Up to now, this book has offered the “significant dose of philosophy” promised in the Introduction. Now, the goal of Section 2 is to take a step in the direction of practicality.

The previous chapters made the point that an integral worldview is rising to dominance but that we may need to support the transition actively – to give society a deliberate nudge – if we hope to solve our most pressing problems in time. After all, the important thing is not only that we think differently; it's that we act differently.

There are three primary levers for delivering such a push toward an integral worldview and the innovative, adaptive solutions that it promises:

• K-12 and university education must be transformed so that it enculturates young people in new ways, guiding them to become wise, happy, creative adults who contribute sustainably to society from an integral level of consciousness.

• How we understand the nature and goals of our economies, our organizations, and our own working lives must be transformed so that we are able to propagate sustainable patterns of production, consumption and interaction.

• Our political leaders must bring a wise, integral perspective to their efforts to shape the institutions and social infrastructure of society.

This book focuses on the second of the three levers, in part because this is my area of interest and expertise, but most of all because business is the most powerful lever of the three.

This is not the so-often cited diatribe blaming multinational mega-corporations and special interest groups for all the world's woes. With an integral view of our economy, we see that business is us and we are it. There is no one else to blame. There is only the guiding paradigm to challenge.

The true reason business is such a powerful lever is that it is where the dynamic process of the Living Systems Model is most vibrant and flowing. This is the realm of our existence where we engage proactively with the rest of life, where the rubber meets the road and where our goals match explicitly with those of life itself – to create and transcend.

In fact, changing the economic paradigm may be the best prescription for education and politics, too. There is a direct connection between the dominant economic worldview and the type of education provided, since schools are designed to prepare students for the reality they will face as working adults. And the influence of business over politics is equally clear.

Still, if the goal of this section of the book is to move toward practicality, then why not proceed directly to the Engagement Competency Model? After all, the model is, in essence, a map for building an organization that is in harmony with the natural patterns of living systems. What could be more practical than that?

The answer is that, even with a full appreciation of the Living Systems Model, the idea of economic entities as machines is so strongly and subtly present in our society that we need to be quite deliberate in adding a layer of living tissue to the bare skeleton that is the predominant metaphor. Only in this way can we come to the Engagement Competency Model fully prepared to put it to good use.

Therefore, the following chapters will offer alternative ways of thinking about economies, organizations and our own working lives.

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