Abstract
A philosophy of management that incorporates the big picture of human experience, all levels, and degrees of awareness in relationship with the world, will better develop and sustain an environment conducive to creative contributions that meet organizational goals. Quantum physics reveals the nature of reality to be connection and creativity engaged in a process of actualizing possibilities. Human beings participate in this process of actualization, as both observer-creator and experiencer of the universe through multiple domains of knowing – a collaborator in Alfred North Whitehead’s panexperientialism. Whitehead’s God of process, the primordial field of creative possibilities, and the consequent nature which holds all the experiences of every actualization, supports human consciousness, as it self-actualizes by engaging and integrating the experience of external and internal events and their effects on awareness. Through understanding the participatory nature of consciousness with God and the world as experienced, deep meaning emerges for human life. Tapping into this deeper meaning through a philosophy of management that acknowledges the full human experience, including the embedded spiritual connection to the creative energy that is God, strengthens an organization’s vision, mission and contributions to a community. This brief overview traces a path toward a preliminary framework for a philosophy of management based on God and the ideas of connection, creativity and process.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
On a global level, one tragic example of spiritual disconnect is the estimated 45.8 million people held in slavery around the world today; 26% are children; and approximately 2 million of these children are forced into global sex trafficking slavery (IJM 2017). The list of problems, e.g. terrorism, could go on, but the point is clear.
Various studies have been done over the years that show a correlation between religious belief and general well-being (in education, economics, and relationships) (NBER 2018).
Mary Douglas (2001) suggests that certainty is the result of cultural inculcation and social taboos, not facts, and when the established knowledge becomes confused with opinion, uncertainty and indeterminacy can infect a society with fear. This fear may beget a rigid pushback by the social order that becomes force, intolerance and obstructions to intellectual curiosity (and so creativity) (Douglas 2001, 150–152). See Romain Laufer (2017) for a discussion on how both modern marketing and sophistry actively seek to confuse appearance and reality, blurring the distinction between knowledge and opinion in the process.
Humanity also has made great progress – in medicine and technology, for example; but caring and wise choices are needed, and not always apparent, in the use of that medicine and technology.
Relevance in this context refers to the community being served by the organization. As noted by Statler and Salovaara (2017), from a pragmatic perspective, relevance is based on what difference it makes and to whom (274). Is a need being met, a want being fulfilled?
For purposes of transparency, please note that the author’s academic work focused on personal and organizational development and transformation. As such, some of the ideas herein are an extension of themes originally explored in a dissertation case study, with the addition of a consideration of God and process.
As Dibben (2010) notes, how one thinks about management “can alter what management becomes” (3), and spiritually reflective leadership becomes respectful, caring and sensitive (4).
The ideas presented herein are derived from specific interpretations of Whitehead and science based on various readings; other interpretations are available as well. This selection is based on the resonating nature of the ideas in relation to personal, professional and spiritual experiences. This paper is intended as encouragement and support for the idea of God as the meaningful ground of a philosophy of management. The references provide a variety of sources for readers interested in pursuing deeper analysis.
Although Heraclitus may have introduced the concept of process into philosophy, it by no means reflects his total view of reality; see in particular, David Shaw (2018) for a detailed review of Heraclitus’ cosmology and the ideas of flux (process), Justice (rational laws), and the Unity of Opposites (perpetual strife).
Per Ingvar Olsen (2011) considers process less a direct line and more a flow of “occasional major shifts” (61).
Whitehead used “the whole of the evidence” for his cosmology (1925/ Whitehead 1997, vii).
Pierre Tielhard de Chardin also considered every human experience as available evidence for creating new understanding (McIntosh 2007).
See William Braud (1997, 9) for a discussion on the practical and the universal.
Olsen (2011) suggests that knowing is proposed or theoretical, rather than definitive (66).
A common example is how illumination may reference light – allowing one to see in the dark; and illumination may also reference ideas – allowing one to see in a new way.
