Organization and Education Development Reflecting and Transforming in a Self-Discovery Journey

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Figures and Tables

List of Abbreviations

1 Introduction: Why the Journey, the Itinerary, and the Fellow Travelers?

It is never too late to embark on a journey to learn about oneself

Two salient events in my life and their effects on me

Options in mapping out my journey

What is the "best travel agenda"?

Core values for my research journey of discovery

What I need to know and discover on my journey: objectives and questions　

My fellow travelers

2 Essential Items Packed for the Journey: OD Theories and Concepts
with　Accompanying Studies and Literature

Introduction

My travel bag　

Reflective Practice

Appreciative Inquiry and Appreciative Living　

Positive Organization Scholarship　

Charlotte Shelton’s seven quantum skills

Positive psychology, and flow and creativity

Action Research Living Theory

Eastern perspectives: ikigai, yoga, meditation, and tai chi

Mindfulness

Self-awareness

Self: The human being is part of the whole, called the Universe

Know yourself

3 All Aboard: My Journey Travelers Who Helped Me in Navigating My Route

My ticket for the journey: the research paradigm

Three instruments in my research paradigm

Respondents for the surveys and interviews

Data collection

Journaling

Surveys and interviews

Feedback questions　

　

　

4 The Journey: What I Learned from My Initial Fellow Travelers and Myself in　Relation to the Values of Integrity, Professionalism, and Spirituality

Introduction

Research question 1: What are the consistent ways in which practicing my three values of
integrity, professionalism, and spirituality make me a fully integrated person?

Summary　

Impact of independent readership on my journal entries

Research question 2: Through what behavioral lenses do my friends and students
perceive me practicing the three values?

Surveys

Interviews

Summary　

5 The Journey Continues: What I Learned from My Additional Fellow Travelers　and
Myself on My Top Three Discoveries and on My Final Model

Introduction　

Research question 3: What are the top three discoveries I gained from my practice of the
three values?

Summary

Research question 4: What model can I craft toward becoming (a) a fully integrated
person and (b) a better professor?

Summary

Four illustrative vignettes

Vignette One (on professionalism)

Brief episode

Extrapolation

Vignette Two (on integrity)

Brief episode

Extrapolation

Vignette Three (on spirituality)

Brief episode

Extrapolation

Vignette Four (on all three values of integrity, professionalism, and spirituality)

Brief episode

Extrapolation

6 Completing the Journey: The Final OD model, the Lessons Learned, the MICAI
Intersection Model, Summaries of Reflective Practices, and Does the Journey Really End?　

A fulfilling journey and the six-spoked wheel model　

General conclusions

Specific conclusions

Core values

A clear process for the route taken　

The road is never neatly defined　

A three-legged stool of values　

There is always room for improvement in teaching and in living life　

I am part of the cosmos and I contribute to the dynamic whole　

The Matter-Ikigai-Creativity-Appreciative Inquiry/Living (MICAI) Intersection Model

Instances in applying the MICAI Intersection Model

Summaries of reflective practices for a reader to use

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Several specific examples of simple daily reflective practices　

Example 1: Morning — the sun rises, we rise, we awaken

Example 2: A flock of birds flying in the sky

Example 3: Eating slowly and tasting the gently-stirred oatmeal porridge

you cooked

A poem to sum up my journey and salient pointers I learned

Concluding notes and recommendations

Key ingredients in embarking on a journey　

Incorporation of other concepts and theories　

Always revisit your journey

　

7 Postscript from My Journey: Covid-19, the New Normal, and Ways of Rediscovering Oneself

Introduction

My final model in relation to Covid-19

Impact of Covid-19 on OD models and new values in OD

Covid-19 as a crisis of opportunity

Mental maps: conventional and new normal　

Unleashing the best in us

Shakespeare and the Black Plague: creativity sparked in dramatic plays

Chekhov in isolation: creativity released in the wilderness　

Wordsworth as a solitary person: creativity unlocked through poetry

The miracle of Robben Island: creativity uncaged through imprisonment

and confinement

An exercise in reinterpreting lines from As You Like It, 1599: As rewritten in 2020, the
new normal

Epilogue

Appendix 1: Selected Journal Entries as Samples Showing Self-Reflection

Appendix 2: Selections from the Data Collection Table Reporting Interviews with the

Respondents

Glossary

Index

Biography

Suresh Nanwani is Professor in Practice at Durham University, UK, and Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University. He is an author, a writer, and an editor and has more than 30 years of development work experience in international organizations.

