Regenerative Human Potential Summit

Every year, the Institute takes one subject and offers a Regenerative take on it. It is always a nodal subject relating to life, Earth, and all the living beings in and on it. One subject, we think, is being taken on by the well-intended members of business or institutions. They are working from a Worldview that is incomplete, missing core understanding, or using inaccurate foundations through lack of precision and rigor. We offer a Regenerative, Living Systems Worldview, to invite businesses ,who see already have with right-intentions, to further examine the current approach and focus as a way of answering the urgent and wicked questions being demanded now. This year, we scrutinize and examine the design of work and society and its effect on Realizing Potential of Every Human Being, without exception.

It is no secret that systems and structures of work are often stacked against people of color, older workers, new immigrants, religions, less body-abled, women, and people that check the box for one of more than two genders. There are many issue groups formed to overcome the biases and the work design that configure them as a part of how organizations operate. Racism, bias, prejudice, bigotry, intolerance and the violence that often accompanies these attitudes—not just held by the advantaged. Our antipathy for “the other” is as old as modern civilization. We know this, so far, for at least the time of recorded history. But the harmful outcomes have escalated in some places even where, in a few arenas, it has reduced for some, for white women particularly, in the last century.

More than two years after the murder of George Floyd and the national protests, debate and political promises that ensued, 65% of Black Americans say the increased national attention on racial inequality has not led to changes that improved their lives. (reference) And 44% say equality for Black people in the United States is not likely to be achieved, according to newly released findings from an October 2021 survey of Black Americans by Pew Research Center. Similar reports confirm that other excluded groups feel the same lack of hope in achieving improved lives and opportunities.

There are large numbers of philosophies and concepts for overcoming the designs and biases that frame them. And these lead to consultants and theories that are adopted. According to Harvard Kennedy School's Iris Bohnet, U.S. companies spend roughly $8 billion a year on DEI training—but accomplish remarkably little. This is a drop in the bucket for training in general and even smaller percent of what is spent on running an organization.

Is the lack of investment the reason for so little movement in improvements for equity, inclusion, and justice that is repeatedly proven to be missing for individuals, business, and society? Or is it a more nodal way of working on it that holds us back?

But there are examples of significant successes, including changes in business structures, that when changed, offer hope and case studies to shine a light. We believe it is time to look at the underpinning of, not our intentions, but our approaches. Are the very premises on which we work on the problems accurate or are they, potentially at least, embedded with errors? If we are not seeing promised changes coming from current efforts, then putting more money toward them, using the same methods, does not give more hope. If you design from erroneous premises about how change works, then we cannot get there faster with more effort. It is called insanity to keep using the same methods. Maybe we need to get rigorous about examining our methods in achieving our goals

That is what we do at The Regenerative Paradigm Institute, the folks offering this Summit. We are, like our founder, Positive Contrarians. We oppose the current proposed and blindly followed path, for good reasons that we can share, but believe we have a better process for designing change, that has been tested for decades, but in limited domains. We want to share with you. It is based on looking at the means, the underlying premises of those means, and the downside of our tendency to get attached to what we know.

This examination and questioning is not easy to do. We are all on automatic with what is familiar, and especially if we are identified with our brand and incomes sources. We don’t give up our methodologies easily and are very attached to our rationale for why we do not do so. It is what causes institutions, nations and marriages to sink. We are Right! Our Summits are labs in which to break the certainties that leave us addicted to our own ideas even when they keep failing us. We do not tell you where you are Wrong. That does not work because we not in your head—or shoes. We don’t assess your methods for you. We give you questions and processes and premises, so you can do that for yourself. Now, and repeatedly. It is called using Living Systems Essence, or Nodal Thinking, Getting to the heart, core, or Essence of what works and under what conditions.

We will challenge our assumptions and convictions about:

• The difference between working on symptoms we can see directly and those we work on indirectly, but are causally related. We go to Cause, because they lie behind or beneath what we can see. But when we work causally, we move more mountains, with less time and resources with better outcomes.

• The role of identifying with (i.e. defining ourselves by) a specific worldview or paradigm in creating barriers to change and how to unify efforts to better leverage deep change. How do unexamined social constructs in regions of the world, institutions, and groups blind us to the working of our thinking and being and how to question them with development rather than debate.

• The seven causes that divert focus toward piecemeal efforts and how to explore what to do instead. Based on 7 laws of degeneration that make everyone suffer, but more so the most disadvantaged. Leading to endeavors that entrench the ruts that most need eroding.

• The underlying premises that, if challenged and evolved, would give all of us a better footing.

• Redesigning work and work practices to promote DEI in HOW the system works, rather than workarounds, accommodations, legal actions, and activists approaches that often make matters worse in some domains and replace them with business (re)design and human development. We use effective means as the primary approaches. How to raise everyone in the whole system up because, and so that, it is close to impossible to discriminate against anyone.

How the Event works

This is a workshop—not a lecture, with presentations or talking heads. Attendees use reflection, dialogue and experiments to validate ideas and concepts for themselves. They use candidate premises, not borrowed practices that are untested; ones that have been effective in other places. There are no debates or arguing for a position with talking points. Come only if you are open to generating alternative ideas and practices and are willing to wrestle with your own beliefs as well as ones we offer. We are not offering programs and templates, but a new set of premises/beliefs and principles from which to design your future, based on hundreds of experiences around the world. We are most interested in small groups of leaders attending who are deeply dedicated to bringing about deep change by experiencing and exploring different approaches, putting new ways of thinking against our experience, and applying these toward very old and entrenched problems that it is high time to solve. Bring a beginner’s mind!

Outcomes: Create For Yourselves During the Day!

• A new vetted set of premises about approaches to designing programs, systems and structures that benefit all employees—but can be life-changing to those who are always getting the short end of the stick

• New work designs that improve those most often disadvantaged while simultaneously make it a better business in terms or market, workplaces, and business bottom and top line. So, no trade-offs.

Since there are no recommended practices or programs, you are setting your own new course based on a shift in your foundation premises. The day should be disruptive and lead you to be ready to question, design, and dialogue to start the change. We do offer a Regenerative Management and Work (Re)design community that has a new Cohort for 2024 and we can tell you more to see if it is a fit for your plans after the Summit. Our attendees will have much to start with.

Who should attend:

Three or more parties from the same organization who have position or authority to carry forward ideas and new thinking that arises, into practice. It is great for those who LOVE our idea of how the event will work!. There is no single party attendance and therefore no tickets for one person. You will be in working groups with your organizational colleagues digging into the premises you are currently working with and what alternatives you generate that may give you hope and get you excited. Multiple perspective is important so cross functional teams and roles will bring the most, and most rapid, change.

Investment Fee:

$648 for first 3 participants, $216 for each additional attending member. As always, it takes a team, not individuals, to engage in the full experience of the Summit. We charge for 3 attendees even if bringing less. But we suggest you pay to bring more. The average is 6 per company. A cross section of perspectives or roles is typical and advised.

Business Teams Only! No consultants. Email Carol with questions and confirmation of fit before paying. No refunds.