Theory U (Large Print 16pt) by C.Otto Scharmer

by C. Otto Scharmer

In this ground-breaking book, Otto Scharmer invites us to see the world in new ways. Fundamental problems, as Einstein once noted, cannot be solved at the same level of thought that created them. What we pay attention to, and how we pay attention - both individually and collectively - is key to what we create. What often prevents us from attending is what Scharmer calls our blind spot, the inner place from which each of us operates. Learning to become aware of our blind spot is critical to bringing forth the profound systemic changes so needed in business and society today. First introduced in Presence, the U methodology of leading profound change is expanded and deepened in Theory U. By moving through the "U" process we learn to connect to our essential Self in the realm of presencing - a term coined by Scharmer that combines the present with sensing. Here we are able to see our own blind spot and pay attention in a way that allows us to experience the opening of our minds, our hearts, and our wills. This wholistic opening constitutes a shift in awareness that allows us to learn from the future as it emerges, and to realize that future in the world. Theory U explores a new territory of scientific research and personal leadership, one that is grounded in real life experience and shared practices. Scharmer shares much from his own personal and professional development, and draws from a rich diversity of compelling stories and examples. Readers will find themselves drawn to new ways of thinking and acting as they read, completing a parallel journey of exploration and discovery. The final chapters lay out principles and practices that allow everyone to participate fully in co-creating and bringing forth the desired future that is working to emerge through us.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Psychology, Management, Philosophy, Self Help

Paperback

First published May 2, 2007

About the author

Dr. C. Otto Scharmer is a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and founding chair of the Presencing Institute. Otto introduced the concept of “presencing”—learning from the emerging future—in his bestselling books Theory U and Presence (the latter co-authored with Peter Senge et al.). In 2015 he co-founded the online MITx u.lab, which has since activated a global eco-system of societal and personal renewal involving more than 100,000 participants from 185 countries. Otto received the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching at MIT (2015) and the Leonardo European Corporate Learning Award (2016). His new book, The Essentials of Theory U (March 2018), focuses on the core principles and practical applications of awareness-based systems change in the context of reinventing our economies, democracies, and educational systems.

For more information visit www.ottoscharmer.com.

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

After so many people have mentioned this book, I felt obligued to read it too.

Otto Scharmer tries to introduce a "new" way to think about personal development and leadership. He goes through great lenghts to describe his framework and taxonomy of being, perceiving, thinking, ... and here starts my problem with it: He doesn't connect his thoughts other those of others. Instead of joining the discourse on similar topics (Mindfulness as the most obvious one), he stays within his own thought building and language - in a sense contradicting his own school while doing so.

I don't disagree with too much what he says in general (which is difficult anyway as much is left vaguely and almost esoteric), but most of what you can find here has been said elsewhere, in a better, more integrative way.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yikes! I'm 3/4s through this book, which began changing my view of my work, my world and my sense of agency in all I do in its very first pages, and it hasn't let up yet. I'll be processing this through active learning for years to come! It's incredibly elegant and essentially simple at the same time Scharmer's synthesis of years of organizational leadership research and experience is both complex and profound.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! If you want to learn about change, and the whole idea of listening to your inner voice, then this is the book for you. It's meaty, and not a quick read....not for the faint of heart. But, it's good stuff if you're looking to make the world a better place.

[Oskars Kaulēns · Rating 4 out of 5]

pagalam interesantas izvērtās manas attiecības ar šo grāmatu. no absolūtas piekrišanas, līdz garām skanošam fona troksnim. taču vairākas atziņas ir pārdomu vērtas, jo pilnībā tām piekrītu. piemēram, secinājums, liela daļa pārmaiņu ideju organizācijās neizdodas realizēt tikai tāpēc, ka mēs cenšamies tās īstenot ar pagātnē pieredzētiem, iepriekš pārbaudītiem modeļiem, nevis mēģinām iztēloties kaut ko tādu, kas vēl "tikai nāk" un nav jau iesakņots mūsu iepriekšējās mācīšanās pieredzē. tāpat arī ideja, ka mums ir jāmācās nevis no savas pieredzes, bet tās, kādas mums vēl nav, jo tas ļauj brīvāk riskēt, inovēt un izaicināt mūsu iepriekšējos priekšstatus par lietu patieso kārtību.

[Kálmán Kéménczy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can say? It was hard to read and I have to confess I skipped few parts for that reason. I wanted to love it so bad but I failed. I feel we can easily transform the entire book into a 3-apges hbr article.

I do understand the journey and the train-of-thought are important, but still 500+ pages is much more than it should be. Probably you ask what is the message of the book and I can spoiler it in one sentence: your past experiences are not enough anymore to make decisions so understand your blindspots and collect those experience from others, listen to them and build your solution from it. This is the U process.

ok probably I oversimplified but I felt everything was built around it. and We should not forget: this book is 8 years old and probably it could gave me much more to me 8 years ago.

Worth to mention: in the book you can find great techniques and examples.

[Kristaps Auzāns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Šī man bija pārāk liela ezotērikas deva. Lai gan grāmatā ir vairākas feinas idejas, sulīgi citāti, trūkumu ir pārāk daudz.