Whitehead’s view on creativity is useful in understanding chaos theory and innovation in organization (Olsen 2011).
See Olsen (2011) also for references (72) to Andrew H. Van de Ven and Marshall Scott Poole’s paper analyzing various complementary approaches to studying organizations.
These views have inspired a vast body of discussions on God’s nature and relationship to the world.
Are human disconnects in current events a natural outcome when fulfilling the primordial aim is stifled or denied in the human experience?
The neutrino is the focus of a 20-year study to learn what informs this transformation process (Moskowitz 2017).
A quantum particle may represent a universe of information, an undifferentiated singularity of possibilities – like a cosmic hologram (Currivan 2017). In a specific kind of hologram, the image is embedded in the glass, present and visible from every angle in a three dimensional perspective; break the glass, pick up the pieces and the full original image is still visible in every piece of the shattered glass (Talbot 1991). Is the quantum particle cosmic DNA?
According to Schipper (2001), Bergson agreed with Whitehead, but while William James believed rationalism excludes novelty, he proposed that the “sentiment of rationality” was open to novelty (6).
One may observe a variety of creative rationalizations presented for all kinds of behavior as well.
This push / pull of the “eternal urge of desire” is reminiscent of Plotinus’ description of the coming and going emanations of creation, existing eternally within God, the Source of Intelligence and the World Soul - creation is pushed out from Source, but always desires to return to Source (Stumpf 1975; Plotinus 1986; Whitehead 1978, 344). In a similar vein, Tielhard de Chardin proposed that consciousness has an evolutionary purpose and is being drawn to unify with God (McIntosh 2007; Stumpf 1975). And Jean-Francois Bordron (2017) suggests that the original thing, the “originary” – is that upon which novelty intrudes, acts, suggests, and entices toward change, to become a new thing, a new interpretation, a new understanding (242).
However, Dibben (2009) notes that for Whitehead, consciousness is a result of experience, so the dipolarity has a lag factor in terms of timing; it is the 4th (or final) phase of an occasion of experience (20).
Based on current observation, the universe consists of 70% dark energy, 25% dark matter and the remaining 5% everything else (human beings, galaxies and the like) – no one knows yet what dark energy and dark matter are – a mystery and a lure of curiosity (Currivan 2017).
Studies reveal that trees share constant communication with each other through a network of filaments just beneath the surface of the earth; e.g., a tree in the forest is malnourished, other trees hear its sickness and direct extra nutrients from their supplies to that tree (Simard 2016; Wohlleben 2015). Other experiments show bees, bacteria, and even amoebas have degrees of experience (Griffin 2007, 59–60). These are examples of a low-level awareness compatible with Whitehead’s concept of consciousness manifesting in degrees throughout reality. But is it overstating to use the term consciousness if considered as phases of prehension?
For example: Gebser 1986 – consciousness moves through evolutionary stages/levels; Clare Graves – developmental spiral of value worlds (Beck and Cowan 1996); Tielhard de Chardin – consciousness developed in complexity as the physical body grew to support it (McIntosh 2007); Ken Wilber (2000) – integral methodological pluralism with stages, states, levels; David Cooperrider (1986) – appreciative inquiry and the heliotropic principle – drawn to the light, human beings transform in response to that which is hopeful, positive, and reinforces creativity.
Sice and French (2004) define autopoiesis as the process by which a living organism (system) becomes individual – through interaction and transformation, the entity generates and regenerates itself, and its components, self-organizing in relationships of reciprocal causality: internal to external / local to global as upward causality; and external to internal / global to local as downward causality (58).
This idea has been called “feeble” because it limits God’s omnipotence – evil exists because God does not have the ability to intervene (Clavier 2011, 266).
For Whitehead, ultimate evil is the “perpetual perishing” of time (the fading past), and the need to choose among mutually obstructive things; the need to select and the act of selecting are the measure and evasion of evil (340).
