This interdependence is deep and defining of the system’s Essence. Miller and Page (2007, p. 7) put it this way: “We need to find those features of the world where the details do not matter, where large equivalence classes of structure, action, and so on lead to a deep sameness of being.” I would suggest that this search for a “sameness of being” in a system serves the function of moving one from the bewildering challenge of understanding complexity to a clear and useful appreciation for the way in which complexity leads to self-organization. In such a system, we lead by following. We coach rather than control or rescue (Emerald and Lanphear, 2015).
Self-Authoring
The search for “sameness of being” is not easy. As Robert Kegan (1994) suggested prophetically many years ago, we are often “over our heads” when it comes to addressing the complexity of contemporary life. We try to address the complexity by engaging in what Kegan calls third order consciousness. The first order is found primarily among children and adolescents –and I would suggest among those living in the wonderland of Serenity. The second order is found among those adults who are trying to cope with the challenges of VUCA-Plus primarily by “hunkering down” and attempting to merely survive. While the third order is more adaptive than second order to ordinary day-to-day life in most mid-21st Century societies, it doesn’t work when it comes to addressing the critical challenges of complexity—as well as the other five conditions of VUCA-Plus.
A fourth order of consciousness enables one to construct one’s own version of reality (self-authoring) within the context of one’s relationship with other people. While those living in Serentiy live in a distorted world that has been constructed by other people (those in authority or with power), those seeking Essence find a way to “self-organize” their way of being in the world that is free of external, hierarchical constraints. Fourth order consciousness, according to Kegan (1994, p. 96) “amounts to the continuous creating and recreating of roles rather than just the faithful adherence to the demands within them.”
Those who embrace a fourth order consciousness take full responsibility for their construction and recognize that other constructions are equally valid. Borrowing from the typology used by William Perry (1970), these folks recognize the relativism of all versions of reality yet find that they can (and must) commit to one construction of this reality. They find the Essence of reality for themselves and allow this Essence to guide their actions in a dynamic, polystatic-based manner.
It should be noted that Kegan introduces a fifth order of consciousness which he suggests is rarely attained. This order involves the recognition of broader patterns and interconnections among people and systems (the approach to Essence found in our analysis of the move from Volatility to Patterns). It should also be noted that Kegan (1994, pp. 100-101) does not envision people living all of the time in fourth order (let alone fifth order) consciousness. He uses the analogy of learning to drive a car using a stick-shift versus learning to only drive a car with automatic transmission.
Some people can move easily between stick-shift and automatic transmission cars. Others are constrained by their failure to learn how to shift gears themselves. Similarly, those who can engage in fourth (or fifth) order consciousness can shift back to third order when living their daily life. Those that are “stuck” in third order will find themselves “over their head” when confronted with VUCA-Plus issues. The rabbit hole with its entrance to a wonderland of Serenity may be tempting for those who are unable (or unwilling) to engage fourth order consciousness that is relational and self-authoring.
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