Middle Way Management and Three Worldviews

In my last post, I discussed respect, or the lack thereof, and how it is both essential for the practice of and a result of Middle Way Management™ efforts. Another excellent way to practice respect is to understand your own worldviews, even as they are compartmentalized and manifest in different ways during your busy daily practice.

Western Worldviews
In the Western world, we have three worldviews at our disposal: Premodern (Ancient), Modern (Scientific), and Postmodern. These predominant views span specific time frames of Western history, yet all are in active practice today. How you compartmentalize them and how they affect your practice of Middle Way Management are the primary concerns of this post. Be assured: you will view the world in different ways throughout your busy management day.

We can hold all views simultaneously, depending on context:

Premodern (Ancient)--->Modern (Scientific)--->Postmodern

The Premodern (Ancient) Worldview
Premodernism spans the time from the dawn of humans (alternately 200,000 years or 6,000 years depending on your premodern belief system) to the Age of Enlightenment period that ended roughly in the late 18th century. The Premodern period is characterized by a belief in a higher power that controls our destinies and interacts with us through supplication (on our part) and reward for good behavior (on the higher power's part). This has historically taken the form of a cosmic contract type of worship that includes rituals such as worship, sacrifice, and prayer, among others. Organized religion is a recent development in the history of humans, which has acted as a formalization of these practices and has guided our premodern beliefs even through the modern and postmodern periods.

The Modern (Scientific) Worldview
Modernism began with the development of the Scientific Method as a way to test and verify the assumptions we make about the world. This is strikingly different than accepting edicts handed down from religious leaders who we believe represent a higher power with ultimate knowledge. The Scientific Method is accretive and progressive so that we truly do create knowledge upon the shoulders of giants, or at least those who have gone before us. This Modern viewpoint took root during the Age of Enlightenment and  is, like Premodernism, still quite active today. We see this in the language we use including words such as scientific, experimental, and hypothesis, to name but a few.

The Postmodern Worldview
Postmodernism really took off after World War II and reflects a viewpoint that recognizes neither a higher power nor a scientific approach to how we view the world. Postmodernism understands that each person has a unique, complete story and that individual phenomena offer as much, if not more, analytical value than aggregate observations. Postmodernism values complexity and chaos and non-deterministic outcomes.  Postmodernism offers critical assessment intended to not only describe and explain difference, but to hold it in the highest regard; it teaches us that objective and subjective reality exist only as paradoxes based upon modernistic understanding and that there is a different way for us to think about the world that is grounded in an acceptance of ultimately not finding all of the answers we seek.

Why Do These Matter to Middle Way Management?
The three worldviews are important to Middle Way Management because they affect how we manage people and processes in an organizational context. Since we are rationalizing creatures by nature (based on that pesky big brain), we all practice these worldviews throughout the day. For instance, a manager might offer up a quick prayer to the Christian God on the way in to work: "Oh, Lord, let today be a good one and help me make it through this latest downsizing exercise." Once at work, he analyzes the data and decides upon variables to be used for the downsizing efforts. Then, while meeting with people to lay them off work, he tries to offer personal assistance by actively listening to them, valuing what they have to say, and working with them to "understand that unknown outcomes are okay, too, and that this is a transition period to something better." That something better is, of course, never really defined.

This is a simplistic example, yet it illustrates how we can compartmentalize our worldviews as we interact with people and do our best to fulfill organizational goals and objectives. Because the single driving goal of the Middle Way Manager™ is the relief of suffering at the individual and organizational levels, it is imperative you understand your worldview(s) as you develop your practice. This understanding and recognition speaks to congruence and integrity, both of which are necessary for compassionate practice and gentle accountability, all hallmarks of the true Middle Way Manager. So, as you navigate your busy management day, remain ever mindful of the worldview you are bringing to your practice - it may just determine your success as a Middle Way Manager.

Onward! Darin

Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.