training oreven repositioning. However, thereis another possibility. The personmay be on the right track, yet theorganisation doesn't see it! In otherwords, the person may be "ahead oftheir time" and worth listening to.

Copyright 2002 - Paul Chippendwww.minessence.net – sh

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POSITION FOUR: This is the ideal situation. When there is a match between an individual’skey values and those of the organisation, this individual is perceived to be contributing and isalso personally attaining their desires, wants and preferences. This is the condition in whichoptimum fulfilment is achievable, and in most cases results in high productivity andprofitability.

ale – [email protected]


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Values AlignmentValues AlignmentValues AlignmentValues Alignment

The process of aligning your values with the organisation, and visa versa, is calledvalues alignment. This process was not necessary in organisations 50 years or moreago, because then, people were expected to be a good ‘corporate citizens’ and becommitted to the organisation. This all began to change in the 1960s as people movedprogressively away from commitment to negotiation:

The world of the good corporate citizen is one of reciprocal rights andobligations between the individual and the organisation. These come fromcommitment—an identification with the organisation. When the young workerjoined the organisation in the 1960s it was with every expectation that theywould develop a lifelong career within it. The organisation, in turn, wascommitted to nurturing and mentoring the career of the individual.

The relationship between the collaborative individual and the networkorganisation, in contrast, is negotiative and contractual. The individualmoves between systems and organisations, developing their asset-base ofskills and abilities and using these to contract into each organisation. Theyare value driven, and are keenly committed to the values and mission ofthe organisation. But they are decidedly not committed to the organisationas an end in itself or to blind loyalty to its commands. The organisationbecomes not the end, but the means—the means to fulfilling the individual’sown objectives and the agreed mission. [emphasis added] (Limerick &Cunnington 1993)

The Values Alignment Process

We recommend the introduction of a chaordic cycle in organisations as the means ofengaging the values alignment process. This is not a ‘one off’ exercise, rather, as thename implies, it is a cycle through which the organisation continually moves – inessence, the organisation is transformed into a values-driven learning organisation.The chaordic cycle consisting of six elements:


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– Purpose. Define with absolute clarity, common understanding, and deepconviction, the collective purpose. This entails undertaking personal andcorporate values inventories and defining a purpose that is congruent with thevalues.

– Principles. Define, with the same clarity, a body of principles against which allstructure, decisions, and conduct will be judged. Principles are the fundamentalconstraints that guide. This is achieved through exploring the personal constructspeople have relating to the organisation’s defined core values. [Two or morepeople may share the same values, however, within an organisation, it isimportant that all agree on how these values should be lived.]

– Concept Organisation. Create a conceptual model of the ideal organisation thatis in accordance with its principles, and is just, equitable, and effective withrespect to all discussions, decisions and acts in pursuit of the negotiated collectivepurpose.

– Structure. Regenerate the organisation’s structure such that it iscompatible/congruent with the purpose, principles, and the concept organisation.

– People. Ensure recruitment processes are congruent with the organisation’svalues and principles - we cannot change people’s values, we can only influencehow they live their values – so it’s vitally important that people with valuescongruent to those of the concept organisation are recruited in the first place.[Compatibility with the values of the concept organisation is important becausethat is what the current organisation aspires to be.]

– Practice. Define/refine and monitor the practices followed within theorganisation to ensure their alignment.

References & Suggested ReadingCarlopio, J., Andrewartha, G. & Armstrong, H. 2001, Developing ManagerSkills: A comprehensive guide for leaders, Prentice Hall, Frenchs Forest,NSW.

Chippendale, P. 2002, Values of the Australian Workforce,http://www.minessence.net/html/oz_wk_val_shift.htm, accessed 11 May 2002.

Clanon, J. 1999, ‘Organizational transformation from the inside out:reinventing the MIT Center for Organizational Learning’, The LearningOrganization, Vol 6, No. 4, pp. 147-162.

Colins C. & Chippendale, P. 1995, New Wisdom II: Values-basedDevelopment, Acorn Publications, Brisbane.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. 1998, Flow: The Psychology of Happiness, Rider,London.


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Fritz, R. 1999, The Path of Least Resistance for Managers: Designingorganisations to succeed, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco.

Labovitz, G. & Rosansky, V. 1997, The Power of Alignment: How greatcompanies stay centred and accomplish extraordinary things, John Wiley &Sons, Inc., New York.