Sākot no grafikiem, kas ir nepareizi un neloģiski sastādīti, šķiet, ka tie vienkārši izveidoti kā labs mārketinga rīks un beidzot ar frāzēm, ka jājūt ar sirdi.

Lai gan grāmata izraisīja daudz un jēgpilnas diskusijas, nevaru to rekomendēt nevienam lasīt solo.

[Rick te Molder · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been so much shorter. Even if I listened to the 7 hour ‘abridged version’. God only knows how long an unabridged version would take, as it doesn’t exist, at least not on Audible.

The man’s got a few good points, so what’s my problem? He fell in love with his own model - the ‘U’, in which you let go of a lot of stuff before you go up embracing the future. Whenever he tells a story, he keeps pulling you out of the juicy details to refer to it.

He goes: we take a U and then we squeeze all the beautiful things we see around us into this boring shape, until nothing is left of it. After the twentieth time this starts to bore the sh*t out of me. Because he repeats a lot. Did I tell you he repeats a lot? He does. Repeating. A lot.

The second problem is that he keeps posing theorems without even trying to make them plausible, let alone prove them. And I am not a science guy, at all. I like philosophy and all kinds of humanities. And fiction. But these are far reaching conclusions about the state of the planet and where we are headed unless we all use a U-based approach. I don’t buy that unless you make an effort to sell it to me.

So, unfortunately, this was not for me. Everyone else is enthusiastic, so do give it a try. I’d suggest you buy the ebook or paper book, so you can more easily navigate, skip stuff and reread the little diamonds that are hidden in this lengthy volume. Good luck!

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scharmer puts together years of research, interviews and collective dialogue regarding how to bring about profound and lasting change in organizations and society. Book presents what could be the paradigm for leadership in the next 25 years. Detailed in theory and practical insights.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detta är en fantastisk bok för personer som bara vill läsa en bok om kognition, mytologi, organisation och etik. Därför förstår jag varför den har gjort sådan succé bland proffstyckare. Det finns dessutom faktiskt nyttiga guldkorn i den, även om de är nedsänkta i så mycket illa genomtänkt sammanblandning mellan orsak och verkan att de riskerar att bytas i sin motats av slarviga läsare. Vilket vi faktiskt ser.

Bokens huvudidéer, om vi skalar bort försöken att hitta tillbaka till genuin spiritualitet, vilka präglar texten genomgående, är att det mänskliga sinnet bättre upptäcker lösningar, när vi ser på världen utan att ha förutfattade meningar, och att vi kan skapa möjligheter för grupper att göra detta om vi hjälper dem att inte vara rädda för att vara ärliga. Därtill beskrivs historier och meditationstekniker för att underlätta detta - de flesta av dem är attribuerade till olika filosofer och religiösa ledare; de andra är från liknande källor, fast kanske inte medvetet så. Det mesta av det som skrivs är de rigeur om vi går till renässansen; hela processen kan uppnås genom Teresa Avilas övningar, liksom genom Bruno, liksom genom Eckhart (som är den enda av dessa tre som citeras).

Utanpå detta kladdar författaren sina egna ovidkommande åsikter om allt ifrån kärnkraft till antroposofism och politik i USA. Detta är intellektuellt ohederligt, i så måtto att han därigenom knyter de tekniker han presenterar till ett åsiktspaket, och därmed omöjliggör en faktisk diskusssion om dem. Det kallas tvetydighet på filosofispråk, och är en typisk sofism. Om vi låtsas att detta är okunskap i motsats till medveten agendavridning (vilket ju är teoretikt möjligt), skapar det en oroande bild av författarens förmåga till urskiljning. Liksom i Göthe, som parafraseras genom hela boken, blir risken att man försöker göra sig till målaren och uttolkaren av livet, och därmed ställer sig i Guds ställe. Om man som Göthe, och som författaren, strävar efter att befria mänskligheten från strikta ideologiska skygglappar, är detta inte en åtråvärd position. Denna oförmåga att låta diskussionen leva på egna meriter förgiftar i mitt tycke verket, vilket är synd, för själva verktygen som presenteras (1/20 sidor ungefär) är faktiskt verkligt användbara.

Det för oss till sammanfattningen. Även om mitt inledande påstående kan förefalla spetsigt, menar jag det precis som jag skrev det. Är det så att man bara vill läsa en bok för att orientera sig i hela detta fält, är Scharmers utmärkt. Även om jag inte kan göra annat än att se honom som en intellektuell Sol-och-vårare så är han otvivelaktigt just en intellektuell sådan, och har man inte tid med mer, så är den snabbmatsversion av renässansfilosofi som han presenterar faktiskt riktigt användbar; om man har mage nog att hantera hans ...utfyllnadsmassor.

Jag kan inte i ärlighetens namn rekommendera denna för någon som inte står inför en sådan nöd.

