Outcomes

Summarizing the outcomes of nearly four years of work is a daunting task which could literally take hundreds of pages. Indeed, the total word count of my twelve OPs and associated works certainly stretches that far. I've learned far more than I anticipated, both in depth and in scope, and I am deeply thankful that this has been largely applied learning based on real-world skill building. As a way to frame this outcomes reflection, I'm focusing it on my capstone cycle and basing it on the four components of the Outcomes section of the PoDAPO evaluation form (PoDAPO is an acronym for: Presentation & Organization, Design Skills, Action Learning, Process Skills, Outcomes) which is used to evaluate output packets: practical benefits to the field; adding value to the knowledge commons and dissemination efforts; competence and attention for professional development; and competence and attention for personal development. Taken together, they represent a comprehensive assessment of the value of my education and work while at Gaia University. My assessment is through the lens of my three capstone topic areas: regenerative economics, transformative education, and conscious leadership.

Practical Benefits to the Field

Every one of my capstone projects has been designed to advance the field of ecosocial design. My ongoing research into regenerative economics, which was the centerpiece of capstone OP2, has permeated much of what I've done over the last several years. It formed an important part of the pre-capstone work I did with Communities for Change, and played an expanded role in What Would Nature Do?. It has also been central to the organizational development work I've been doing with Cultures of Dignity and other organizational development clients, providing a socio-economic justification in reframing my client's worldviews towards conscious business. One of the most explicit expressions of this work was my role helping The Capital Institute and Natural Capitalism Solutions launch of the local hub of the Regenerative Communities Network, a project specifically about propagating regenerative economic practices. I write about this in OP2.

In creating What Would Nature Do? I identified important bridges between permaculture and the more socially-oriented design method, Theory U. In so doing, I opened the door to new ways of thinking about and using both of these important frameworks. By creating a replicable curriculum, I've laid the groundwork for others to use this information to bolster their own teaching and facilitation. Since we designed this course to be a fraction of the time and cost commitment of a PDC, it is accessible to a wider range of people.

Finally, my work on principles-based practices for Cultures of Dignity, the focus of OP4, applies complexity theory (via Cynefin) and ecosocial design principles to advance the field of Social-Emotional Learning, which is a form of Transformative Education. This work has the potential to change the way schools think about leadership, discipline, and student engagement towards more community-sourced, leaderful models.

Adding Value to the Knowledge Commons and Dissemination

The question of dissemination is one that my advisor has specifically asked to address comprehensively and I do my best to do so here. Virtually all of my projects have contained a visible dissemination component. This is either because they have been educational projects, or because I explicitly bring ecosocial design philosophy and practice into my work, engaging collaborators at a worldview level and subtly yet firmly promoting the eco-centric worldview that I believe is so important to a thriving future. At the same time, I acknowledge that far-reaching dissemination has not been my focus; rather my primary concerns have been inward, improving my knowledge and skills. My expectation is that dissemination will be fundamental to the growth of my career and while I was actively studying I was not ready to "go public." It is also true that prior to Gaia U my entire professional life was about dissemination, either as the creator and promoter of Social-Emotional Learning programs or as a documentary producer. Stepping back from that role for a time has been liberating. Still, dissemination is an important skillflex and a valuable action and I've included it in all my projects. Following I highlight some specific examples of how my work adds value to the knowledge commons and how I assess my dissemination impact.

My research on regenerative economics provides a useful comparative analysis of major contemporary thinking in this area and very deliberately bridges it with fundamentals of ecological literacy. This forms a core part of my teaching through WWND and my guest lectures at CU Boulder, through which I've reached around one hundred people in the last year. It is also an essential part of my worldview-adjusting with my business clients, which presently number around a dozen individuals in three companies. My contribution to launching the local Regenerative Communities Network helped bring this knowledge to my regional business community and link it with an international network of regenerative business practitioners. The reach of this group is presently small but there is high potential for me to reach hundreds of business owners over time. My research is currently publicly available only through Mahara, but I will be repackaging some of it for dissemination as a series of articles and blog posts on my new website and through outlets such as Medium. I will undertake these after graduation as part of my marketing plan.

