This is a book about knowledge acquisition unfolding over an individual's lifespan, with immediate effects on how the individual collaborates with others. Pivotal in this unfolding is the role of dialectic that moves an individual's thinking from objectifying, logical understanding, or identity thinking (Adorno 1999), to a more holistic and dynamic, transformational world view. The book focuses on the nature of dialectical movements-in-thought, made traceable by the Dialectic Thought Form Framework

We've known for years now that demands on leaders are only increasing. Yet we have lacked rigorous ways to support development for leaders to meet these demands. In Maturing Leadership, Jonathan Reams brings together a cast of expert contributors to explore the value of a developmental approach to these issues.

This book sketches the contours of a vision that moves beyond the dominant paradigm or worldview that underlies and governs modernity (and postmodernity). It does so by drawing on the remarkable leap in human consciousness that occurred during the Axial Age and on a cross-pollination of what are arguably the three most comprehensive integrative metatheories available today: Complex thought, integral theory and critical realism – i.e. a complex integral realism. By deploying the three integrative metatheories this book recounts how the seeds of a number of biases within the Western tradition – analytical over dialectical, epistemology over ontology, presence over absence and exterior over interior – were first sown in axial Greece, later consolidated in European modernity and then challenged throughout the 20th century. It then discusses the remedies provided by the three integrative philosophies, remedies that have paved the way for a new vision. Outlining a ‘new axial vision’ for the twenty-first century which integrates the best of premodernity, modernity and postmodernity within a complex integral realist framework, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of the Axial Age, critical realism, integral theory and complex thought. It will also appeal to those interested in a possible integration of the insights and knowledge gleaned by science, spirituality and philosophy.

The book is a textbook written for leaders, managers, and process consultants working with individuals, groups, and organizations.It is the first book making dialectical theories of knowledge useful for day-to-day problem solving, updating Frankfurt School insights for the 21st century.The book addresses issues of business leadership for an evolving planet and the need for transformational thinking in intercultural and international environments.It unravels the cognitive dimension of human work, by introducing a cognitive theory of work and of organizations, and lays the foundation for the requisite organization of companies and public institutions through capability management,

This three-volume set introduces the practice of advanced, ‘dialectical’ systems-level problem solving in both the social and natural sciences. In social science, it opens new vistas regarding organizational, strategy, and work design. In the natural sciences, it provides heretofore missing conceptions of physical systems in peril due to the climate crisis. In addition, the author draws conclusions that are important for advancing generative AI. The monograph presents novel conceptual tools that directly impact the internal structure of a systems analyst’s mental processing in real time. While the first volume lays the theoretical groundwork for dialectical systems analysis, the second, focusing on the nature of work, lays bare the structure of complex thinking in terms of the ‘thought forms’ it requires. In order to facilitate better understanding of the principles taught in the first two volumes, the third volume provides a Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms, which is the only one in existence today.

This three-volume set introduces the practice of advanced, ‘dialectical’ systems-level problem solving in both the social and natural sciences. In social science, it opens new vistas regarding organizational, strategy, and work design. In the natural sciences, it provides heretofore missing conceptions of physical systems in peril due to the climate crisis. In addition, the author draws conclusions that are important for advancing generative AI. The monograph presents novel conceptual tools that directly impact the internal structure of a systems analyst’s mental processing in real time. While the first volume lays the theoretical groundwork for dialectical systems analysis, the second, focusing on the nature of work, lays bare the structure of complex thinking in terms of the ‘thought forms’ it requires. In order to facilitate better understanding of the principles taught in the first two volumes, the third volume provides a Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms, which is the only one in existence today.

This three-volume set introduces the practice of advanced, ‘dialectical’ systems-level problem solving in both the social and natural sciences. In social science, it opens new vistas regarding organizational, strategy, and work design. In the natural sciences, it provides heretofore missing conceptions of physical systems in peril due to the climate crisis. In addition, the author draws conclusions that are important for advancing generative AI. The monograph presents novel conceptual tools that directly impact the internal structure of a systems analyst’s mental processing in real time. While the first volume lays the theoretical groundwork for dialectical systems analysis, the second, focusing on the nature of work, lays bare the structure of complex thinking in terms of the ‘thought forms’ it requires. In order to facilitate better understanding of the principles taught in the first two volumes, the third volume provides a Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms, which is the only one in existence today.

This book compels professionals to actively imbibe self-awareness in their thought process in order to help them manage complexities in business. The authors explore dialectical thinking –in contrast to logical thinking—and introduce a new mind-opening thinking process called “Metathinking”. Four case studies demonstrate the application of Metathinking. The reader shall come across, and learn from, a multitude of mind opening questions on a variety of topics, with particular focus on leadership and transformation. Practical exercises are also offered for training and discussion in the workplace.

This book, split across two volumes, is a follow-up and companion to Metatheory for the Twenty-First Century (Routledge, 2016). All three of these volumes are the dialogical outcome of a multi-year symposia series wherein critical realists and integral theorists deeply engaged each other and their distinct but complementary approaches to integrative metatheory. Whereas Metatheory for the Twenty-First Century is primarily theoretical in its focus, Big Picture Perspectives for Planetary Flourishing: Metatheory for the Anthropocene aims to more concretely and practically address the complex planetary crises of a new era that many scholars now refer to as ‘the Anthropocene.’ In this first of two new volumes, participants of the symposia series articulate a variety of ‘big picture perspectives’ and transformative interventions in the domains of society and economics, social psychology, and education. Together, these chapters demonstrate how integrative metatheory and its application can make powerful contributions to planetary flourishing in the Anthropocene. With one of the defining characteristics of the Anthropocene being the sheer complexity and multi-valent nature of our interconnected global challenges, these volumes crucially present new forms of scholarship that can adequately weave together insights from multiple disciplines into new forms of metapraxis. As such, this book will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in the areas of philosophy, social theory, critical realism, integral studies, metamodernism, and current affairs generally.

This book describes and illustrates the nature of dialectical thinking as a cognitive psychological phenomenon, and makes the case that this form of cognitive organizaton is a possible successor to the adolescent formal operations stage. It uses the idea of dialectical thinking to organize theory and research on adult forms of reasoning about specific kinds of issues into a rich and coherent conceptual framework for the study of adult development. This framework makes feasible an approach to the study of adult development firmly rooted in the genetic epistemological tradition as an alternative to the approaches which currently dominate the field.