Sammanfattningarna som ges är bra som litteraturlista, men alldeles för ofta väljer författaren att introducera dem, och lämna läsaren att dra slutsatser som de som inte har läst det han hänvisar till inte är förmögna att dra, utan att sugas in i en sådan känsla av vördnad, att resten av texten blir oanvändbar som annat än helig skrift. Och det sista en slumrande intellektuell grupp behöver, är en text vars metod uppmanar till fanatism.

[Eugene Pustoshkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otto Scharmer’s Theory U is an excellent book. It is a thorough exploration of the U process, which is a phenomenological practice that can be used by both individuals and collectives. This methodology pays attention to intentionality and states of awareness. These states of awareness and presence states are shared communally, and basically this work legitimizes an understanding of phenomenologically felt collective fields, bringing this paradigm into the organizational discourse.

The U process is designed to breakfree from circularly repeating of past patterns and breakthrough into novelty, accessing in the now the future that is about to emerge. As such, it is a truly evolutionary practice, and I see that in its own way Theory U captures something universal (something commonly existent across various disciplines of human activity). This very pattern that works in the U process during organizational meetings and communal works seems to reappear over and over in various other contexts: psychotherapy, meditation practice, science and technological innovation, creativity and arts and philosophy.

What Scharmer describes is connected in so many ways to what many other thinkers, scholars-practitioners, and investigators describe in their work. Scharmer himself points out how his understanding is connected (and shaped by) the thinking and practices of Francisco Varela, Rudolf Steiner, Ken Wilber, contemplative and phenomenological and philosophical schools. It’s a kind of voyage, a journey of letting go and letting come, of suspension and enacting, a process of creativity.

The U process involves the process of returning to the source of attention, awareness, consciousness per se, practiced by an individual or a group. When one’s awareness turns from downloading past patterns towards suspending judgment, feeling into what’s present in the field, then letting go of clinging to previous images and ways of thinking and doing, in that moment at some point stillness emerges. This is an interior place or space of profound wholeness and clarity, often thunderous silence.

This is the bottom of the U process, and Scharmer calls it presencing. (The term presencing combines in itself the words presence and sensing.) The ability to steadily burn in that stillness, voidness, to rest in presencing allows new visions, energies, and fields to emerge in individual and collective awareness. Something new, novel starts to emerge here, and you let it come, crystallize as a vision and intention, and turn to enacting that visionary intention in a quick prototype designed to gather feedback from all the key stakeholders. Then the next step is to start embodying this vision, individually and collectively, in initiatives that are intrinsically connected to a sort of integral vision of wholeness.

Scharmer and his colleagues found out that following this process provides a means to cease repeating old habitual patterns of communication and working together and free space for novelty to emerge. By presencing you can alight with your deeper intention and possibly with what Ken Wilber and others may call an evolutionary impulse. Furthermore, deliberate presencing allows awareness-based activities; by following this process what you do becomes saturated with consciousness.

As Ken Wilber pointed out in a dialogue with Otto Scharmer, the U process formulation essentially recaptures the natural movement of consciousness from gross states and their object identifications through subtle states and their objects into a causal state, state of profound letting go and pure presence. In Theory U Scharmer doesn’t write much about another side of the street, that of structures of consciousness, otherwise known as stages of maturity. But, of course, his own articulation of the U process is worldcentric, it aspires for a whole-planet vision, and it is postconventional.

Still, it would benefit from a refined understanding and exploration of how the U process can be enacted and envisioned by individuals and groups representing various stages of consciousness development (preconventional, conventional, postconventional, and post-postconventional, or integral).

One more thing that I found to be useful is Scharmer’s differentiation of the four fields of conversations—four distinct ways of intersubjective communication. It seems like stages of conversational maturity. The four fields are:
(1) “downloading” (when people speak what others want to hear and exchange empty phrases, thus enacting a bubble);
(2) “debate” (when people speak up what they thing and often take a confrontational stance—this is actually an evolution in conversation in comparison to the dead downloading phase);
(3) “dialogue” (when individuals see themselves as parts of the whole and speak from that holistic vision; here they switch from defending their point of view into a stance of inquiry into the variety of viewpoints that emerge in the flow of conversation; they’re proactively and benevolently willing to change their own view);
(4) “presencing” (this is not just speaking from the whole, but letting what emerges and is moving through to speak you; this kind of conversation happens in the bottom of the U process and is characterized by generative flow and presence of future potentials trying to manifest).

I find this model of the four ways/modes of conversation to be very useful in daily life (in addition to the four parts of speech model that can be found in Bill Torbert’s Action Inquiry). This framework helps to see when communication gets stuck at one level of conversation and why it might feel not right. It also shows an evolutionary curve, a trajectory of where one can grow in ways of holding conversations with others. Installed as a group practice, this would probably lead to more awareness about our intersubjective practices and how we can make them more meaningful and effective.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't decide if it's brilliant or a naive and rosy convert's take on Buddhism. It's definitely longer and more overwrought than it should be. Look at the illustrations, skim a lot and forget the last few chapters.

[Dimitri Papadopoulos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an overly intellectualized rebranding of buddhist/taoist thought, sloppily applied to leadership theory, that lacks any semblance of true academic rigor.

