Systems Thinking and Personality Types LO22649

Winfried Dressler (winfried.dressler@voith.de)
Tue, 14 Sep 1999 21:41:40 +0200

Replying to LO22636 --

At de Lange tells us, that he is

>waiting for some fellow learner to make the connection between
>creativity and personality so that we can shift into a higher gear.

Let me pick up that ball. In fact, I did make the connection in LO22603,
but not on a formal level. I tried to connect to tacit knowledge about the
inappropriateness of typing (with respect to the "higher gear") by
pointing to experiences with ones creative personality. I did it by means
of a wish. I could do it, because I could feel that wish strongly and I
got wonderful private feedback.

There was no need to explain the wish on a formal level, because those who
understood that wish because they already have the experience don't need
explanation and explanation doesn't help the others.

Now its a few days ago and with At's trigger and the private feedback in
mind, I may add a few words.

My wish was basically about the experience of getting mirrored by another
person that you are a unique, creative YOU. The shortest and most direct
way I could think of was to call that moment "Wow".

Did you ever experience that in a normal everyday situation, you say a few
words to someone else and suddenly his/her face lights up and the type you
were dealing with transforms into a whole person? As soon as you recognise
that you are standing in the light which you have ignited, you realise
that you are a whole person as well, but that you have been also just a
type a few seconds before? Its a moment of a gear shift. It's when
communication turns into a dialogue. You "have" still your personality
type, but that is not important in that situation. Your hair doesn't
change its colour - unimportant. But there are also changes which are
important: muscle tonus, blood pressure, breathing pattern, presence.

This experience is characterised as being strong, soft, joyfull and
"unsticky". If this is love, then a problem arises when you FALL into that
love. You want that strongness, that softness, the very joyfull feeling?
Really? Is it too good to be true? Longed for so long? Desire?? You stick
to it! Downshift of the gear... It's the type aspects of personality which
are so sticky. When you are unsure about your love, you fall into it. One
comment to me said: "I guess the point is, that you can never chase the
"Wow" for yourself".

Another issue which arose was the necessity to distinguish between that
"wow" and admiration. One is admired for certain type aspects. You can
feel that an admirer does not mean the whole: you.

What has this all to do with creativity? I regard the shift from
interacting with a bunch of type qualities to meeting and connecting to an
individual "You" as a major creative act.

Does an organization want to deal with such "you"-individuals? I wouldn't
regard an organization as a LO if not. On the other hand I can hear in
answer to At's questions:

>Is the task of a LO not to help unlock the full potential of each of its
>members? Is it possible to typify anything at all when it is still
>potential?

"Is it possible to get the potential of a nail actual with a screwdriver?"

Liebe Gruesse,

Winfried

-- 

"Winfried Dressler" <winfried.dressler@voith.de>

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