Metanoic organizations in the transition to a sustainable society

The transition to a sustainable society will entail major shifts in many of the attitudes, values, and basic assumptions that have driven industrial growth. There is growing evidence that these shifts are already occurring and that private enterprise may become a primary locus for translating new values into operational principles. Many organizations are experimenting with pioneering innovations in organizational design and fundamentally different assumptions concerning the nature of individuals and organizations. Features of these organizations that are especially important for a sustainable society are the following: 1) a deep awareness of and sense of responsibility for the social systems within which individuals live and work, 2) an understanding of how complex systems can thwart well-intentioned interventions, and 3) a belief in the power of individuals aligned around an appropriate vision to influence such systems. In the long and stressful transitions to a society in balance with its environment, private enterprise can now play a pivotal role. The beliefs and assumptions that underlie the unsustainable growth era are not easily changed. Mechanisms are vitally needed that will allow them to unfreeze and evolve. Nurtured within organizations, new insights about the nature of humankind and the systems in which he operates are already being demonstrated on a small scale. As their feasibility is established, they will be more easily disseminated and accepted by society as a whole.