Theory U:

Leading Profound Innovation and

Change
Authentic Leadership in Action Conference
May 5-7, 2008, Trent University, Ontario
C. Otto Scharmer
Arawana Hayashi
MIT
Presencing Institute
www.presencing.com

The Blind Spot of Leadership

Results:
What

Completed
Painting

Process:
How

Process of
Painting

Source:
Who
Blind Spot: Inner place
from that we operate

Blank
Canvas
2007 C.O. Scharmer

The Blind Spot of Leadership

The success of an intervention

depends on the interior condition
of the intervenor.
William OBrien, former CEO of
the Hanover Insurance Company

Four Levels of Responding to Change

manifest
action

1.
Reacting: quick fixes

process,
structure

2.
Redesigning: policies

thinking

Source of energy,
inspiration
and will

3.
Reframing: values, believes
4.
Regenerating: sources of
commitment and energy
2007 C.O. Scharmer

Two Sources of Learning, Two Learning Cycles

A.

Learning by reflecting on the experiences of the past

act - observe - reflect - plan - act

B.

Learning from the future as it emerges (presencing)

2005 C.O. Scharmer

2007 C.O. Scharmer

The U Process of Presencing in A Nutshell

Downloading

Observe,
observe,
observe

Act in an
instant

Retreat and reflect:

Allow the inner
knowing to emerge

Downloading
past patterns
suspending
1. Stopping:
Stop downloading
and attend
redirecting
2. Sensing:
Connect with diverse people
and places and sense the
situation from the whole
Letting go

reacting

Open
Mind
Open
Heart
Open
Will

6. Performing
by acting from the whole

5. Prototyping:
Explore the future by doing
(integrating head, heart, hand)

4. Crystallizing:
Connect with inner knowing
and crystallize intention

3. Presencing:
Access your source of stillness and
allow the inner knowing to emerge
Who is my Self?
What is my Work?

2007 C.O. Scharmer

II.
Four Types of Listening and Dialogue

LISTENING 1: Downloading
habits of judgment
from habits
LISTENING 2: factual listening,
from outside noticing differences

LISTENING 3:
from within

LISTENING 4:
from Source

empathic
listening

reconfirming old
opinions & judgments

Open
Mind
Open
Heart

Open
generative listening Will
(from the future
wanting to emerge)

disconfirming
[new] data
emotional connection,
seeing through
another persons eyes
emerging future whole;
shift in identity:
authentic Self

2007 C.O. Scharmer

FieldStructure
Of Attention

I-in-me

I-in-it

I-in-you

Field
1
Downloading:
Talking nice
2
Debate:
Talking tough
3
Dialogue:
Reflective inquiry
4
Presencing:
Generative flow

I-in-now

Speaking from what they want to hear

Polite routines, empty phrases
Autistic system (not saying what you think)
Speaking from what I think
Divergent views: I am my point of view
Adaptive system (say what you think)

Speaking from seeing myself as part of the whole

From defending to inquiry into viewpoints
Self-reflective system (reflect on your part)

Speaking from what is moving through

Stilness, collective creativity, flow
Generative system (identity shift: authentic self)
2007 C.O. Scharmer

III.
The U-Process of Presencing

U-PROCESS: 1 PROCESS, 5 STAGES

1. Co-initiating:
uncover common intent

p and listen to others and to

what life calls you to do

2. Co-sensing:

observe, observe, observe

connect with divers people and places
to sense the system from the whole

5. Co-evolving:
embody the new in ecosystems
that facilitate acting from the whole

4. Co-creating:

prototype the new

in living examples to explore
the future by doing

3. Presencing:
connect to the source of inspiration and will
go to the place of silence and allow
the inner knowing to emerge

2007 C.O. Scharmer

Field Structure Individual:

Of Attention
Perception
Downloading:

I-in-me

perception
from outside

Sensing:
I-in-thou

Organization: System:

Conversation

Structure

Talking nice:

Habitual reactions Politeness

rule-reenacting

Seeing:
I-in-it

Group:

perception
from within

Presencing:
perception from
Source

Talking
tough:

Debate
rule-revealing

Dialogue
inquiry

rule-reflecting
Presencing:

Collective creativity,
flow
rule-generating

Centralized:
Machine
bureaucracy

Coordination

Hierarchy:
Central plan

Decentralized: Market:
divisionalized

competition

Networked
relational

Dialogue:

Ecosystem
Ba

(mutual
adjustment)

Collective
Presence:

Seeing from
the emerging
Whole

I-in-now
2007 C.O. Scharmer

Twelve Principles of Dialogue Interviews

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Preparation:usewww;dobackgroundreading;developaquestionnaire;scheduletheinterview
Intention:themostimportanthouristhehourbeforetheinterview(Jaworski);developasenseofprofound
opennessandanintentionofserving
Initialcontact:createtransparencyandtrustaboutthepurposeandtheprocessoftheinterview;establishadirecteye
toeye(hearttoheart)connectionearlyon
VOJ:suspendyourVOJ(voiceofjudgment)anddevelopasenseofwonder
Accessyourignorance:payattentiontoandtrustthequestionsthatoccurtoyou;dontbeafraidtoasksimpleor
stupidquestions(Schein)
Accessyourlisteningfromtheheart:putyourselfinyourintervieweesshoesandthoroughlyappreciate/enjoy/love
thestoryyouhearunfolding
Accessyourgenerativelistening:listenforyourintervieweeshighestselfhisorherhighestfuturepossibilitytryto
listenfromthefuturepossibilitythatiswantingtoemerge
Gowiththeflow:letgoofoldideasandconcepts(Schein)
Questions:focusfirstonWhat,notonWhyoronconfrontationalquestions;youwanttogetintoaflow,notintoa
debate(Schein)
Generativesilence:thismaybethemostimportant(andleastvisible)interventionyoucanperform:whileyouremain
silentyouslowdowntheintervieweeandhelphertoaccessthedeeperaspectsofherstory,herwork,andherlife;
generativesilencerequirestheinterviewersutmostlevelofattention,openpresence,andintention
Journeyquestion:ifappropriate,reconnecttheintervieweesbiography(forexample,whyheorshepursuedacertain
professionorembarkedonaparticularjourney)withwhatthatpersonnowsenseswantstounfoldinherlifeorina
socialcontextaroundher.
Postinterview:debriefandcrystallizerightaway;captureobservationsandinsightsinyourjournal;donteven
makephonecallsorhaveshortconversationsbetweentheinterviewandrecordingyourthoughtsandimpressions;usea
structureddebriefingprocess.

2004 C.O. Scharmer

Knowing Self and World

Man knows himself only to the extent that he
knows the world; he becomes aware of himself
only within the world, and aware of the world only
within himself. Every object, well contemplated,
opens up a new organ within us.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Literature:
Scharmer, C. O. (2007).
Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges Cambridge,
MA: SoL Press.
Scharmer, C.O. 2001. Self-transcending knowledge: Sensing and
Organizing Around Emerging Opportunities. In: Journal of
Knowledge Management, Vol. 5, no. 2: 137150.
Senge, P., C. O. Scharmer, J. Jaworski, and B. S. Flowers. (2004).
Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future,
Cambridge, MA: SoL Press.
www.presencing.com, www.ottoscharmer.com