Evolutionary Provocateur

Biomimicry and Intelligent Design

The fascinating thing about nature is that it is always more than it seems. A recent Evolutionary Provocateur podcast interview with Dr. Bruce Lipton called Behold the Lowly Amoeba, showed us how the design of cells replicates the design of organizations, assuming that the nutrients and support systems are all in place. He made a point of noting that these are not paralell structures; they are replicated off of the same design.

 

When I see the work biomimicry, I can’t help but think that really it isn’t about mimicking anything. It is that the design has an innate intelligence of its own which for the most part goes unnoticed. When putting a collage together for a workshop with Tom Voccola last August I found a picture of a clear cut in

Malaysia

. The aerial shot of the clear cut showed that the pattern of the cut was the exact shape of the Tree of Life. Uncanny.

 

So biomimicry becomes more of an intentional way to think about and draw from naturally design as inspiration for a way to interact with the planet without further compromising all that sustains us.  The Biomimicry Institute is an example.

 

Without looking for the repeating patterns it is hard to spot. Until you think about buying a Toyota Prius, you don’t realize how many are on the road. To make it a bit easier there is a page over at Fast Company which is totally dedicated to examples of how natural design informs human design.

 

As Dr. Bruce Lipton said in the interview, the cells in our body know how to use technology to advantage and know how to coordinate to achieve a specific mission and function. The human equivalent is mass collaboration which can use diversity to shift and realign the planets. Knowing that, it doesn’t seem to be a big stretch to release command and control and turn talent loose. If there was nothing in your way, what would you contribute, do, achieve?

Intuition Demystified

It has been a while since my last post...summer came and went here in Vancouver. Writing and podcasting kept me busy. Two books on the go: one for the corporate executive who becomes disconnected from all that matters; the other the mirror image of the human journey imbedded in the organizational culture as the scientifc principles apply to life equally.

One of the interviews was with Dr. Rollin McCraty at the HeartMath Institute whose recent research work on intuition is illuminating. To listen to the podcast go to http://www.management-issues.com/2008/9/5/podcast/intuition-mystical-power-or-powerful-tool.asp .

Dr. McCraty's research findings reveal that intuition is directly informed by the heart in that, similar to 9/11, there is a pre-cognitive awareness of an event 5-7 seconds prior to its occurence. (With 9/11 the electromagnetic field of the earth registered a disturbance 4-5 days prior to the event). The significance of the first portion of the study is that the heart is directly invovled in the processing of intuitive information.

Secondly, and this is where I get really excited, the data informing intuitive perception comes from three sources: intrinsic knowledge, energetic sensitivity,and non-local intuition. Intuition is associated with many things...mystical power for those who either don't believe in the science or who are so attached to logic that denial is preferred over openness; fear for others who have confused the signals; or reliable and acurate informant. Regardless of where you stand in your relationship with your own intuition the importance of energetic sensitivity creates a wonderful bridge for emotional intelligence as a means to clear the emotional charge out of the perceptual space so that the vibration of the moment can be sensed clearly. It also helps highly sensitive people see the blessing in a gift that can have a serious downside especially in toxic or working environments missing LOVE. Non-local intuition is that rapid moment of 'just knowing'. Without a cognitive trial or logical explanation, it is simply a matter of instanteous information transfer. Call it quantum transfer.

Why is this relevant? Well, we live in complex and warp 10+ times. Knowing what to trust is central to accurate decision making. Secondly, we are also in times when reliance on the logical/analytical solely is hazardous. Without respecting the role of the heart, there is a high risk of meltdown: emotional and otherwise.

I do hope that you enjoy the information on the show and I welcome your comments!

Playing in the Dirt is Good for your Health

While everyone knows ...most everyone... that gardening and playing in the dirt is good for you, now the scientists have come up with a demostration. Go tolhttp://www.livescience.com/health/070411_happy_bacteria.html to read the story.

Listening to Sound

There is a much higher level of skill required to lead in leadership, customer service, consulting or just plain achieving. Sensing the energy behind the words is a part of it. Laura Reid of Arlyn Reid (a HR and recruiting firm located in Vancouver) once asked me if you could teach people to communicate from source - their energy source. The answer is of course yes but you can not start from here to get to there. The journey involves becoming more body aware and energy sensitive. The whole idea of sensing energy as part of the 94% of non-verbal communication might seem flaky but the customer knows the difference when dealing with a sales or customer service agent that is disengaged with what they are doing. Humans naturally have this quality. To illustrate, there is an interesting experiment reported in Discover at http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/lingua-franca where a dog's bark, the level of frequency and tone indicate the message. If people can pick that up from a dog's bark it is a given that you can pick up the same signals from a co-worker or supervisor. This is where the person who intentionally sends out a mixed message ...tell them one thing while meaning and doing another, is totally busted. The listener knows. The big question is: Do you as a speaker know what emotional source you are communicating from?

Scientific Archives Free-Why Business Should Care

A Mensa member tipped me off to the resource offered by the Royal Society, free until December. It is the archives of their scientific publications going way back. If you love reading science this is a great opportunity. http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/index.cfm?page=1373

With increased receptivity to new science , which is really science that has been around awhile, science is becoming an important part of the basis for personal and professional growth work being done. This is imperative for effective learning to take place.

Most learning technologies have focused on the cognitive omitting the important emotional intelligences from which behavior is managed. Neuroscience and cellular biology are changing that, as business grasps that 'doing what has always been done and expecting different results' will not create the great leap out of reacting to outside threats.

To shift to the next level, business must embrace the creative mind more than the analytical which has excelled at taking things apart to the point where the interconnectivity gets lost. When the interconnectivity is lost so is the dynamic and an understanding of what powers the situation from the deeper levels.

This is not a time to be content with tinkering with superficial solutions. It is time to rattle the chain, bridge what looks to be irrelevant or possibly good theory, into expanding the corporate mind. As Danah Zohar's book, Rewiring the Corporate Brain, puts it restructuring and reengineering are surface solutions. The 'ra ra' motivational approach to change has to shift to the step- into-it kind of change.

"Deep transformational change requires that we literally rewire our brains, that we grow new neural connections." (Zohar). Neuroscience, quantum coherence, cellular biology all apply. There is no time like the present to utilize the knowledge to ramp up our ability to learn, expand and revitalize the corporate mind to achieve radical change.