[Wouter Zwemmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deels oude wijn in nieuwe zakken, deels een beetje ‘beweging / guru’-achtig en deels ook gewoon goed inzicht gecombineerd met gezond verstand.

U
De U van Theory-U is een lineair proces voor fundamentele verandering. Dat is gelijk een onderscheid met het fixen van een probleem wat dit boek reageren noemt. Scharmer verwijst naar twee dominante theorieën over leren: Kolb en Argyris&Schön (single en double loop learning). Theory-U lijkt voor mij het meest op double loop learning maar claimt zelf dat te overstijgen. Oordeel zelf.

Hoofdstappen
De hoofdstappen in de U zijn:
- Downloaden: loslaten van je vooroordelen en beperkende kennis over een onderwerp. Opschorten van mening.
- Met nieuwe ogen zien
- Sensing van het veld
- Presencing: loslaten en in contact met je ‘bron’ (waarden?) oplossingen laten komen.
- Uitkristalliseren van visie en intentie
- Prototyping, belichamen (hoofd, hart, handen)
- Presteren: handelen vanuit het geheel

De grootste bedreigingen voor dit proces: judgement, cynicism en fear.
De grootste enablers: open geest, open hart, open wil.

Vier obstakels voor verandering:
- Niet herkennen wat we zien
- Niet zeggen wat we denken
- Niet doen wat we zeggen
- Niet zien wat we doen

Presencing
Dit begrip staat centraal in Theory-U. Samentrekking van sensing en presence. Betekent het “(…) je verbinden vanuit de Bron van de hoogste toekomstige mogelijkheid om die in het nu te verwezenlijken.” Iets als een zelfgecreëerde self fulfilling prophecy, iets NLP-achtigs, iets met visualiseren, iets met materialiseren. De kern van het begrip is “(…) een emergerend toekomstig geheel - een toekomstige mogelijkheid die herkend en gerealiseerd wil worden.”

De tegenganger van presencing is absencing, arrogantie. De inverse van de U voor positieve verandering is weerstand tegen verandering: niet zien, verschansen, ongevoelig zijn, vastklampen, manipuleren, zelfbedrog, misbruik, aborteren en uitdoven. De tegenhangers van open geest, hart en wil zijn volgens Scharmer:
- gevangen in één waarheid / zienswijze.
- Gevangen in één wereld: wij vs hen.
- Gevangen in één zelf / wil.

In oplopende mate van openheid:
- Downloaden: niet luisteren, projecteren, gewoontepatronen uit het verleden
- Debat: verschillende zienswijzen uitspreken
- Dialoog: meningen delen en naar elkaar luisteren vanuit persoonlijke verbinding
- Presencing: communicatie vanuit een diepere ruimte (‘bron’), authentieke gedachtewisseling met verbinding met de bron.

Bron
Een van de begrippen die echt vaag blijven in dit boek is de fameuze Bron (vaak met hoofdletter geschreven). Dit, plus nog wat vaagheden zoals ‘ruimte’, ‘reis’, ‘sensing’ en het kernbegrip ‘presencing’ maakt dat het boek een zweem van spiritualiteit krijgt, terwijl het academic rigour pretendeert. Degenen die meer van dit soort werk hebben gelezen, komen bekende namen uit hetzelfde schemergebied tussen wetenschap en religie tegen in de tekst, plus bekende namen uit de systeemtheorie: David Bohm, Martin Buber, Fritjof Capra, Manuel Castells, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Mahatma Ganhi, Arie de Geus, Jurgen Habermas, Martin Heidegger, Joseph Jaworski, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Margareth Mead, Friedrich Nietzsche, Rudolf Steiner, Peter Senge, Rupert Sheldrake, Henri David Thoreau, Francisco Varela en zelfs Ken Wilber, nog steeds de kampioen van alle integraal-denkers, wat we ook van zijn motieven en sommige van zijn denkbeelden kunnen denken. Met sommige van deze mensen heb ik meer dan met andere, maar dit lijstje versterkt wel een beetje het gevoel van ‘oude wijn’.

Toepassing
Volgens Scharmer is Theory-U bedoeld voor sociale verandering. Het laatste deel is ook een soort routekaart voor hoe je dat dan moet aanpakken. Zelf zie ik het U-proces veel eerder effectief zijn in individuele verandering.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something felt off with this book, the theory was very abstract and high level and difficult to grasp while the practical examples seemed very basic and plain. I feel that the Theory U framework is "good to know" on principal level but not so applicable in everyday situations. Clearly Peter Senge (the 5th Discipline and foundations of systems thinking) seems to be a big fan of the book and theory. Scharmer is aiming to integrate mindfulness with systems thinking. I also felt similarities with Stephen Covey's 7 habits. Might be that I'm lacking sufficient background in those matters to appreciate this book.

"In most large systems today, we collectively create results that no one wants. What keeps us stuck in such patterns of the past? It's our blind spot, that is, our lack of awareness of the inner place from which our attention and intention originate."
The U process is designed to break free from circularly repeating of past patterns and breakthrough into novelty, accessing in the now the future that is about to emerge.

