What Is PatternDynamics?

[David MacLeod]

I'm excited for our workshop to begin tomorrow morning, and as I was waiting for Tim's arrival I was studying some of his material.  What follows are all Tim's words, but I've organized and put together various statements he's made to form another summary of what PatternDynamics is about.  There's still a little time left to Register here for the workshop!

Living systems have a very, very refined capacity of awareness. An awareness that can sense a wide range of subtle signaling between the parts to coordinate into some kind of dynamic system.

This shared awareness is the consciousness of a system of its identity and purpose (the Source pattern). "Source" is the original and central unifying force of a system - the primordial pattern of organization at the heart of all systems.

A "system" is any set of parts that come together to form a whole.

"Dynamics" is any process that integrates and coordinates the complex functions that occur within and between systems.

"Patterns" are patterns of organization observed in nature and in all living systems.

As mentioned above, there is a wide range of subtle signaling that occurs between the parts of a system to coordinate it into some kind of dynamic system. There is a constant coordination and integration and balancing of the fundamental patterns of organization occurring that have kept nature's living systems thriving for hundreds of millions of years.

PatternDynamics(TM) is a form of communication based on these patterns of nature as a new kind of language. They are a set of diagrams designed to communicate a clear set of principles anyone can learn. These principles will enable us to understand complexity and learn systems thinking.

The Patterns can be used to identify tensions in the flow of our human systems and organizations, and when we balance and integrate the Patterns, our systems will achieve a greater level of enduring, thriving health.

Each Pattern has a fundamental Polarity which has the potential to become unbalanced. As we increase in our awareness of our systems and the patterns within them, we will learn how to better balance and integrate the Patterns that have fallen out of balance or become unintegrated.

Living systems do this superbly. That's why we want to bring living systems consciousness into our organizations. Living systems have an amazing capacity to adapt and change and keep thriving in a range of circumstances. If we can bring that into our organizations, then our organizations can, in turn, steward the environments they exist in better.

Ultimately this will contribute to the development of planetary civilization.