'Leadership is influence founded on the process of continuous self-discovery.　In this extraordinary book you will learn how to become who you really are, in making the journey you will tap into capacities you did not previously believe possible.'

Professor Robert E. Quinn, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Center for Positive Organizations, and co-author of The Economics of Higher Purpose (2019)　

'Sociologists create constructs to make sense of the world where individuals or groups design personal conceptions of reality. Dr. Nanwani’s book allows insights into building models that capture self-identity and societal meaning to live one’s story.'

Dr. William A. Loxley, Social Science author on knowledge and development　

'This book, Organization and Education Development: Reflecting and Transforming in a Self-Discovery Journey, is a beautiful example of how to apply positive organization development theories to your life to become a happier and better version of yourself. The book is also a brilliant resource for any educator wanting to take their performance and teaching satisfaction to the next level.'

Jacqueline Kelm, author and founder of Appreciative Living

'One’s conscious and deeply motivated lifelong journey toward self-mastery requires a tough start-up: a comfortable knowledge and acceptance of who we are — past and present. And the onward journey proceeds with grit, courage, and hope that we are capable of bringing ourselves to a better place where all the sufferings and joys, the chaos and calm in this life — past, present, and future — converge into that sacred space of celebration and appreciation of who we have become. This is what the MICAI Intersection Model of Suresh is offering to the reader as his gift.'

Rosalina O. Fuentes, Founding President, Loyola Institute of Positive Organization Development and　Academic Dean (October 1997 to May 2020), SAIDI Graduate School of Organization Development Philippines

'Organization and Education Development: Reflecting and Transforming in a Self-Discovery Journey is an important guide and resource for those who want to discover and understand themselves more deeply as a person and how to relate with others and to make the world we live in become more satisfying and fulfilling. The book also offers many insights that will surely nourish the minds and souls of those who will be embarking on a similar journey. I wish to congratulate and thank Prof. Suresh Nanwani for his passion in journeying through his self-discovery and for sharing his solid experiences with the readers.'

Dr. Dolores M. Torres, Vice Chairman and Management Senior Adviser CARD Bank, Inc., Philippines,

'The process of self-change is critical for everyone. In sharing his instructive models and fascinating insights, the author has emphasized that a constantly evolving self-reflection leads to more purposeful self-discovery and meaningful relationships with others.'　

Marie-Paul B de Luna, PhD, MNSA, Loyola Institute of Positive Organization Development, Philippines

'Having journeyed professionally with Dr. Nanwani through various parts of the world and the complex lives of other cultures, I find it exciting to read his testimony on the integrative journey he has undertaken toward a learning person in mind, body, spirit, and soul. As a blending of memoir and guidebook for others, the book is a tour de force that leaves any truth-seeking reader inspired to seek out the sources Dr. Nanwani has found in organizational theory, multiple cultures, and wise people of the past. Whatever your age and experience, this book will give you insights for creating a sense of wholeness in response to inevitable change in ourselves and the world around us.'

Richard E. Bissell, Former Executive Director of Policy and Global Affairs,US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

'Suresh Nanwani has made original contributions to both Organization Development and Educational Theory. These contributions are made through focusing on living values of integrity, professionalism, and spirituality while integrating insights from theories, concepts, and models of Organization Development. In my language of living-educational-theories, the book demonstrates how individuals can explain their own educational influences in learning with values that carry hope for the flourishing of humanity.'

