HOLISTIC PRINCIPLES

Chris first became interested in matters holistic around 1986, shortly after setting up his own consultancy. As a learning development method which works for him, his ideas have crystallised and evolved through writing a variety of articles for professional journals, with the first article winning the Silver Award in the ITD's National Training and Development's Training Awards. The books have followed.

The pace of evolution accelerated with the move to Wiltshire - with close proximity to Avebury and contact with some wonderful, spiritual beings - and training in holistic massage. With an increased interest in coaching and mentoring (also crystallised through article-writing), Chris has worked on the principle of applying holistic thinking to improving workplace co-operation and synergy - with the result manifesting itself as the Integrated Triangle model.

Perhaps, to explain what I mean by "the holistic approach", I will quote a couple of pages from my book "Messages from the Mountains" (page 54 onwards)

Holism is defined in the OED as the "tendency in nature to form wholes that are more than the sum of the parts by ordered grouping". So, in medical use for example, the combination of different treatments or interventions can give a bonus effect that would not be expected from the various responses, if considered individually. In the world of individual and group development, combining individual skills and abilities can bring an overall group dynamic which is greater than the sum of those individual skills. This group dynamic is often referred to as "synergy", which is the scientific equivalent to the more philosophical holism.

So, the holistic way of thinking identifies actions and attitudes which will lead towards this broader, more selfless way of thinking. For example, we will -

• tend to share things altruistically, be they ideas, information or physical items
• expect the best from people - and look towards ways of helping them provide it co-operatively
• offer others our assistance, in the form of time, practical help or through listening and responding, without demanding reciprocal reward
• consider the implications and applications of "the bigger picture" as it affects the world - and make personal decisions based on this awareness
• remain true to a moral code which we have personally established and can sustain.

Holistic Tenets

Many people, who may not find satisfaction in any conventional religion, still feel the need to tread some form of spiritual path, with some already applying forms of holistic thinking, either consciously or unconsciously. There is a current move towards considering such belief-sets at the level of a type of faith, increasingly referred to as the holist faith.

Time will tell whether this belief pattern grows and evolves to form a point of critical mass. If it's relevant to you, certainly give it some thought.

My own holistic beliefs are based on what I refer to as the -

Twenty tenets for a more holistic way of life

• Build positive thought
• Be aware of yourself and others
• Believe in yourself and others
• Act as selflessly as you can
• Allow time to do things properly
• Give matters time to evolve
• Allow yourself reflective times for thinking
• Rest, relax and focus (meditate)
• Use visualisation to concentrate thought
• Observe and learn from world affairs and history
• Work towards co-operation and away from egocentricity
• Consider the effects of your actions
• Apply holistic thinking when the time seems appropriate
• Do what ultimately feels right
• Reduce your dependence on stimulants and medication
• Believe in the healing power of positive thought
• Exercise in as natural an environment as possible
• Retain an overview of the bigger picture
• Maintain a focused view of your development path
• Amend your plans flexibly to maintain progress

There's quite a lot there to think about!

May I recommend my two book set of Inspirational Sayings, Poetry and accompanying text as a good reference point to consider holistic attitudes and detail.

If I can paraphrase further from my e-article published in the 9th August 2007 edition of "the people bulletin", under the title "Holistic Management - growing towards critical mass"

"Big picture thinking", as in the overview of inter-relationships between a range of apparently loosely-connected situations, is a crucial element of holistic thinking, as applied to work - and life - issues. It's through this type of lateral thinking that we can truly establish an overall outcome which is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

There are three separate but related rules which elaborate upon this way of thinking.

1. The first is what I might term the rule of causal response - or to put it more simply, "find and fix the cause and the effects can improve themselves".

2. The second is rather a set of criteria - the Seven 'Cs' of RIE - where the seven 'Cs' are:

and RIE represents the key activities involved in blending the holistic management mix together:

3. The rule of self and social awareness - another example of "bigger picture thinking" - where we are reviewing our own role and actions in the light of those of others - with consideration given to how they can interrelate.

Applying these rules and criteria will help us think more openly - or altruistically, if you prefer. However, it won't really work with only one or two of us practising it. We're evidently becoming more bothered about carbon particles in the atmosphere, so should we not be equally concerned about human stress elements in our working environment?

Key HERE to read the complete article.

The holistic way of thinking is an open, honest way of thinking - expecting the best of people and assuming a degree of awareness and consideration. Evidently, it will be present in greater quantities in some people than others but this could be said of any way of living or faith.

It is naturally present more in a stakeholder than a shareholder approach to life so, with the current financial and targeted overtones for much of our day-to-day activities, we perhaps have some way to go before its applications become widespread.

However, in any company, or even department within a company, where increasing consideration is being given to prioritising real customer requirements, responding to employees' stress and work/life balance issues and generating a working environment where co-operation rather than naked assertion is the norm, the holistic way of thinking - and the integrated triangle model - is ripe for consideration as a positive way forward.

If this means you - contact Chris now to discuss future involvement.

Telephone: 01730 891280

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