Gasset 1993 described life as the presentation of several paths, and human beings are forced to choose, to decide from moment to moment; even no decision, abrogating a choice, is a choice.
For Dibben (2009), the organization is an “effect” of slowing change - more a becoming, than a changing (15).
Walter Renner (2015) proposes a “soft” empirical database of religious/spiritual experiences based on specific criteria to meet verifiability issues. These experiences are subjective and difficult to purposefully replicate, yet it is possible to collect qualitative data for study through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods, including Buddhist meditation techniques (requiring a willingness to try non-traditional approaches) (Hall 2010; Renner 2015).
In a POM special issue on pragmatism, Bereson and Guillet de Monthoux (2017) suggest pragmatism challenges the idea of universal principles because the act of doing / choosing leads to knowing based on the outcomes of the doing / choosing; which is followed by the next interaction of doing and a new outcome (193). But the idea of inevitable change is in itself a kind of universal - that is, change is a constant, or at the very least, the potential for change is a constant in human experience. Further, Bordron 2017, suggests the only presupposition is the confidence in the power of flux (process) – anything can change and be changed (251). The questions then become: how to manage, how to guide, and how to provide a solid footing for the ever-shifting change potentiality?
This is not to deny that people are dysfunctional (due to varied factors including environmental lack) and so may not respond to positive opportunities. See also note 46.
See Dibben (2004), page 27, note 23 for references and variations on the definition of trust.
Robert Waldinger (2015) shares findings from the 75+ year Harvard Study of Adult Development, which continues to monitor people from the original group to determine what makes a good life. Caring support is practical well beyond organizational results - holding on to caring relationships helps humans thrive and live to a ripe old age (Buettner 2012; Seligman 2002; Waldinger 2015).
While this discussion excludes natural disasters, management makes choices reflecting values in dire times too.
Consider also ordinary creativity – creating a life that may seem ordinary (not an artist or inventor), but unique creativity happens through the expression of a point of view, talents, relationships, and joy in life (Bateson 1999).
Human beings can be damaged – psychologically dysfunctional, pathological, suffering from every variation of the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, sloth); influenced by abuse, minimal nurturing, biased familial and cultural upbringing, etc. Hence the importance (and ultimately the compassion and caring) of developing support systems, especially for the safe culture and lifelong learning, in every organization.
In the classical view God is omniscient and omnipotent; therefore, to view God as still in process and evolving because the world is, can make God less than (Hosinski 2015). The idea that humanity’s experiences are to be preserved eternally in God, makes for a tragic God, which Delwin Brown (1999) believes is the appropriate interpretation of Whitehead – that ultimately both the world and God are tragic. (And what of joy?)
Hannah Arendt (1958) finds hopefulness in the process of human natality – new people are born signaling new beginnings, and the possibility of new actions and new choices.
Thomas Aquinas considered natural love to be present everywhere – soul, body and nature (Hosinski 2015).
Some intriguing questions: if one considers consciousness solely the result of the human brain’s biological and neurological complexity – to what does the complexity of the universe as a whole give rise? Supra-consciousness? Is the neural complexity that creates consciousness, a mirror for the universe’s complexity: the natural laws, galaxies, black holes, super novae, and dark space (Currivan 2017)?
Margaret Wheatley (2017) asks this pointed question, “Who do we choose to be?” in an urgent call for every human being to take on a transformative leadership role within every situation and relationship.
References
Allen, M.D. 2012. An integral-appreciative co-paradigm study of leadership and effectiveness at a public service agency: The Rockford Park district from 1972–2006, 3548057. Ann Arbor: UMI Dissertation Publishing.
Arendt, Hannah. 1958. The human condition. 2nd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Aspinwall, L.G., and U.M. Staudinger. 2003. A psychology of human strengths: Some central issues of an emerging field. In A psychology of human strengths: Fundamental questions and future directions for a positive psychology, ed. L. Aspinwall and U.M. Staudinger, 9–22. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Banaji, M.R. 2016. Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people. New York: Bantam Books.