The U process involves the process of returning to the source of attention, awareness, consciousness per se, practiced by an individual or a group. When one’s awareness turns from downloading past patterns towards suspending judgment, feeling into what’s present in the field, then letting go of clinging to previous images and ways of thinking and doing, in that moment at some point stillness emerges. This is an interior place or space of profound wholeness and clarity, often thunderous silence.

The four fields of conversations:
1) DOWNLOADING - when people speak what others want to hear and exchange empty phrases, thus enacting a bubble.
2) DEBATE - when people speak up what they thing and often take a confrontational stance— actually an evolution in conversation in comparison to the dead downloading phase.
3) DIALOGUE - when individuals see themselves as parts of the whole and speak from that holistic vision; they switch from defending their point of view into a stance of inquiry into the variety of viewpoints that emerge in the flow of conversation; they’re proactively and benevolently willing to change their own view.
4) PRESENCING - not just speaking from the whole, but letting what emerges and is moving through to speak you; this kind of conversation happens in the bottom of the U process and is characterized by generative flow and presence of future potentials trying to manifest.

“Leadership in its essence is the capacity to shift the inner place from which we operate. Once they understand how, leaders can build the capacity of their systems to operate differently and to release themselves from the exterior determination of the outer circle. As long as we are mired in the viewpoint of the outer two circles, we are trapped in a victim mind-set (“the system is doing something to me”). As soon as we shift to the viewpoint of the inner two circles, we see how we can make a difference and how we can shape the future differently. Facilitating the movement from one (victim) mind-set to another (we can shape our future) is what leaders get paid for.”

“I am facilitating the opening process so my team can sense and seize emerging opportunities as they arise from the fast paced business environment we are operating in.” (on Leadership)

“Time and again we try to cope with situations using collective instruments that are out of tune. Rather than stopping to tune them, we increase the pace, hire consultants who want to increase productivity by further reducing the time devoted to tuning and practicing, hire new conductors who promise to conduct even faster, and so forth. But the obvious thing to do—to stop and tune the instruments collectively—doesn’t come easily because it requires a shift of the mind to a deeper level of operating.”

“Most cross-institutional change processes fail because they miss the starting point: co-sensing across boundaries. We need infrastructures to facilitate this process on a sustained level across systems. And because they don’t yet exist, organized interest groups go out and maximize their special interests against the whole, instead of engaging practitioners in the larger system in a process of sensing and innovating together.”

[Raphael Donaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Teoria de U é um convite para compreendermos como as organizações operam, os desafios para conduzir mudanças profundas, a importância de acessarmos novas fontes para criarmos inovações sociais e, trazermos para a consciência o retornar ao passado para ressignificar o presente e construir um novo futuro.

A obra é densa e começou a ser desenvolvida em 1996 por Otto Scharmer no MIT a partir de um conceito denominado presencing (uma mistura de sentir o presente), também conhecido como a habilidade de sentir e trazer ao presente o melhor futuro potencial de alguém.

Os achados do autor conversam com autoras e autores que escrevem sobre: pensamento sistêmico (ex: Peter Senge), aprendizagem organizacional, integralidade, teoria institucional e ecossistemas de inovação.

Os principais aprendizados que extrai do livro são:
- Organizações são plataformas de aprendizagem.
- Interagimos com diversos tipos de complexidade (dinâmica, social e generativa).
- Geralmente, lidamos com a mudança de forma mais reativa do que regenerativa.
- O ponto cego diz respeito ao lugar interior — a fonte — a partir da qual operamos quando agimos, nos comunicamos, percebemos ou pensamos. Podemos ver o que fazemos (resultados). Podemos ver como fazemos (processo). Mas geralmente não temos consciência de quem: o local interior ou a fonte a partir da qual operamos.
- De forma incosciente corremos o risco de operarmos em um antiespaço da patologia social, nos cegando, nos dessensibilizando e destruindo qualquer tipo de mudança.
- Para que um futuro emerja é preciso deixar para trás as vozes do julgamento, do cinismo e do medo.
- Abrir a mente, o coração e a vontade, nos conectará com uma nova fonte de saber que naturalmente produzirá uma realidade melhor.

[Jens Rinnelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theory U builds upon already existing theories and approaches that have been described elsewhere more explicitly, like Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Mindfulness or existential psychology. What makes this book a game changer though is the new frame through which Scharmer looks at these, and thereby accurately depicts the paradigm shift humanity is going trough. But he does not stop there but rather provides the tool to make an intentional decision about where humanity will be going from here. He basically provides two options, looking at the past and downloading habits of how things have always been, or being present to what emerges and going with this flow, life force or energy, and thereby co-creating the future collectively. This transformation about what we pay attention to, he calls from Ego to Eco. What I like most about this book is how it weaves Scharmer's academic background from MIT with his deep personal experiences. He bridges the rationale with the esoteric, knowledge with faith, the physical and the metaphysical, the past with the future, determinism and free will. A truly holistic approach where the individual is the container for and creator of the whole through presencing at the bottom of the U.

