The sea anchor provides flexible anchorage in the midst of shifts in tidal action and wind. This anchor is found among those practitioners in Vandehei’s elite power-consumers and financier shards. Those intentions in an organization that operate like sea anchors. It similarly provides alignment and direction for an organization or community as it shifts gradually with changes in the environment surrounding the presentation of a specific issue. Contingency is at the forefront—as power-consumers and financiers both know. The polarity is addressed by acknowledging benefits inherent in both the ground (commitment) and sea (contingency) anchor. The characters of Oz could have benefit from both a ground and sea anchor in their 21st Century life. They might have been more in need of gentle guidance provided by Glenda (the good witch) in Oz rather than the treatments offered by Feldenkrais or Reich.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty refers to the lack of predictability, the increasing prospects for surprising, “disruptive” changes that often overwhelm our awareness, understanding and ability to cope with events. There certainly were surprises awaiting Wilhelm Reich when the FBI arrested him and when his machines and books were destroyed. Uncertainly also abounded in the life of the Tin Man. He returned to his recliner chair precisely because he did not anticipate the rejections he faced in the world outside of his apartment. The life of Dorothy had also become saturated with surprise and uncertainty. In her case (as in many others in real life) the uncertainty had much to do with her own ill-considered actions and with the unanticipated outcomes that resulted from these actions.
As in the case of volatility, we can envision a graph with two perspectives regarding uncertainty. In this case, the Left Column perspective on Uncertainty would center on the Assimilation of changes into existing framework. This perspective concerns making sense of and finding meaning in what is occurring in the present reality. By contrast, a Right Column perspective on Uncertainty would center on Accommodation to changes by adjusting or reworking existing framework. This perspective concerns learning from and adapting to what is occurring in the present reality.
The appropriate management of this polarity would involve the creation and maintenance of a learning organization (Argyris and Schön, 1978). Emphasis is placed in such an organization (or community) on the learning that takes place after either a success or failure in addressing issues associated with uncertain conditions. The polarity is addressed by recognizing that learning always involves structures and concepts that already exist (assimilation). We don’t learn if the incoming experience is totally alien to us. We can feel comfortable with this side of the uncertainty polarity. Residing in one of Vandehei’s 12 shards, we can easily embrace assimilation because the structures and concept are already available within our shard for the process of assimilation to occur.
However, as we bring in and incorporate new information, the existing structures and concepts must change (accommodation). New experiences simply bounce off us (they are dismissed) if we are unwilling to accommodate. A joint assimilation/accommodation process is required. Unfortunately, none of Vandehei’s 12 shards fit well with this process of accommodation–leading Vandehei to share his concern about the splintering of contemporary versions of reality. Each of the shards yields a highly selective entrance of information. This is information that fits well with current assumptions, biases and values associated with this shard. Not much learning occurs.
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