What Would Nature Do? is a valuable addition to the field of ecosocial design education. By bridging the fundamentals of Theory U and Permaculture Design, I've set the foundations for the emergence of a third, more integrative approach to ecosocial design. In it, I coalesce the three threads of systems thinking, ecological literacy, and personal development and provide appropriate toolkits and a flow to integrate these in a way that equips other educators and facilitators to guide their own students on this journey. I will continue teaching and refining this material as a popular education course, and also breaking it down into modules and workshops suitable for settings such a business leadership trainings. I intend to make this material central to my teaching and consulting work and make available through various channels. Thus far I've reached around over 150 people between courses, workshops, webinars, and guest lectures with this material.

Cultures of Dignity was already delivering cutting edge programming on Social-Emotional Learning to around ten thousand students and educators per year before my Principles intervention with them. Helping them refine their thinking and develop a powerful strategic approach to their work represents a meaningful value add to the world of SEL and a massive potential for dissemination of my work. The fruits of my ongoing collaboration with CoD will reach tens of thousands of educators and students in the coming years.

Lastly, my participation in projects such as Boulder.Earth and The COMMON Foundation offer me ongoing opportunities to influence the development of these organizations and disseminate ecosocial philosophy and knowledge through their channels. Boulder.Earth boasts a reach of over almost 2000 readers, all of whom have received content from WWND. The COMMON Foundation is part of COMMON, a business alliance with around 250 member organizations. I am just beginning to reach into this organization. In sum, I have already had measurable reach, and am well positioned to begin significant dissemination efforts following my graduation.

Competence and Attention for Professional Development

As should be evident by now, professional development has been a primary focus of mine since the beginning of my program. After all, if I can't make a living at this work how am I supposed to have any meaningful impact. I explicitly addressed this question in my pre-capstone OP3 and again in my capstone OP2. My skillflex assessment tracks 28 separate abilities, all of them applicable to livelihood creation. The overwhelming majority of the projects that I report on in my OPs have been paid work, and all of those related to my capstone have been explicitly oriented towards building my skills and reputation as a reliable ecosocial designer.

Competence and Attention for Personal Development

It is a principle of mine that one cannot manifest outward what they do not practice inward. The framework of Theory U which has become central to my work as a designer includes a personal development framework based on bypassing reflexive habits of thought and behavior and accessing what they call open mind, open heart, and open will. These abilities may seem self-evident at first glance, but the ability to listen deeply, engage with what others are feeling, and set aside one's desires to leave room for what is truly needed requires dedication and practice. It also requires a willingness to self-regulate and accept feedback, one of the basic principles of permaculture. Throughout my time at Gaia I've worked diligently on all of these things. Working on my OPs and getting feedback from my peers and advisors is one tier of that work, but I've taken it deeper than that: I maintain a regular meditation and yoga practice which helps me recognize when I am reacting and instead pause and listen. I've also developed a practice of soliciting feedback whenever possible from colleagues and peers and taking the time to pause, listen, and reflect, skills which I've improved in part through the Advisor and Coaching Training which I started through Gaia. All of this I've bolstered by engaging a therapist to help me identify and correct unhealthy patterns.

The outcomes of this attention to personal development have included an improved relationship with my wife, children, and family, and smoother working relationships with colleagues. I feel it has also improved my problem solving abilities by enhancing my capacity to deeply understand the needs of each situation. From a leadership and team building perspective it has helped me let go of control and bring a greater quality of leaderfullness into projects.

For specific reflections on personal transformation during each of my capstone OPs, please refer to Pathway Reflections section on page 1.

OP5 Capstone – Learning Review

Core Report Page 4: Conclusions and Reflections

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