Margaret J. Wheatley
Margaret J. Wheatley
Margaret J. Wheatleyis an American writer and management consultant who studies organizational behavior. Her approach includes systems thinking, theories of change, chaos theory, leadership and the learning organization: particularly its capacity to self-organize. Her work is often compared to that of Donella Meadows and Dee Hock. She describes her work as opposing "highly controlled mechanistic systems that only create robotic behaviors."...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
CountryUnited States of America
Margaret J. Wheatley quotes about
heart thinking order
we don't have to agree with each other in order to think well together. There is no need for us to be joined at the head. We are joined by our human hearts.
leadership motivation real
In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.
love-is power realization
We would do well to ponder the realization that love is the most potent source of power.
different gains interpretation
Everyone in a complex system has a slightly different interpretation. The more interpretations we gather, the easier it becomes to gain a sense of the whole.
patience hopelessness
Hopelessness has surprised me with patience.
perspective needs half
Our willingness to acknowledge that we only see half the picture creates the conditions that make us more attractive to others. The more sincerely we acknowledge our need for their different insights and perspectives, the more they will be magnetized to join us.
discovery mind vision
We can no longer stand at the end of something we visualized in detail and plan backwards from that future. Instead we must stand at the beginning, clear in our mind, with a willingness to be involved in discovery... it asks that we participate rather than plan.
order organization confusing
We have created trouble for ourselves in organizations by confusing control with order.
appreciation moving order
One of the great errors organizations make is shutting down what is a natural, life-enhancing process-chaos. We are terrified of chaos. As a manager, it signals failure. But if you move out of control and into an appreciation of natural order, you understand that the only way a system changes is when it is far from equilibrium, when it moves from the 'quiet' we treasure and is confronted with the choice to die or reorganize. And you can't reorganize to a higher level unless you risk the perils of the path through chaos.
views world might
I've wanted to see beyond the Western, mechanical view of the world and see what else might appear when the lens was changed
circles voice space
Circles create soothing space, where even reticent people can realize that their voice is welcome.
stories easier circumstances
Whatever life we have experienced, if we can tell our story to someone who listens, we find it easier to deal with our circumstances.
trying example natural
Probably the most visible example of unintended consequences, is what happens every time humans try to change the natural ecology of a place.
reflection way unintended-consequences
Without reflection, we go blindly on our way..