[Monique Van hest · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misschien ben ik met 2 sterren wel erg streng, maar boek was voor mij echt niet goed genoeg geschreven. Ik onderschrijf de denkwijze en het belang van samenwerken aan zaken die er echt toe doen (ik overversimpliceer nu). Wil graag meedoen aan een u.lab etc, maar puur als boek: te veel woorden voor iets wat veel helderder uitgelegd had kunnen worden. Ook gaat hij wat mij betreft voorbij aan andere denkers die soortgelijke wegen inslaan. Voor mij persoonlijk was het oude wijn in nieuwe zakken. En die zakken zaten vol met overtollige balast.
Kortom: theory U als uitgangspunt voor U.lab en actie. Ja! Goed initiatief.
Boek: mwah, te veel borstklopperij en te veel herhaling

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having rested on this book for a few days after finishing it, I am still not quite sure how I feel about this book. C. Otto Scharmer presents a theory and approach for 'listening' to the future and acting on it as it emerges to create new and better futures. I read the book as part of an Organisation Design and Development reading list but it kind of transcends that field. It is a book that endeavours to bring together philosophy, psychology and spirituality in a blend which asks, 'how do we view our past, our present reality and our future, whilst attuning to what matters'. At the same time the scope of the book moves from how we address these themes at an individual, relational, group, organisational and global level which places much of the theory and thinking in the systems thinking tradition. Although Scharmer is a contemporary and colleague of Peter Senge, I think Scharmer's systems thinking is moving away from Senge's system dynamics tradition and moving more towards a more critical system heuristics perspective in that the perspective of how we view the boundaries of a system feels more important.

There is a lot to like in the book, but as my introductory paragraph probably suggests, it is a book that draws on a rich source of inspiration (one minute you're reading about Ed Schein's culture work, the next you're reading about Taoist philosophy). It also has an incredibly large scope and as such Theory U feels like a 'theory of everything' which means at times the book feels a little overwrought, repetitive, and at times a stretch trying to tie this theory together to fit. At times, I felt I was reading something utterly profound, at other times I found myself incredibly confused, struggling to connect with the material, and feeling stupid or bored. I suspect it is a book that requires a later re-read and also more in-depth study, particularly of images and tables. It's a book where it took me a long time to grasp what the theory was and how I could apply it.

There's a better review on here which far more succinctly suggests Theory U posits that when we approach situations, we 'download' all our past experiences and knowledge, which informs our behaviour, assumptions and attitude. Whilst this can be helpful (in generally getting through the day), it does not help us transcend to new ways of thinking and being. Theory U suggests we have 'blind spots' (we don't know what we don't know), and these are blocked by previous patterns. When we learn to tune into our true purpose, and listen to our heart, we can separate ourselves from our 'past life' and tune into what our life wants to be. There is a concept that the future is waiting for us, and we just need to listen to it to become what we want.

I can kind of accept this at a personal level, in that our thoughts and experiences can often create feedback loops of limiting factors that impair our thinking - we can't see a better option because our mindsets are trapped in the as-is. I actually see this at a national level where people continue to vote for 'keep things as bad as they are' and how we are conditioned to not see beyond our mental models of what life could be. The laws or the facts that govern our existence, are indeed, made by humans, and thus can be changed but we rarely see how our lives can be different in terms of familial relationships, workplace designs, political systems etc. And yet, I don't feel wholly comfortable with the notion of ignoring our 'downloading'. This 'downloading' has also helped us grow into the people we are. I guess my main takeaway here was to consider 'what am I downloading, listening to and is this helping me?'

There are essentially three stages to descend down the 'U' - we need to open our mind, open our heart and open our will. Scharmer posits that we can do this at each level (individual, relational, organisational etc.) Opening our mind is paying attention to alternative perspectives, genuinely listening to others, noticing what we are 'downloading' and not being stuck in the past. Opening our heart is essentially connecting to our lives purpose, what we really want to do, what our calling is. This also includes having genuine positive regard for others and their calling. I have been thinking about this often in the last few weeks and have been facilitating potentially challenging support sessions - one of the things I have been doing beforehand is meditating and opening my heart so I have unconditional love and regard for those in the session irrespective of their reaction to me or what they are going through. It has genuinely helped me to deliver well, and also support others. The opening of the will is the call to do something different. To act on what our purpose is. I often find myself quite stuck here - maybe I am downloading to much or not letting go. Scharmer actually asks us to let go of everything we don't need, using the story of his house burning down when he was a child. I often find I have a lack of bravery, potentially because I protect what I have rather than risk everything - it's been a career limiter, but at the same time I think there is a class element here. I kind of think working class people are more likely to 'stick with security' even if it is limiting because losing it is worse.

And I guess this is what I struggle with a bit - the theory sounds good and kind of makes sense (the book works through this theory at all kinds of scalable levels which makes this repetitive). But applying it? I think there are parts we can apply but I am struggling to comprehend how this genuinely works at scale without philanthropy or at an individual level unless someone has a lot of privilege. It also can't be disproved because one obviously hasn't 'let go'.

