Teal Organizations and Red Organizations 🐦

I've been reflecting this week on Frédéric Laloux's profound insights into Teal organizations from his seminal work, Reinventing Organizations. There are so many extremely detailed and clear examples of what actual companies have done for decades from this radically different way of organizing. You can review the details free on this wiki and on these videos/podcast. I’m proud of how deeply The Relateful Company lives the Teal practices of wholeness, evolutionary purpose, and self-management, despite our many flaws, failures, and flails over the past decade.

This reflection also revealed some personal blindspots. In looking for the best in people and organizations, I have overlooked dark, painful, and retrospectively obvious truths. As a result I’ve been guilty of “sins of omission” in at least one organization I’ve been associated with. Seeing this organization through Laloux's detailed descriptions shockingly reveals a setup dominated by power, control, and egocentrism steeped in the "Red" paradigm. I mistakenly thought of “Red” cultures as being foreign—something in gangs, mafias, or warlords—not spiritual teachers or any cultures I’m a part of (ha)! I forgot that whenever we aim for something beyond the standard, we risk being sub-standard. Now I'm more conscious of the power-drivers in others and myself. I'm more conscious of my avoidance. I'm more capable of facing the world as it is.

With love, Jordan