Seeding the Integral Niche in San Francisco: A Review of i-WET
The term integral may be confusing to some people. On the one hand it is a term applied to a body of theory. On the other, it is a stage of adult development that is quite advanced along multiple lines: intellectual, emotional, physical, relational and spiritual, for short (there are many other potential lines of development, depending on how precise one wishes to be.) Or, as Ken Wilber has outlined them recently, cognitive (Piaget/Aurobindo), values (Graves, “SD”), orders of consciousness (Kegan) and self-identity (Cook-Greuter).
Most of the explorations in this journal have been about the application of the body of integral theory to the idea of leadership and to developing leaders. This body of theory includes, of course, the notion of stages of development linked to the works of people cited above (and others, e.g., Jenny Wade [Note the interview with Jenny Wade in the archives of leadcoach.com] whose stage model is being used by Leo Burke in the executive development programs at Notre Dame University.) [Note the interview with Leo Burke in the archives of leadcoach.com.]
The integral stage of development was first introduced as the highest adult stage by Jean Gebser (The Ever-Present Origin). In Wilber’s scheme it corresponds to the somewhat familiar first two stages of second tier in the work of Beck and Cowan (yellow and turquoise, Spiral Dynamics) based on the work of Clare Graves and to the integrated and autonomous stages of Cook-Greuter’s [Note the interview with Cook-Greuter in the archives of leadcoach.com] ten stage model (A Detailed Description of the Development of Nine Action Logics, 2002; the tenth level is not explored since it was a conjecture at this point in her work).
What has all of this to do with a review of I-WET? Well, before presenting what i-WET is and how people have responded to it, it is important to understand the core purpose of the Integral Institute and its programs. I have heard this purpose expressed recently in two contexts: the i-WET in San Francisco and on the tapes of the Integral Leadership in Action (ILA) meeting held in Westminster, Colorado in April 2005. This is my summary of what I understand this purpose to be and I must include the caveat that this is an interpretation. If you go to the source there may be variations and different emphases than mine.
The purpose of the Integral Institute (I-I) is to foster second tier development. I believe this means that those who are at the highest levels of first tier in their development may be ready for the Clare Graves Leap into second tier. I-I wants to encourage and support that leap through its research, publications, conferences and training events. It also means that they want to attract people who are already operating at second tier into participating in and supporting their programs. For example, they would like to attract second tier CEOs and others into their President’s Club at $5000 per year or $50,000 for a lifetime membership. They also want to attract second tier people into their training programs, like Fred Kofman’s Integral Consciousness or the Integral Organizational Leadership workshops. There are those who take Wilber’s work seriously and are seeking to include the integral framework and approach in their work and lives. Many of those are already attending and participating in I-I programs. I-I is challenged to attract those who are not yet there. I-WET is a program intended to do just that.
i-WET stands for Integral WeekEnd Training. It is a two day (9-5) Saturday and Sunday workshop that seeks to provide participants with a relative low cost ($295) introduction to the integral development approach. And I think it achieves this, although the theory and its application is dealt with less than some might prefer.
The presenters in San Francisco were Huey Lam, COO and CFO of the Integral Institute, Bert Parlee, Aide to Ken Wilber, professor of psychology and partner in Integral Development Associates, and Diane Hamilton, presenter of Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind, professional mediator and I-I trainer of the Integral Practices workshop [Note interview with Diane Hamilton in the archives of leadcoach.com].
As has consistently been the case in workshops I have attended when Diane Hamilton has led participants through the Big Mind process, this has had the most impact of the program for many participants. The other activities in the two-days included quite a bit of time in building a collective culture, a brief introduction to the integral model — both led by Bert Parlee who acted as the lead emcee for most of the program; physical activity based on Tai Chi like movements and a presentation on the activities of I-I — led by Huey Lam; and the 3-2-1 shadow process, a gestalt-like approach to surfacing and working with shadow material, and the Big Mind process — led by Diane Hamilton. Read Keith Bellamy’s levely description of i-WET in New York.
During the course of the workshop I interviewed a variety of people about what attracted them to the workshop. Many had read a little bit of Wilber’s work and/or had been exposed to his ideas in educational programs. Most of the participants were from the San Francisco Bay Area, although some had traveled from Southern California, Washington and Nevada. There were a few individuals experienced in I-I, including one member of the President’s Club. There were some who have had little exposure to integral approaches.
One coach has been a Ken Wilber fan and this was a chance to try out in his work, particularly, Big Mind and 3-2-1 shadow process. Principally he saw this as a chance to develop himself and use that in his work and this is a process that is ongoing and about being in the world. Add to this the opportunity to explore all four quadrants.
A Berkeley attorney who has practiced meditation for over four decades came to learn more about the Big Mind process. A therapist-in-training, graduate student at Western Institute for Social Research, from Oakland was interested in how the interface between western psychology and eastern spiritual practices would show up in the workshop. A Sacramento manager in a national progressive company read Wilber and took an integral psychology course from Bert Parlee. He is trying to understand the map making of integral and apply that in his work. A San Francisco website designer and screen writer who had helped start the New York City Wilber salon is looking for a clear integral practice of his own. An executive coach is interested in human development and would like to see vertical development. He wanted to network with others who are involved with Wilber’s work.
An Oakland professor of experimental psychology who teaches a personal growth class picked up some pointers he will use in his class. He came to get an experience that would give him a better idea of what was being done. He was impressed by Big Mind and how well it works in his meditation, but concerned that too much time was spent in warm up activities. A massage therapist from Mill Valley is a participant in a David Daida men’s group and was looking to discover blind spots and bring awareness to those. By mid-workshop he hadn’t found any. He found the Big Mind process exciting. A student in the integral psychology program at JFK University wanted to see what was being offered in terms of community and insights. The workshop was working for him.
Generally speaking, reactions to the workshop were positive. As usual, Big Mind was huge and Diane Hamilton was received with great appreciation for her being so in tune with people. “Her calm presence and her willingness to participate at an integral level with people was a great role model,” commented one participant who had also spent a day with Genpo Roshi doing the process. There was appreciation for the way the team worked together so well.
People were getting the introduction they were seeking. Their appetites for more were whetted. There were some seasoned professionals who were dipping their toes into I-I for the first time. A couple ended the two days with questions about what’s new in this material. And there was little that was new, other than the integrating framework of Wilber’s approach, a framework that was only briefly introduced. They didn’t seem to get that it was this framework that supported bringing activities together into one workshop and, even more, into a program of research and practice that is intended to support awareness and development along multiple lines for individuals moving into or active in second tier.
FOOTNOTE:
It remains to be seen whether i-WET will attract significant numbers of participants to the weeklong more advanced programs in I-I. However, it is clear that the advanced programs related to leadership have attracted continued involvement and application by participants in the Integral Leadership in Action group.
ILinA held a meeting prior to a Fred Kofman workshop in Westminster in April this year. It was well attended and involved a series of presentations by people who had attended prior workshops and were applying integral ideas to their work. These recordings are available from Cindy Wigglesworth:
https://wx10.registeredsite.com/user888199/products/default.asp?type=101
for $45.00 and includes a DVD of A Fred Kofman’s presentation. The recordings must have been done by a standing instead of a lapel microphone and are sometimes difficult to hear. However, the content is well worth the added attention required. The DVD is formatted in such a way that it will not run on a Mac (at least not with the software I am familiar with), so—being without TV and DVD player—I have not yet viewed it.
— Russ Volckmann