In terms of application, it is only quite late in the book where Scharmer suggests ways to use the Theory - with a combination of what feels like mindfulness practice, group listening and sense making activities and prototyping. Most of these practices are things which I am aware of or have deployed in some form or other. Again, Scharmer's ask that we 'get up an hour before everyone and spend time silently in nature' and have a number of journaling tasks in the morning and evening sounds fantastic, but really how can this genuinely be applied by many? I kind of think the book works on a philosophical level, but there are better ways to think about group work and shared decision making - this feels a little woolly. It feels like a book I really want to like, drawing on a lot of theory and practice that resonates with me but the glue that holds it all together isn't particularly strong.

An interesting book for sure, but not without it's challenges.

For future reference I'm including some notes on Theory U below:

Concept of 'presencing' - a combination of presence (paying attention to one's true calling, the future which wishes to emerge) and sensing (noticing what's going on 'outside' our personal / organisational bubble).

Stages of the U - 1) Co-initiating 2) Co-sensing 3) Presencing 4) Co-creating 5) Co-evolving

Capacities to work through the U:

Holding the space
Observing
Sensing
Crystallizing
Prototyping
Performing

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about this book was the comprehensive approach the author takes to provide a context for how to meet emerging opportunity. Lots to chew on. Unfortunately I agree with the author...reading this book is not a substitute for the experiential learning that comes with practice. You can't satisfactorily think your way through the learning.

His more current "Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego-System to Eco-System Economics" is a more approachable format with good questions geared for group discussions and journaling exercises geared to produce insights. I'd start with it.

Better yet, find a couple of other people to read it with and do the exercises together.

Read this as a deeper dive, although a fair amount of the content is duplicated.

[Jo McAlpine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that I think will only stand the test of time...it underpins a lot of the work I deliver as it makes so much sense. I loved Otto Scharmer's synchronicity as it was so simply written but this is more evidence based and informs my work.

[James Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes us to the ""bleeding edge" of change theory. It is a powerful model for creating the future versus solving the problems of the past. The writing can be a bit tough to follow at times but it is well worth the effort.

[Lars Ole Christoffersen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring nonsense!

[Denis Vasilev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Все так даже гуманные мысли стоит научиться излагать ясно

[Fred Cheyunski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning Organizations Extended - Looking into Kolb’s book “Experiential Learning” (see my review) and also familiar with Peter Senge’s approaches related to learning organizations (incorporated in my socio-tech activities as mentioned in my review of Mohr and van Amelsvoort’s “Co-creation of Humane and Innovative Workplaces”), I sought something along these lines. Seeing this title in related searches, I decided to give it a try as a way of updating on progress regarding these topics. Gladly, I found this text very worthwhile incorporating recent developments and extending earlier such efforts into recent years.

In addition to Color Insert Images, a Preface to the Second Edition, the Peter Senge Foreword, Acknowledgments, and Introduction, the book consists of 21 chapters in 3 Parts. More specifically, there is Part I - Bumping into Our Blind Spot: (1) Facing the Fire, (2) The journey to "U", (3) Fourfold learning and Change, (4) Organizational Complexity, (5) Shift in Society, (6) Philosophical Grounding , and (7) On the Threshold; Part II - Entering the U Field: (8) Downloading, (9) Seeing, (10) Sensing, (11) Presenting, (12) Crystallizing, (13) Prototyping, (14) Performing; Part III - A Social Technology for Profound Innovation and Change: (15) The Grammar of Social Field, (16) Individual Actions, (17) Conversational Actions, (18) Organizational Actions, (19) Global actions, (20) Catching Social Reality, Creation in Flight, (21) Principles and Practices of Presencing, and Epilogue: u.school , Awareness Based Systems Change. Moreover, a Glossary, Notes, a Bibliography, an Index as well as information About the Author and the Organization are included.

Aspects that stood out for me were Scharmer’s context setting, his diagrams and tables as well as the way he integrates more mainstream change management approaches with more recent innovations. For instance, early on (pg. 35), he observes “. . . the rise of disruption. Technology. Terrorism. Trump. Climate chaos. Conflict zones. Refugees. Polarization. We live in an age of disruption. . . [which will] only continue to go up . . . The only thing we can control or shape is our interior response . . . The future of our social system, societies . . . planet . . . depend in no small way on the choices we make . . . “ Moreover, in the second edition preface, a few figures and tables summarize the book as on pages 39 and 44 which depict the “Two Cycles, Two Social Fields: Absencing and Presencing” and “The Levels of Organizational Change.” Among the differentiators are the emphasis on “mindfulness” as has been occurring in various psychotherapies and Social Presencing Theater as well as the utilization of Massive Open On-Line Courses (MOOCs) for “activating global social fields.” As I read, other related references that came to mind were Kolts’ “Compassionate-Mind Guide,” Kripal’s account of “Esalen,” and Rogers’ “Digital Transformation Playbook” that discuss similar concerns (see my reviews).

Parts where I had some discomfort with were those involving dichotomies such as mind and matter and some of the “new age�� language surrounding aspects of the method, however the narrative overcomes these apparent difficulties. As a few critics have mentioned Theory U may be a recent management fashion, but the book is impressive in its integrative scope, providing advances and antecedents for future methods (see my review of Bushe and Marshak’s “Dialogic Organization Development” in this regard as well).