Barron, F. 1999. All creation is a collaboration. In Social creativity, ed. A. Montuori and R. Purser, vol. 1, 49–59. Cresskill: Hampton Press.
Bateson, M. C. (1999). Ordinary creativity. In A. Montuori & R. Purser, Social Creativity (Vol. 1, pp. 153–171). Cresskill: Hampton Press.
Beck, D.E., and C.C. Cowan. 1996. Spiral dynamics: Mastering values, leadership, and change. Malden: Blackwell Business.
Bereson, R., and P. Guillet de Monthoux. 2017. Special issue editorial: Poetic pragmatism and artful management. Philosophy of Management 16: 191–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40926-017-0066-x.
Best, K.C. 2011. Holistic leadership: A model for leader-member engagement and development. Journal of Values-Based Leadership 4 (1): 54–72 Retrieved from http://www.valuesbasedleadershipjournal.com/issues/vol4issue1/holistic_leadership.php.
Bohm, D. 1996. On dialogue. New York: Routledge Classics.
Bordron, J. 2017. Pragmatism and aesthetic innovation – Thoughts on the nature of change. Philosophy of Management 16: 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/x40926-017-0074-x.
Braud, W. 1997. The ley and the labyrinth: Universalistic and particularistic approaches to knowing. Working paper 1997–1. Palo Alto: William James Center for Consciousness Studies, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology Retrieved from: http://www.inclusivepsychology.com/uploads/LeyAndLabyrinth.pdf.
Brown, D. 1999. Knowing the mystery of god. In Interpreting Neville, ed. J. Harley Chapman and Nancy K. Frankenberry. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Bruteau, B. 2001. The grand option: Personal transformation and a new creation. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame.
Buettner, D. 2012. The blue zones: 9 lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.
Cannato, J. 2010. Field of compassion: How the new cosmology is transforming spiritual life. Notre Dame: Sorin Books.
Clavier, P. 2011. Hans Jonas’ feeble theodicy: How on earth could god retire? European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 3 (2): 305–322. https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.v3i2.398 Retrieved: https://philpapers.org/rec/CLAHJF.
Cobb, J. 2013. Leading the learning revolution: The expert’s guide to capitalizing on the exploding lifelong education market. New York: American Management Association.
Cobb, J.B., Jr. 2001. The problem of evil and the task of ministry. In Encountering evil: Live options in theodicy, ed. Stephen Davis, 181–190. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Cobb, J.B., Jr. 2007. A Christian natural theology: Based on the thought of Alfred north whitehead. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Cobb, J.B., Jr., and D.R. Griffin. 1976. Process theology: An introductory exposition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Combs, A. 2002. The radiance of being: Understanding the grand integral vision; living the integral life. 2nd ed. St. Paul: Paragon House.
Combs, A. 2009. Consciousness explained better: Towards an integral understanding of the multifaceted nature ofr consciousness. St. Paul: Paragon House.
Combs, A., and S. Krippner. 2003. Process, structure and form: An evolutionary transpersonal psychology of consciousness. The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 22: 47–60 Retrieved from http://www.paricenter.com/library/download/combs03.pdf.
Cooperrider, D. L. (1986). Appreciative inquiry: Toward a methodology for understanding and enhancing organizational innovation (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 8611485).
Cooperrider, D.L. 2001. Positive image, positive action: The affirmative basis of organizing. In Appreciative inquiry: Rethinking human organization toward a positive theory of change, ed. D.L. Cooperrider, P.F. Sorensen Jr., D. Whitney, and T.F. Yaeger, 29–54. Champaign: Stipes.
Cooperrider, D.L., P.F. Sorensen Jr., D. Whitney, and T.F. Yaeger, eds. 2000. Introduction. In appreciative inquiry: Rethinking human organization toward a positive theory of change, vi–vii. Champaign: Stipes.