Dr. Jack Whitehead, Visiting Professor of Education, University of Cumbria, United Kingdom

'Professor Nanwani very effectively uses the metaphor of a journey to discuss innovative insights into personal transformation. His approach to writing is as diverse as his educational and professional background (law, finance, and organization development). He creatively uses journaling, vignettes, plays, and poetry to bring new perspectives to topics like Appreciative Inquiry, Positive Psychology, Eastern Philosophies, and Quantum Skills and then translates these insights into the MICAI Intersection Model for personal and organizational transformation. Dr. Nanwani’s Covid-19 postscript makes this a very timely read for all who are committed to living purposefully and positively during chaotic times.'

Professor Charlotte Shelton, Helzberg School of Management, Rockhurst University, Kansas City, USA

'Suresh Nanwani has embarked on a unique journey to discover and experience his "whole-ness" — his most authentic self in connection with the world around him. In this book, he shares with us invaluable lessons from this journey in the form of his MICAI Intersection Model. This integrative guide provides examples on how to search for what is best in and around us, and what gives our life true meaning. His approach is multidisciplinary, drawing from organization development, positive psychology, education development; and combines western and eastern models and philosophies. His journey reflects on what can be nurtured within us to flourish through positivity and appreciation. This is an especially valuable read for anyone who is searching for more meaning and purpose in this mysterious and ever-changing world.'　

Ronald Fry, PhD, Professor of Organizational Behavior, Fowler Center for Business as Agent for World Benefit, Case Western Reserve University, USA

'Suresh presents an inspiring story to say the least. This book is brimming with valuable research and insights that are provided in meticulous detail for people of all ages. His MICAI intersection model and analysis will leave you thinking about how to connect the dots in your journey of self-discovery. Bravo!'

Vik Kapoor, Former United States Federal Emergency Management Agency Ombuds and Consultant for the UN Funds and Programmes

'Organization and Education Development: Reflecting and Transforming in a Self-Discovery Journey is a really interesting account of someone’s professional and personal journey, and the points of intersection between the two. A valuable read for anyone interested in the principles and process of reflective practice and who wishes to be motivated by someone’s commitment to leave a positive legacy.'

Dr. Simon Milligan, Consultant and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Lund University

'Examining our life helps us become aware of the complexity of human relationships and to be able to recognize the interconnectedness of us all. In Organization Development, coaching, and change, new practitioners will oftentimes experience pressure to know the field, its techniques, theories, maps, and models. Leading change and leading others though, always starts with leading self. Suresh’s book provides an entry door to just that. It is an important step on a lifelong journey, after which comes the here and now, the mastery beyond technique and deep use of self that I’ve observed among these expert practitioners.'

Lise Bruynooghe, Founder, Profound Consulting (www.profound-consulting.com) and cofounder, Both& (https://both-and-partners.org/)

'The future of education and OD revolves around strengthening and supporting the evolving self both on the level of the individual and the collective. To do that, we need a new approach to research that integrates 1^st person, 2^nd person, and 3^rd person knowledge. In this book, Suresh Nanwani does a wonderful job in integrating these methodologies and thus advancing our understanding of learning.'

Otto Scharmer, Senior Lecturer, MIT; Founding Chair, Presencing Institute

'The journey that the author took to know and learn more about himself is a very positive approach to living. The research study goes contrary to the belief that education and learning about new things, including oneself, lessens in importance with age. Nanwani’s example teaches us that knowing and improving oneself transcends age, experience, and background. Nanwani’s book is most helpful in enabling each one of us to gain a more solid moral foothold in the slippery slope of this pandemic.'

Antonio G. M. La Viña, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines (Book review in Manila Standard, Philippines, 11 September 2021)　

"Dr. Nanwani presents a very creative self-assessment tool with a feedback model on self-evaluation. As a conflict resolution practitioner, I will utilize this tool for leaders seeking self-assessments in lieu of 360 degree reviews. Overall, this is a fascinating read empowering readers to apply the techniques Dr. Nanwani shares in his book, to not just learn about oneself, but how to navigate major events in one’s life and repurpose that energy to be positive, purposeful, and resilient."

Bina Patel, PhD, Ombuds, Arbiter and Organizational Health Strategist