Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges

Color Insert Images by Kelvy Bird
Preface to the Second Edition
Foreword by Peter Senge
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I Bumping into Our Blind Spot
Chapter 1 Facing the Fire
Chapter 2 The Journey to “U”
Chapter 3 Fourfold Learning and Change
Chapter 4 Organizational Complexity
Chapter 5 Shifts in Society
Chapter 6 Philosophical Grounding
Chapter 7 On the Threshold
Part II Entering the U Field
Chapter 8 Downloading
Chapter 9 Seeing
Chapter 10 Sensing
Chapter 11 Presencing
Chapter 12 Crystallizing
Chapter 13 Prototyping
Chapter 14 Performing
Part III Presencing: a Social Technology for Profound Innovation and Change
Chapter 15 The Grammar of the Social Field
Chapter 16 Individual actions
Chapter 17 Conversational actions
Chapter 18 Organizational actions
Chapter 19 Global actions
Chapter 20 Catching Social reality Creation in Flight
Chapter 21 Principles and Practices of Presencing
Epilogue u.school: awareness Based Systems Change
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
About the Organization
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"Scharmer's Theory U model of how to open our mind, emotions, and will to moments of discovery and mutual understanding is profound and much needed."
--Edgar Schein, Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management

"The impact of the Theory U method on our organization is remarkable, but even more important is the amazing personal growth many leaders have experienced. Scharmer's work has allowed them to experience a new approach to the world."
--Marcia Marsh, Chief Operating Officer, World Wildlife Fund

"Theory U offers a unique integral perspective combined with a practical approach to addressing the megaissues facing our world today."
--Jack Jacometti, Director, Institute for Integrated Economic Research

"This book is an inspiration. It gives definition to the mystery of the creative process."
--Eileen Fisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer, Eileen Fisher Inc.
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C. Otto Scharmer is a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the founding chair of the Presencing Institute. He is faculty chair of MIT's IDEAS program; visiting professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing; and a cofounder of the Global Wellbeing and Gross National Happiness Lab, which links innovators from Bhutan, India, China, Brazil, Europe, and the United States to prototype profound innovations in government, business, education, and civil society. He is the coauthor of Leading from the Emerging Future and Presence.

Foreword author Peter Senge is a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning North America and the coauthor of the bestselling book, The Fifth Discipline.
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