Presence is an intimate look at the development of a new theory about change and learning. In wide-ranging conversations held over a year and a half, organizational learning pioneers Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers explored the nature of transformational change—how it arises, and the fresh possibilities it offers a world dangerously out of balance. The book introduces the idea of “presence”—a concept borrowed from the natural world that the whole is entirely present in any of its parts—to the worlds of business, education, government, and leadership. Too often, the authors found, we remain stuck in old patterns of seeing and acting. By encouraging deeper levels of learning, we create an awareness of the larger whole, leading to actions that can help to shape its evolution and our future.
Drawing on the wisdom and experience of 150 scientists, social leaders, and entrepreneurs, including Brian Arthur, Rupert Sheldrake, Buckminster Fuller, Lao Tzu, and Carl Jung, Presence is both revolutionary in its exploration and hopeful in its message. This astonishing and completely original work goes on to define the capabilities that underlie our ability to see, sense, and realize new possibilities—in ourselves, in our institutions and organizations, and in society itself.
Orders placed through this website (or the SoL website) include a free downloadable copy of The Presence Workbook, a 40-page companion guide to Presence. The workbook is also available for purchase.
Download the Faxable Order Form
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SoL Workshop - Presencing: Collective Leadership for Profound Innovation and Change
December 3-7, 2007, Boston, Massachusetts, US
Join Otto Scharmer, Beth Jandernoa, and Arawana Hayashi for this 4-day workshop based on the "U model" featured in Presence.
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Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges
Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges, is SoL's newest publication by C. Otto Scharmer. In it, the “U” process, first introduced in his previous work Presence, is expanded, deepened, and offered in comprehensive detail. The shift in awareness he documents allows us to connect to our best future possibility and realize it.
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DVD - Presence In Action: An Introduction to Theory U
Presence in Action is a DVD featuring C. Otto Scharmer's keynote address prepared for the opening session of SoL's Second Global Forum in September of 2005. In three segments, "Shifting the Social Field," "Facing Three Enemies," and "A 12-Step Presencing Practice," Scharmer introduces the social technology of presencing to management and management science. Read More...
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