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Tom Callanan
5075 S. Long Lake Drive
Portage, Michigan, USA 49002
(269) 760-0362
email
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What is an underlying question that gives form
to your work or interest in this field?
How can groups best access collective wisdom?
What is your personal experience of
collective wisdom in groups?
From 1994, as a program officer at Fetzer Institute
in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I helped to convene leaders from various fields
(peacebuilding, youth leadership, philanthropy etc.) in “think
tank” like gatherings aimed at identifying promising strategies
for moving the fields forward. Occasionally there would be magic moments
where the groups would sink to a deeper level of connection and begin
to think very creatively.
In partnership with a number of gifted facilitators,
we began to experiment with methodologies such as Bohmian dialogue,
council circle, Open Space, World Café etc. so as to more consistently
access what we began to call “collective wisdom.” In 1999,
Fetzer commissioned a study published in 2001 called “Centered
on the Edge: Mapping a Field of Collective Intelligence and Spiritual
Wisdom.”
The study revealed a very vibrant and promising field
of study with hundreds of dedicated practitioners from around the world.
In 2002, Fetzer founded the Collective
Wisdom Initiative (CWI) and this web site to further study this
phenomenon.
The CWI’s studies revealed that Collective Wisdom
can be accessed by all groups on a reliable and consistent basis by
following a simple set of principles and practices. These findings were
published in “The
Power of Collective Wisdom and the Trap of Collective Folly”
by Briskin, Erickson,
Ott, Callanan
in 2009.
How would you like to be available to others in
this field? What would be a meaningful connection? Are you available to
talk with others? What contribution might you be able to make?
I am now a Senior Advisor to the Fetzer Institute and
a consultant, writer, facilitator and coach. I work with corporations,
non-profits, foundations and individuals to help them better access
collective wisdom. As a veteran practitioner and founding member of
this field, I believe strongly in what it has to offer for the transformation
of ourselves and the world. I’m happy to support anyone in the
field who feels that I might be of assistance.
Links to this site or others:
The
Power of Collective Wisdom
crazyguyonabike.com
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