Corkery, M. (2016). Wells fargo fined $185 million for fraudulently opening accounts, New York Times. Retrieved: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/business/dealbook/wells-fargo-fined-for-years-of-harm-to-customers.html
Cowan, D.A. 2010. Embedded spirituality as a leadership foundation for sustainable innovative learning. ReVision 30 (3 & 4): 89–97.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. 1996. Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Collins.
Currivan, J. 2017. The cosmic hologram: In-formation at the center of creation. Rochester: Inner Traditions.
Davis, S.T., ed. 2001. Encountering evil: Live options in theodicy. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Dibben, M.R. 2004. Exploring the processual nature of trust and cooperation in organisations: A Whiteheadian analysis. Philosophy of Management 4 (1): 25–39.
Dibben, M.R. 2009. Organisations and organising. Understanding and applying Whitehead’s processual account Philosophy of Management 7 (2): 13–24.
Dibben, M.R. 2010. Editorial: Humbug, Ba and human experience. Philosophy of Management 9 (2): 1–6.
Donaldson, W. 2017. Simple complexity - a management book for the rest of us: A guide to systems thinking. New York: Morgan James Publishing.
Douglas, M. 2001. Dealing with uncertainty. Ethical Perspectives 8 (3): 145–156.
Egan, Matt. (2018). Band of America ‘systematically’ misled clients about stock trades, CNN Money. March 23, 2018. Retrieved: http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/23/investing/bank-of-america-settlement-ny-attorney-general/index.html
Epperson, M. 2004. Quantum mechanics and the philosophy of Alfred north whitehead. New York: Fordham University Press.
Esbjorn-Hargens, S. 2010. Integral theory in action: Applied, theoretical, and constructive perspectives on the AQAL model. Albany: State University of New York (Suny) Press.
Fay, B. 1996. Contemporary philosophy of social science: A multicultural approach. Malden: Blackwell.
Floridi, Luciano. 2011. The philosophy of information. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Frank, A. 1993. Anne frank: The diary of a young girl (B. M. Mooyaart, trans.). New York: Bantam Book / Doubleday (Original work published in 1952.).
Frankenberry, N.K. 1987. Religion and radical empiricism. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Frankl, V.E. 2006. Man’s search for meaning (I. Lasch, trans.). Boston: Beacon Press (Original work published in 1959.).
Gardner, H. 1985. Frames of mind: A theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, H., M. Csikszentmihalyi, and W. Damon. 2001. Good work: When excellence and ethics meet. New York: Basic Books.
Gasset, J.O. 1993. The revolt of the masses. Reissued ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc (Original work published in 1932.).
Gebser, J. 1986. The ever-present origin (N. Barstand & a. Mickunas, trans.). Athens: Ohio University Press (Original work published in 1949.).
Geher, G. (2018). Mental health and school shootings, Psychology Today. February 15, 2018. Retrieved: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201802/mental-health-and-school-shootings
Gerhardt, S. 2004. Why love matters: How affection shapes a baby’s brain. New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Godwin, R.W. 2004. One cosmos under god: The unification of matter, life, mind and spirit. St. Paul: Paragon House.
Goldstein, J., J.K. Hazy, and B.B. Lichtenstein. 2010. Complexity and the nexus of leadership: Leveraging nonlinear science to create ecologies of innovation. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Greenberg, J. 1996. The quest for justice on the job: Essays and experiments. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc..
Griffin, D.R. 2000. Religion and scientific naturalism: Overcoming the conflicts. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Griffin, D.R. 2004. God, power, and evil: A process theodicy. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press (Original work published in 1976.).
Griffin, D.R. 2007. Whitehead’s radically different postmodern philosophy: An argument for its contemporary relevance. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Griffin, D.R. 2014. Panentheism and scientific naturalism: Rethinking evil, morality, religious expiereince,religious pluralism, and the academic study of religion. Claremont: Process Century Press.
Grossman, D., and G. DeGaetano. 2014. Stop teaching our kids to kill: A call to action against tv, movie and video game violence. revised and updated ed. New York: Harmony Books.
