An Introduction to Spiral Dynamics

By Aubyn Howard

Overview

Spiral Dynamics is an approach to understanding the development of worldviews or value systems within individuals, organisations and societies that was developed by Dr Don Beck and Chris Cowan in the 1990’s, based on the work of the late Professor Clare W Graves.

The theory argues that it is possible to identity a series of worldviews that together describe the essentially different ways in which people see and engage with the world. The emergence of these codes or worldviews in the development of an individual, the maturation of a organisation or the evolution of a society can be seen to follow a clear sequential pattern, although the way in which this takes place in practice is unique to each person, group or society. This approach suggest that these worldviews are activated within us according to our history, core personality and the life conditions and challenges we are facing. It does not say that we go through stages of development in a discreet, linear fashion, progressing neatly from one stage to another, but that each of these worldviews can be more or less activated in each of us at any one time. Therefore each of us has a unique value systems profile that tells our unique story.

The general principles of the evolution of these value systems include:

Understanding these different value systems, the sequence and pattern in which they emerge, is key to a number of challenges and issues including:

An understanding of these different worldviews or value systems and how they work, gives you an essential insight into the underlying patterns that shape the way the world is changing today. Personally, it helps me make sense of almost everything that I see going on, not just with individuals and groups within organisations, but also at a societal, global and historical level. In organisational work it complements the use of horizontal systems for profiling personality (such as Myers-Briggs, Belbin, Strengthsfinder, Insights, etc).

Unfortunately the way in which the Spiral Dynamics approach has been packaged and presented doesn't always make it easily understood and accepted by organisational leaders and practitioners, so I have been working away over the years at making it more accessible and developing relevant diagnostic tools for use in organisational work, which I present in my courses or workshops.

Sources of further information

Ken Wilber’s ‘A Theory of Everything’ (2000) provides a good initial overview of the Spiral Dynamics model. Working your way through ‘Beck and Cowan’s’ Spiral Dynamics (1996), will give you a fuller understanding but is heavy going. Further reading, including articles by Graves and details on his research is provided on the Spiral Dynamics practitioner courses run by Beck and Cowan.

Beck and Cowan have fallen out so they have separate web sites. You might want to try these web sites to find much publicly available information:

http://www.spiraldynamics.com/ (Gateway to other sites)

http://www.spiraldynamics.org/ (Chris Cowan’s site)

http://www.spiraldynamics.net/ (Don Beck’s SDI site)

http://www.clarewgraves.com/ (original Clare Graves material)

An article by Don Beck in What is Enlightenment? Magazine is here (warning - very large file)

Here is my introduction and summary to the Spiral Dynamic Value Systems model

For those of you familiar with other stage developmental systems (such as the Leadership Maturity Framework and the work of Ken Wilber), you might want to look at how SD Value Systems compare with levels in other developmental systems

For detailed descriptions of each of the eight value systems, look here

© Aubyn Howard 2006