Wheatley: It’s all about community
05/09 -- The only way to find our way through the global economic crisis is through “the power of community,” said organizational consultant and researcher Meg Wheatley at a Focus on Education Lecture.
Wheatley showed photos of deep space and nature to illustrate the primacy of interconnectedness and relationships in astrophysics and biology and said these concepts apply to human society, as well.
“We’re living in a time of increased anxiety and stress,” she said, pointing to the recent spate of mass killings. Teachers report that they’re seeing more stress among children whose parents are losing jobs.
“Community is the way out of this,” she said. As the nation sinks further into hard times, she noted, there has been evidence that people are coming together more to support one another. For example, in some workplaces, employees have agreed to voluntary pay cuts or reduced work schedules so others won’t lose their jobs.
According to Wheatley, a healthy community:
- Identifies itself as a community
- Involves youths in significant ways, such as decision making
- Focuses on what is possible. “What we hope for engages our creativity, our hearts and minds and spirits,” she said. But when you focus on what’s wrong, you get complaints and blaming.
- Talks to itself and keeps expanding the conversation.
- Expects leadership everywhere. People become leaders not just because they are voted in or have a master’s degree, she said. “What makes someone a leader is when they connect with something they care about.”
In the South Pacific, she said, “a healthy community is one where the children are singing the songs taught to them by their elders.” In our society, a healthy community is one where people in a parking lot return their shopping carts to the right place.
Wheatley says community engagement requires faith in people, a focus on relationships, time to reflect, patience, and good group processes that encourage calm, thoughtful reflection.
She mentioned the “kitchen table” community conversations spearheaded by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and the Arkansas School Boards Association’s study circles as good examples of community engagement.
At a previous conference, a school board member mentioned that her board allowed everyone to speak for five minutes at board meetings. “That sounds good on the surface,” Wheatley said, but it invites drama and histrionics, rather than good reflection.
“Keep expanding the circle of inclusion,” she advised. “Always ask who should be invited next time. Whose voice do we need to hear?”