Haberli, R., A. Bill, W. Grossenbacher-Mansuy, J.T. Klein, R. Scholz, and M. Welti. 2001. Synthesis. In Transdisciplinarity: Joint problem solving among science, technology, and society, ed. J.T. Klein, W. Grossenbacher-Mansuy, R. Haberli, A. Bill, R.W. Scholz, and M. Welti, 6–22. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag.
Hall, S.S. 2010. Wisdom: From philosophy to neuroscience. New York: Vintage Books.
Hartshorne, C. 1964. The divine relativity: A social conception of god. New Haven: Yale University Press (Originally published in 1948.).
Hartshorne, C., and W.L. Reese. 1976. Philosophers speak of god. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press (Original work published in 1953.).
Haugen, G.A. 2008. Just courage. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
Havel, V. (1994). The need for transcendence in the postmodern world. Speech made at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, on July 4. 1994. Retrieved: http://www.worldtrans.org/whole/havelspeech.html. Also available at: https://hiddencityphila.org/2011/12/vaclav-havel-at-independence-hall/
Heron, J. 1996. Co-operative inquiry: Research into the human condition. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Hosinski, T.E. 2015. Thomas Aquinas and Alfred north whitehead on God’s action in the world. Open Theology 1: 269–276. https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2015-0012.
IJM International Justice Mission. (2017). Forced labor slavery: The facts. Retrieved from https://www.ijm.org/casework/forced-labor-slavery
Ilibagiza, I., and S. Erwin. 2014. Left to tell: Discovering god amidst the Rwandan holocaust. Carlsbad: Hay House, Inc..
Isaacs, W. 1999. Dialogue and the art of thinking together. New York: Currency Doubleday.
James, W. 1958. The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. New York: New American Library.
Jonas, H. 1996. Mortality and morality: A search for the good after Auschwitz. Evanston: Northwestern University Press.
Kegan, R. 2000. What form transforms? A constructive-developmental perspective on transformational learning. In Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives of a theory-in-progress, ed. J. Mezirow, 35–69. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kegan, R., and L. Lahey. 2001. How the way we talk can change the way we work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Keller, C. 2008. On the mystery: Discerning divinity in process. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Kolbert, E. 2014. The sixth extinction: An unnatural history. New York: Henry Holt & Company, LLC.
Korten, D. 2006. The great turning: From empire to earth community. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Laloux, F. 2014. Reinventing organizations: A guide to creating organizations inspired by the next stage of human consciousness. Brussels: Nelson Parker.
Laszlo, E. 2016. What is reality? The new map of cosmos and consciousness. New York: SelectBooks, Inc..
Laufer, R. 2017. Uncertainty, art and marketing – Searching for the invisible hand. Philosophy of Management 16: 217–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/x40926-017-0063-0.
Levine, M. (2016). Wells fargo opened a couple million fake accounts, Bloomberg View. September 9, 2016. Retrieved: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-09-09/wells-fargo-opened-a-couple-million-fake-accounts
Long, C and Hays, T. (2018). ‘Pharma bro’ gets 7 years in prison in securities fraud case, ABC News. March 9, 2018. Retrieved: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pharma-bro-faces-high-stakes-sentencing-fraud-case-53628027
Love, C.J. 2015. God, genetics, and event phenomenology. Open Theology 1: 415–424. https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2015-0024.
Ludema, J.D. 1996. Narrative inquiry: Collective storytelling as a source of hope, knowledge, and action in organizational life, 9720431. Ann Arbor: UMI Dissertation Publishing.
McIntosh, S. 2007. Integral consciousness and the future of evolution: How the integral worldview is transforming poliitcs, culture and sprituality. St. Paul: Paragon House.
Montuori, A. 2003. The complexity of improvisiation and the improvisation of complexity: Social science, art and creativity. Human Relations 56 (2): 237–255.