Limerick, D. & Cunnington, B. 1993, Managing the New Organisation,Business & Professional Publishing, Chatswood. For a description ofcollaborative individualism, access: http://www.minessence.net/pdfdocs/CollaborativeIndividualism.PDF

Kelly, S. & Allison, M. A. 1999, The Complexity Advantage: How the scienceof complexity can help achieve peak performance, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Nader, J. 1999, How to Lose friends & Infuriate People: A Controversial Bookfor Thinkers, Plutonium, Pyrmont, NSW.

Parry, K. 1999, Transformational Leadership: Developing an EnterprisingManagement Culture, Business & Professional Publishing, Warriewood.

Scott, T. & Harker, P. 2002, The Myth of Nine to Five: Work and workplacerelationships, Richmond Ventures, North Sydney.

Senge, P. 1994, The Fifth Discipline: The art & practice of the learningorganisation, Random House Australia, Milsons Point.

Shockley-Zalabak, P. 1999, Fundamentals of Organizational Communication:Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values, Longman, Sydney.

Wheatley, M. 1992, Leadership and the New Science: Learning aboutOrganization from an Orderly Universe, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, SanFrancisco.

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgmentsAcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

� The True/Magnetic North concepts and diagrams are from: Henderson, M. 2000,True North Values Workshop, Minessence Group, Auckland, pp. 13-15.

� The Focus, Will and Capability model was adapted, by Paul Chippendale,from: Tosey, P. & Smith, P. 1999, ‘Assessing the learning organization: part 2– exploring practical assessment processes’, The Learning Organization: AnInternational Journal, Vol 6, No 3, pp.107-115.


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GlossaryGlossaryGlossaryGlossary

Behaviour. Deportment, manners; way of conducting oneself; moral conduct,treatment shown towards others; way in which ship, machine, substance, etc., acts orworks; (Psych.) response to stimulus.

Belief. Trust or confidence in; acceptance of any received theology; acceptance (ofthing, fact, statement, etc.) as true or existing.

Leadership. The art of influencing people to move from where they now tosomewhere else. Leadership style (dictatorial, bureaucratic, democratic, collaborative,etc.) describes the type of influence (controlling, supportive, appreciative) applied.Leadership type (transactional, visionary, transformational) describes the nature ofthe move (physical, cognitive, conceptual, behavioural, skill, etc.)

Skill. Expertness, practised ability, facility in an action or in doing or to dosomething; dexterity, tact.

Trait. Distinguishing feature in character, appearance, habit, or portrayal.

Values. One’s judgement of what is valuable or important in life.

Uses of the AVIUses of the AVIUses of the AVIUses of the AVI

� Personal/Life-Style Coaching

� Executive Mentoring

� Leadership Development

� Organisational Cultural Change/Development

� Performance Appraisal

� Monitoring Organisational Cultural Change Progress

� Career Counseling/Guidance

� Strategic Planning

� Futures Studies

� Visioning Exercises

� Mission Statement Development


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Minessence Group - ContactsMinessence Group - ContactsMinessence Group - ContactsMinessence Group - Contacts

Values Technology Development & SupportPaul Chippendale & Gisella DanesiThe Values Education NetworkPO Box 914, SPRING HILL, QLD 4004, AUSTRALIAPhone: 61-(0)7-3831-4530 Fax: 61-(0)7-3831-4532Mobile: 0415-149-644Email: [email protected]: www.minessence.net & shop.minessence.net

Values-Based RecruitmentEllen RichardsIPA Personnel Pty LtdPhone: 61-(0)3-9252-2239Mobile: 61-(0)417-322-230Email: [email protected] WEB: http://www.ipa.com.au

Leadership Development ProgrammesKarynne Courtsenergistics pty ltdPhone: 61-(0)2-9144-4755Mobile: 0414-755-455Email: [email protected]: http://www.energistics.com.au

Peter EganPhone: 61-2-9499-2495Email: [email protected]

Leadership & Professional DevelopmentErzsi Suranyi & Greg O'BrienpaceLEARNINGPhone: 3831-7750 - Fax: 3831-7755Email: [email protected] Box 2095, BRISBANE QLD 4001

AVI-Based Consultancy in New ZealandMichael & Shar Henderson, & Dougal ThompsonValues@Work Pty LtdPhone: 64-(0)9-372-2045 - Fax: 64-(0)9-372-2048Email: [email protected] Box 230 Ostend, Waiheke Island, New Zealand

simply living in a complex world

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