To see where learning organization approaches have gone and where they may go, consider Scharmer’s “Theory U” as a start.

[Chandana Watagodakumbura]

In "Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges", the author Dr Otto Scharmer put together his decades of personal and professional experiences to create a highly pragmatic positive social transformation framework. It is fundamentally based on mindfulness or presencing techniques. Put differently, it highlights how the inner presensing (as Dr Scharmer uses) capabilities of open minds, open hearts and open wills of individuals become indispensable contributors to positive outer social transformations. The proposed Theory U builds on the premise to overcome "The issues outside are a mirror of the issues inside". Accordingly, a social transformation act's success depends on the level of consciousness at which the individuals involved operate. Somewhat complex concepts presented on Theory U can be better understood by undertaking the MOOC on edX platform titled "u.lab: Leading from the Emerging Future."

The other highlights of the frameworks include the dynamic nature of its implementation suggestions of collective observing, sensing, presensing, co-creating and leading from the emerging future. The system collectively and dynamically senses the emerging outcomes of the implementation steps and data and information from the universe so as to adjust as and when required. It contrasts from habitually and authoritatively carrying out hierarchically built past solutions to complex current problems. As a result, social systems are positively transformed by shifting ego-system management and economy styles to generative and distributive ecosystem styles. The focus is broadened from individuals, organisations, stakeholders to whole ecosystems. Collective intelligence, creativity and consciousness and empathic and generative listening are at the root of the framework. The essence of the framework is the interplay of presencing capacity building of the individuals involved, cross-discipline knowledge creation and the creation of the cross-sector (business, government and civil society) innovation labs.

As educators, we can see several beneficial practices and tools related to Theory U that can be used in the mainstream education systems. They essentially include the practices such as self-awareness and mindfulness that can be used for seeing, sensing and presensing as used in Theory U. To be open-minded, open-hearted and open-willed are the key competencies developed. They can be considered as extensions of the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices currently used in some environments. When these practices are introduced early to individuals as part of the mainstream education system, they will be more prepared for the complex and challenging work environments they encounter later in life. Following the principles of neuroplasticity in which brain circuitry is enhanced with practice, individuals will benefit by practising critical competencies over time.

[Volkan Unsal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like others said, this is an ambitious book. It attempts to reconcile the disparate parts of our identity in a unified field theory of the self. To do that, it takes a modern approach, partly informed by the process of rapid prototyping, in order to guide us towards self-creation -- which is called "presencing." The motivation of this labor is to help us reconnect to the source of our actions, both at an individual, organizational and societal level, and that is a very noble goal.

Having said that, I found its epistemological treatment of self-creation, complete with the unexplained abstractions and unfalsifiable claims about their interaction, very puzzling. This approach doesn't belong in a book that advocates prototyping, and action, as it does, for self-actualization. (At times I thought I was reading a book written by a post-modern European philosopher.) Another aspect that left me scratching my head was the itemization of each chapter's major points in long lists of 20+! Each one a mini chapter in length. It was hard to find a focus in all this.

The faults of this book would be more tolerable, if it had made its theory more lively with more real use cases. It left me wanting. I might try reading it again at some point when I feel braver.

[Yvo Hunink · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been quit a challenge to finish this book, but I am happy I did.

Theory U is one of the few books that can help individuals, organisation, institutions and complete societies to make a change towards a better world. A world where we are aware of our place in the system and our own actions that help to form the system.

In my work, I am going to apply many of the notes I made during reading the book, especially the design of workshops with multistakeholder groups.

The reason why I did not give 5 stars is that I feel the size of the book could have been downsized tremendously, since there is a lot of repetition of concepts.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have to read a textbook about leadership, this book isn't bad. It's actually a pretty easy read. The ideas really aren't revolutionary; they make very good sense and align with other texts I've read involving leadership through a systems thinking lens, but the idea of the "U" felt gimmicky and unnecessary. Eventually the ideas became repetitive, but this also helped reinforce the concepts within different types of systems. It's easy to see how the idea of connected-ness applies similarly to the self, to groups, to organizations, and globally. But for someone who is interested in moving along with her work specifically in education, this book just didn't hold my interest.

[Finja Kemski · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader, Theory U has been a transformative experience. Scharmer’s insights on how to lead with an open mind, heart, and will deeply resonate, offering a clear framework for navigating change and complexity. The concept of “presencing”—connecting to the future as it emerges—feels profound and actionable, encouraging a shift from reactive to generative leadership. This book invites reflection and challenges you to engage with yourself and the world in a more conscious and meaningful way. Truly a must-read for anyone seeking to lead with purpose and clarity.

[Yaroslav Doroshchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept described in the book is great.
Sometimes our goals are not actually our. This book described for me: how should we hear ourselves in order to see our own intentions; one more time explained how important is to see others intentions from which they act; and how important to let others see your deep source intentions from which you act in order to co shape the same, co-applied and co-created vision.