‘Theory U’ suggests shifting from a personal, individual-centered approach to a collective, group-centered one in order to move towards a regenerative society. It suggests we should get to “eco-system awareness”-driven forms of cooperation through a process known as the “journey of the U”. What follows is an application of Theory U to developing regenerative ecosystems, from Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies by Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer.

Table of Contents

Theory U Framework

7 Leadership Capacities

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5 Stages of Regeneration

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7 Capacities and 5 Stages

of Theory U applied to regenerative development.

Leadership Capacity: Listening

The foundational capacity of the U is listening. Listening to others. Listening to oneself. And listening to what emerges from the collective. Effective listening requires the creation of open space in which others can contribute to the whole, and understanding the world as it is.

The Three Divides

Like the tip of an iceberg, the symptoms of our current situation are only the visible and explicit parts of our current reality. This symptoms level is a whole landscape of issues and pathologies that constitute three “divides”:

  1. The Ecological Divide: We leave an ecological footprint of 1.5 planets; that is, we are currently using 50 percent more resources than our planet can regenerate
    1. Water
    2. Soil
    3. Climate
    4. Eco-Systems
  2. The Socioeconomic Divide: Two and a half billion people on our planet subsist on less than US$2 per day. In the United States, the top 1 percent has a greater collective worth than the entire bottom 90 percent.
    1. Hunger
    2. Poverty
    3. Inequality
  3. The Spiritual-Cultural Divide: This reflects a disconnect between self and Self—that is, between one’s current “self” and the emerging future “Self” that represents one’s greatest potential.
    1. Happiness and Well-Being
    2. Burning, Depression, Suicide