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authenticity
September 2009 
Core Practice
Posted on Jan 5th, 2007
by 
Peter
Peter
Another element of my conversation with Tim included this precious insight.
I have been sitting for a while with a dissatisfaction around a description of Product and Process as separate things - or content/what and process/how as different.
In the conversation it became clear that this came from our experience that actually the new ways in which people and organisations begin to do things also become the new products that they offer the world. That in fact their own internal Practice becomes their Practice in the world.
A few examples:
- The (re)evolution youth group lived through a transformation process, started doing and being differently and that is what they are now taking into their local community
- An IBM business unit transformed its cultural and leadership resilience and they are now integrating that into a product for clients
- An intentional community is making the shift from a more inwardly-focused spiritual community to becoming an example for how intentional communities can contribute to solving some of the core problems we are facing in the world. The process they are going through and the new practice they are moving into will become part of their core offering to the world
They have all developed a Core Practice which is at the same time process and content/product. This makes it fully authentic and powerfully attractive to others. And as a Practice it never stops nor is finalised. It is a continual evolutionary journey for ourselves and for those around us.
I have been sitting for a while with a dissatisfaction around a description of Product and Process as separate things - or content/what and process/how as different.
In the conversation it became clear that this came from our experience that actually the new ways in which people and organisations begin to do things also become the new products that they offer the world. That in fact their own internal Practice becomes their Practice in the world.
A few examples:
- The (re)evolution youth group lived through a transformation process, started doing and being differently and that is what they are now taking into their local community
- An IBM business unit transformed its cultural and leadership resilience and they are now integrating that into a product for clients
- An intentional community is making the shift from a more inwardly-focused spiritual community to becoming an example for how intentional communities can contribute to solving some of the core problems we are facing in the world. The process they are going through and the new practice they are moving into will become part of their core offering to the world
They have all developed a Core Practice which is at the same time process and content/product. This makes it fully authentic and powerfully attractive to others. And as a Practice it never stops nor is finalised. It is a continual evolutionary journey for ourselves and for those around us.
Access: Public
Hey Peter,
I like this way of figuring it very much. Can I contribute some threads from my own perspective?
First, I wonder if you're familiar with the rising field of “Service Design”, which seems to be concerned with looking at the interaction between a customer and an provider as a service whether or not there are objects or products involved and then designing that interaction.
Second, I have taken to observing that the 20th Century has seen the rise of various “recording industries” and a focus on “content” - this whole system seems to be on the wane or to have become problematic. Before the 20th Century, much of our creative endeavour was performed in-person rather than recorded. I wonder if the problems with intellectual “piracy” and the opportunities of open source production and teleworking signal a return to embodied performance as the primary mode of creative production?
Third, I've been pondering a similar dual split between structure and process and I've noted that one way of seeing it might be that a structure is a process that you're failing to pay attention to. Things seem structural when you don't perceive time well or you're just not looking. When you looking or attend, you notice the process-aspect. This seems to resonate with the dual of Shiva-Shakti, taking Shakti to mean “attention” as much as “energy”.
Possibly a series of crazy thoughts, but they came to me as I read your post, so I thought they might amuse you a little.
Peace,
Tim
Happy new year, dear ones!
Peter, I have already linked to this post at another location - a very small gated community with a total of nine members as we speak… what brought us together was a tendency to be focused on large-scale organisational change and a shared passion for the evolution of consciousness.
After a weekend of exloring what might be our work together, we were left with the inescapable conclusion that our work together is our practice, and our core product that we would offer to the outside world is probably to invite leaders to share in the process of our practice. The field created by a community of intention is a bit like group satsang, when someone new is invited in, there is a strong transition that helps them tune into their own clarity of intention.
It might sound a bit esoteric, but it's just to echo your findings.
Keep up the good work, Peter and Tim and Tim… 2007 is going to rock!
Hey there. =) A member just emailed support, and told me that second link was not working. It is because there is no “http://” before the rest of the address. Here is the link in case anyone else is wondering:
http://www.venwoude.nl/
=)