Montuori, A. 2014. A clash of mentalities: Uncertainty, creativity, and complexity in a time of crisis. Communications 95 (2): 179–198 Retrieved: https://www.academia.edu/23706819/A_Clash_of_Mentalities_Uncertainty_Creativity_and_Complexity_in_Times_of_Upheaval.
Morin, E. 1992. Method: Towards a study of humankind: Vol. 1. The nature of nature (J. L. R. Belanger, trans.). New York: Peter Lang.
Morin, E. 2008. On complexity: Advances in systems theory, complexity, and the human sciences. Cresskill: Hampton Press.
Moskowitz, C. (2017) “The neutrino puzzle”, Scientific American, October 2017, 32–39.
Murray, T. (2006). Collaborative knowledge building and integral theory: On perspectives, uncertainty and mutual regard. Integral Review 2, 210–268.Retrieved from http://www.integralworld.net/murray.html
NBER - National Bureau of Economic Research. (2018). Randomizing religion: The impact of protestant evangelism on economic outcomes. NBER Working Paper Series. February 2018. Retrieved: http://www.nber.org/papers/w24278.pdf
Nicolescu, B. 2002. Manifesto of transdisciplinarity (K.-C. Voss, trans.). New York: State University of New York Press.
Nisbett, R.E. 2003. The geography of thought: How Asians and westerners think differently…and why. New York: The Free Press.
Olsen, P.I. 2011. The relevance and applicability of process metaphysics to organizational research. Philosophy of Management 10 (2): 53–74.
Oomen, P.M.F. 2015. God’s power and almightiness in Whitehead’s thought. Open Theology 1: 277–292. De Gruyter Open. https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2015-0013.
Patterson, K., J. Grenny, R. McMillan, and A. Switzler. 2012. Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. New York: McGraw Hill.
Peterson, C., and M.E.P. Seligman. 2004. Introduction to a “manual of the sanities.” in character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification, 3–32. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, D.Z. 2001. Theism without theodicy. In Encountering evil: Live options in theodicy, ed. Stephen Davis, 145–161. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Plotinus. 1986. Plotinus, the six enneads. In Great books of the Western world series, ed. S. MacKenna and B. S. Page, Trans. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
Polanyi, M. 1974. Personal knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (Original work published in 1958.).
Popper, M. 2004. Leadership as relationship. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior 34 (2): 107–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-8308.2004.00238.x.
Renner, W. 2015. Self-evident experience: A challenge to the empirical study of religion. Open Theology 1: 407–414. https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2015-0023.
Rescher, N. 1996. Process metaphysics: An introduction to process philosophy. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Rice, D. (2018). Drugs, alcohol and suicides contribute to alarming drop in U.S. life expectancy, USA Today, February 6, 2018. Retrieved: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2018/02/07/drugs-alcohol-and-suicides-contribute-alarming-drop-u-s-life-expectancy/316271002/
Rosenberg, M. 2003. Nonviolent communication: A language of life. Encinitas: Puddle Dancer Press.
Rosenblum, B., and F. Kuttner. 2011. Quantum enigma: Physics encounters consciousness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sardello, R.J. 1992. Facing the world with soul: The reimagination of modern life. Hudson: Lindisfarne Press.
Scharmer, C.O. 2018. The essentials of theory u: Core principles and applications. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc..
Schipper, F. 2001. Creativity and rationality: A philosophical contribution. Philosophy of Management 1 (2): 3–15.
Schumpeter, J. A. (2012). Capitalism, socialism and democracy, eBook, 2nd edition. Start Publishing LLC. (Original work published in 1942.)
SEC - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2018) Theranos, CEO Holmes, and Former President Balwani Charged with Massive Fraud, SEC. Press Release March 14, 2018. Retrieved: https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2018-41
Seligman, M. 2002. Authentic happiness. New York: Free Press.
Senge, P.M. 1990. The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Currency Doubleday.
