How can we approach organisational evolutions and endings regeneratively? In this episode I speak with the amazing Iris Andrews about New Constellations and their decision to enter a "chrysalis phase" of evolution.

Our approaches to change and transition, particularly in Western industrialised cultures, are often fraut with emotions like fear, shame, guilt and anxiety. And yet, change and transition is one of the only constants in life. In this episode Iris generously shares with us the thoughtful, loving and nature-inspired process that New Constallations is going though as part of its own evolution and allows us to deduce some key practices and design principles for cultivating a greater readiness for transition in our own organisations.

Key Links

New Constellations: https://newconstellations.co/

New Constellations' blog announcing their decision to chrysalis: https://newconstellations.substack.com/p/celebrating-five-years-and-preparing

Lily Piachaud from New Constellations' blog on Reimagining Organisations: https://newconstellations.substack.com/p/reimagining-organisations

The Wheel of the Year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_Year

So often the conversation around regenerative organisations centers on corporations, and with good reason. Corporations are incredibly powerful and often very destructive forces in our world. But all types of organisation need to evolve to become more regenerative, and this certainly includes some of the most powerful organisations in our society - national governments.

In this episode I speak with Jane Davidson, the architect of the Welsh Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. This world-leading piece of legislation commits the Welsh government to putting the wellbeing of future generations at the heart of everthing it does. It is a beautiful example of what it could look like for governments to embody more of the practices and values of regeneration and it is a source of inspiration and hope for me and many others.

We explore the impacts the Act has had, the key features that have enabled it to be successful, the 5 ways of working that embed the spirit of the act into everyday practice and the challenges she and others encountered bringing it to life.

Key Links

• Jane Davidson: https://janedavidson.wales/
• The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act: https://www.futuregenerations.wales/about-us/future-generations-act/
• Net Zero 2035 work: https://netzero2035.wales/
• Donella Meadows and The Limits to Growth: https://donellameadows.org/archives/a-synopsis-limits-to-growth-the-30-year-update/

The third in this series of episodes where we explore what it means for organisations to be regenerative by considering different aspects of their practice and activity.

In this episode we embrace the trunk and examine what it means for the internal world of an organisation, what it feels like and how it works INSIDE, to be more regenerative.

We consider three different layers to this area: the heartwood which represents the deep values and culture of an organisation; the sapwood, representing all of the organisation's practices, policies and processes; and finally the bark or the actual physical spaces where the organisation does its work.

For each of these areas we explore what it would look like for them to be more supportive of the greater thriving of life. Let's get started.

This epsiode does exactly what it says on the tin. Me and Kate Simpson, the Director of the Systemcraft Institute at Wasafiri, have a full-on geek-out about the ins and outs of self-management.

Having more self-managing, adaptive teams and structures is one of the key characteristics people most often mention when they talk about becoming a more regenerative organisation. However this area is often confusing and filled with complex theories and myths. In this discussion Kate lays out the very practical methods and practices that Wasifiri uses to get the optimum benefits of this more distributed, dynamic form of organising and offers us a huge set of tools and guidance for bringing this into our own organisations.

Key Links

Wasafiri: https://wasafirihub.com/

Systemcraft Institute: https://wasafirihub.com/systemcraft-institute/

Systemcraft Essentials: https://systemcraft.wasafirihub.com/plans/251613

Join the Systemcraft community! https://systemcraft.wasafirihub.com/about

We didn't talk about these explicitly but for those wishing to dive deeper into some of the key theories and bodies of work behind self-management should investigate Holocracy https://www.holacracy.org/ and Sociocracy https://sociocracy30.org/

The nursing example Kate mentions: https://www.buurtzorg.com/ and you can learn more here: https://reinventingorganizationswiki.com/en/cases/buurtzorg/

Antonio Machado's poem "Traveler, your footprints" https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58815/traveler-your-footprints

In this episode I speak with coach, scientist and entrepreneur Sharmishtha Dattagupta.

From the foothills of the Himalayas Sharmishtha tells us the story of Dularia and the radical ways in which this organisation has put love and life at the centre of everything it does.

Key Links

Dularia website: https://dularia.org/

Dularia instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dularia_centre/?hl=en

Vipassana meditation: www.dhamma.org

Bio-Leadership project: www.bio-leadership.org

Raku pottery: https://instagram.com/chanoyuceramics?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Sharmishtha's permaculture teacher Yuval Leibovich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuval-leibovich

Inheritors of the earth: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/inheritors-of-the-earth-how-nature-is-thriving-in-an-age-of-extinction-chris-d-thomas/3972084?ean=9780141982311

In this episode we explore the next element of what it means to be a regenerative organisation - the Root System.

The root system represents an organisation's network, its relationships and connections with the people and ecosystems within and around it.

Hannah identifies four key things that characterise a more regenerative organisational root system that those looking to introduce more life-centered practices can consider.

In this episode I speak with award-winning environmental activist and architect Adib Dada.

Adib is the founder of regenerative consultancy and architecture firm The Other Dada. Based on Biomimicry thinking, The Other Dada’s work promotes a symbiotic relationship between nature and the built environment, working with nature to develop resilient and generous cities. The organisation is also engaged in rewilding the city of Lebanon and reclaiming public space by planting native Miyawaki forests. Since 2019 The Other Dada has planted over 11 forests across Lebanon, reclaiming more than 3,700 square meters of degraded land by planting them with over 10,500 trees and shrubs.

In this discussion we explore how to use the lens of Biomimicry to engage with and weave the teachings of nature across an organisation.

We talk about what trust and humility have to do with regeneration and the importance of not waiting for permission to do this work, even in incredibly challenging circumstances.

Key Links:

The Other Dada: theotherdada.com/en/

The Other Dada Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theotherdada/?hl=en

Growing Back Beirut Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB5gBBsUcPc

Bio-Leadership Fellowship: https://www.bioleadershipfellowship.org/

Biomimicry 3.8: https://biomimicry.net/history/

AskNature: https://asknature.org/

Reinventing Organisations: https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/

In this episode I speak with Executive Director of collective consultancy Culture Hack Labs, Mehul Sangham. Culture Hack supports organizations, social movements and activists to expose and disrupt cultural narratives, creating spaces for new life-centric narratives to emerge.

In this discussion we explore the spiritual and philosophical side to regeneration, the relationship between the work we do out in the world and the work we have done within ourselves and how traditions like Zen Buddhism and Daoism relate to the work of growing more regenerative organisations.

We also talk about the critical importance of narrative change in systems change work. Mehul shares with us how the "Soil" of Culture Hack has given it the freedom to thrive and we discuss the relationship between what "regenerative organisational structures" look like depending on the specific features of each organisation.

Key Links

Culture Hack Labs: https://www.culturehack.io/

Examples of their work: https://www.culturehack.io/hacks/

Their Fellowship: https://www.culturehack.io/fellowship/

The Web of Meaning by Jeremy Lent: https://www.jeremylent.com/the-web-of-meaning.html

*Please note, as flagged in the intro and outro, the correct terms referred to in our discussion are wu-wei and yu-wei