Home Concepts Adult Development Generativity Two: Expanding Perspective and Actions about Deep Care

Generativity Two: Expanding Perspective and Actions about Deep Care

8 min read
0
0
50

All of this suggests that the ingredients which are to be found in the creation and maintenance of an organization’s generative cycle parallel and overlap with the ingredients needed for success in Generativity Two. That is, creativity and innovation exist side-by-side with Eriksonian generativity. Or as Everett Rogers once observed, the process of innovation diffusion starts with creativity and innovation and then disperses to various constituencies in an organization. This diffusion requires analytic skills, relationship skills, and an entrepreneurial instinct —as we will see later in this chapter.

Generativity as Source of Energy

The second use of the term “generativity” is an off-shoot of the more commonly used word, “generator” – a device that produces energy by converting it from one form (such as natural gas, propane or water) to another form (often electricity). Used in this way, “generative” refers to the capacity of any device to perform this function and is directly aligned with Eriksonian generativity. Just as a generative leader can produce, enhance or at least encourage creativity and innovation, so the generative leader can transform organizational energy from conception to action and from dream to reality. This transformation is more likely to occur because the generative leader is interested in the welfare and advancement of other people and the long-term welfare of the organization. There is an additional point to be made about energy and generativity. The legacy that a generative leader wishes to leave behind is based on the capacity of the organization to sustain its energy long after the leader has left the organization. This is the essence of Generativity Two: leaving a legacy of energy-conversion based in commitment, encouragement, and vision (and not just the legacy of a specific product or procedure).

Generativity as a Foundational Process

The third use of the term “generativity” ties in many ways to both the first and second uses, though it comes from a different region of contemporary thought. This use is esoteric and a bit hard to exemplify. It has to do with the formation of a specific foundation for some powerful ongoing process. We see this third use of the term in the phrase, “generative grammar.” This refers to the deeply embedded rules that govern our use of language—the foundation for our capacity to speak, write, hear and read a set of words that immediately make sense to our self and other people.

Pages 1 2 3 4
Download Article 1K Club
Load More Related Articles
Load More By William Bergquist
Load More In Adult Development

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Generativity and the Deep Caring of Professional Coaching

The state of Generativity is important for coaching clients to appreciate and set forth as…