Senge, P.M., C.O. Scharmer, J. Jaworski, and B.S. Flowers. 2004. Presence: Human purpose and the field of the future. Cambridge: Society for Organizational Learning.
Shaw, D. (2018) On misunderstanding - Heraclitus: the justice of organisation structure. Philosophy of Management 1–11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40926-018-0097-y.
Sheldrake, R. 2009. Morphic resonance: The nature of formative causation. 4th ed. Rochester: Park Street Press.
Sheldrake, R., T. McKenna, and R. Abraham. 2001. Chaos, creativity, and cosmic consciousness. Rochester: Park Street Press.
Sice, P & French, I. (2004). Understanding humans and organisations: Philosophical implications of autopoiesis. Philosophy of Management 4(1).
Simard, S. (2016). How trees talk to each other. TED Talk: Ideas worth spreading. Transcript Available online. Recorded June 2016. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other/transcript?language=en
Simon, H. 1983. Reason in human affairs. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Smith, K.K., and D.N. Berg. 1987. Paradoxes of group life: Understanding conflict, paralysis, and movement in group dynamics. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stack, S. (2018). Why suicide is on the rise in the US – even as it falls in Europe. The Conversation. Retrieved: https://theconversation.com/why-is-suicide-on-the-rise-in-the-us-but-falling-in-most-of-europe-98366.
Statler, M., and P. Salovaara. 2017. Pragmatic truths in organization studies. Philosophy of Management 16: 265–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s400926-017-0068-8.
Steinbock, A.J. 2007. Phenomenology and mysticism: The verticality of religious experience. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Stumpf, S.E. 1975. Socrates to Sartre: A history of philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Talbot, M. 1991. The holographic universe: A remarkable new theory of reality. New York: Harper Collins.
Tamm, J.W., and R.J. Luyet. 2004. Radical collaboration. New York: HarperCollins.
Thomasson, A.L. 2015. Ontology made easy. New York: Oxford University Press.
Turner, E. A. (2018). School shootings and youth mental health. Psychology Today. March 23, 2018. Retrieved: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-race-good-health/201803/school-shootings-and-youth-mental-health
Varela, F. 1999. Ethical know-how: Action, wisdom, and cognition. Transl. Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Waldinger, R. (2015). The good life. TEDx Talks. Published Nov. 30, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-7zAkwAOYg
Walhout, D. 1978. The good and the realm of values. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Wheatley, M.J. 1999. Leadership and the new science: Discovering order in a chaotic world. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Wheatley, M.J. 2017. Who do we choose to be? Facing reality claiming leadership restoring sanity. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc..
Whitehead, A.N. 1960. Religion in the making. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company (Original work published in 1926.).
Whitehead, A.N. 1978. Process and reality. New York: Free Press (Original work published in 1929.).
Whitehead, A.N. 1997. Science and the modern world. New York: The Free Press (Original work published in 1925.).
Whitney, D., A. Trosten-Bloom, and K. Rader. 2010. Appreciative leadership: Focus on what works to drive winning performance and build a thriving organization. New York: McGraw Hill.
Wilber, K. 2000. Integral psychology: Consciousness, spirit, psychology, therapy. Boston: Shambhala.
Wilber, K. 2006. Integral spirituality: A startling new role for religion in the modern and postmodern world. Boston: Shambhala.
Wilber, K. 2017. The religion of tomorrow: A vision for the future of the great traditions. Boulder: Shambhala.
Wohlleben, P. 2015. The hidden life of trees: What they feel, how they communicate. Vancouver: Greystone Books.
Woolf, S. 2018. Failing health of the United States. BMJ 360: k496. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k496.
Zizek, S. 2009. First as tragedy, then as farce. London: Verso.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the reviewers of this article for the generous guidance and additional sources.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The author declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Allen, M.R.D. God, Ontology and Management: A Philosophical Praxis. Philosophy of Management 18, 303–330 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40926-018-0101-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40926-018-0101-6