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Executive Summary 

This is in part a report on the October, 1998 conference sponsored by the Fetzer Institute and the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) as part of their Spiritual Heart of Service (SHOS) Project. Out of four SHOS conferences, it was the second to focus on Group Service and Synergy (GSS). ^[1] This report also examines the key factors which make GSS effective, the reasons why GSS is so important, the trends that the emergence of synergistic groups reflects, and the steps that might be undertaken to support the emergence of this relatively new field of inquiry. 

GSS is service that is provided specifically through the collaboration of a group of people who are enough in synch with each other to think and move as one. Their coordinated action draws upon the diverse yet integrated resources of the group as a whole. Synergy multiplies exponentially the power, efficiency and effectiveness of the effort and work of the individual members, in terms of greatly improved physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health of group members and those they serve. Synergy is characterized by experiences of communion and resonance with Spirit and between group members, by nonlocal and nontemporal field effects, and a sense of community. John Fetzer, in the statement he made upon founding the Institute, referred to the centrality of such collective effort in realizing the mission not only of the Institute, but also of other great endeavors: 

I am sure that as you listen, you will hear the ring of truth, first and foremost, trying to create a community of freedom....It is up to the collective group of trustees and staff....It was the collective group...that created the beginning of this great country....Here you will find the answers to the final definition of the Foundation's purpose....A certain consciousness of synthesis brings forth a light.... It is here, ready to assist all....Its summary will be unconditional love. That is our avatar of the future, because love is the unifying energy field that mobilizes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual resources in the caring and sharing with one another. 

GSS is important for a number of reasons. It expresses our essential relatedness and who we are most fully as human beings -- spiritual beings in respectful service to all of life. It therefore engages us in a natural, fulfilling and creative way to live. Through the experience of being deeply known, members of synergistic groups can be called to actualize their full potential. Because of mutual support and affirmation, they can meet challenges that are overwhelming when confronted alone. As recent research has shown, GSS utilizes one of the most powerful healing and creative forces in life, by bringing people back into wholeness and thus into relationship with the sacred. Through coordinated intention, synergistic groups can metaphorically form a chalice, a container, a structure of unified, transpersonal consciousness that draws in and expresses Spirit and from which emerges group wisdom, a level of insight and realization that is greater than the sum of individual understanding. By synthesizing diverse perspectives and types of experience, group wisdom can lead to solutions that are holistic and comprehensive and can therefore address complex problems more effectively. With practice and increasing skill, synergistic groups  can learn highly efficient processes of inquiry and problem-solving that are so crucial in our rapidly changing world. GSS can demonstrate new partnership-and-collaboration models of authority and organization. Synergistic groups can be experimental incubators for exploring new paradigms of leadership, especially the nurturing of group fields and leaderful groups. Finally, through the development of deeper and more inclusive levels of personal and group identity and of what I call the “communion of the heart”, synergistic groups can contribute in a significant way to a widespread evolution of individual and collective consciousness. They can help us learn to utilize the wisdom of synergistic collectives, to create a new global wisdom culture that integrates two broad, 300-year-old cultural strands, each of which has tended  to emphasize one aspect of each of the following polarities: individual-group, independence-interdependence, rights-responsibilities, differentiation-integration, competition-collaboration, uniqueness-commonality, heterogeneity-homogeneity, feminine-masculine, etc. The integration of these strands is, I believe, what John Fetzer envisioned when he spoke of the “consciousness of synthesis”. 

Thus, the emergence of synergistic groups can significantly contribute to the development of a  new, inclusive, global wisdom culture. Fetzer and IONS can continue to play a critical role in supporting this crucial advance in human evolution. 

Introduction 

It is necessary to deal first with some introductory issues, including definitions of some of the phenomena that were discussed during the conference. The participants in the GSS conferences are listed in Exhibit A. Their depth of experience with and wisdom about GSS is impressive. They each have been involved in community service projects for 15 to 40 years, have founded or managed organizations dedicated to group service in some of the most strife-filled or devastating human situations, or have participated in residential intentional communities that have required daily, close contact and work with others. Their group service projects have included a national AIDS-care program; initiatives of the Untied Nations Development Program; NASA's Apollo 11 team; an internationally recognized, comprehensive youth development program; the United Farm Workers; programs regarding diversity, social and economic justice, psychological and spiritual development, and team- and community-building; and work with indigenous populations, the poor, the disenfranchised and other marginalized groups within our society. These are people who have taken great risks in their lives, who have dared to enter the uncharted territory of consciously creating and sustaining group fields ^[2] and collective service efforts. they have spent most of their lives engaged in what John Fetzer described as the collective effort to build “communities of freedom”, drawing upon the “unifying energy field” of unconditional love and synthesis. ^[3]  

Whereas the first GSS conference focused primarily upon group service ^[4] , the second mostly examined group synergy. During the second conference, the three days were mostly dedicated to each participant's storytelling about a GSS project or experience (an illustrative story is included in Exhibit B). Unfortunately, the time we had to dialogue about each presentation was extremely limited. It was therefore impossible to reach explicit consensus regarding the common themes exemplified by the stories. Nonetheless, as I reviewed my notes and the audiotapes from the conference, I was struck by the consistent principles that emerged from the stories and subsequent discussions. Unless otherwise noted, this report therefore reflects the themes that I have culled from the proceedings. ^[5] Based upon my reflections, I have postulated a number of ideas, insights and questions that illuminate where our culture or the world may be headed in terms of group synergy. 

What is group synergy? 

The root of synergy and energy means work. According to the dictionary, energy (en-ergia) means “at or in work...; strength of expression, force of utterance, life, spirit...; in physics, the capacity for doing work and overcoming resistance.” Synergy (syn-ergia) means “working together or jointly...; combined or cooperative action or force..., e.g., of different parts of the body.” 

The word system is closely related to synergy. ^[6] The dictionary defines system as “bringing together...; arrangement of things so related or connected as to form a unity or organic whole...; e.g., a  number of bodily organs acting together..., such as the circulatory system.” So when a group works well together, it expresses the primary characteristic of a system, namely, the synergistic effect that is often expressed in the sentence, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” As one conference participant stated, “Group synergy is the action which flows from a group of people who are enough in synch with  each other to move and think as one, to take action that is coordinated, effective, efficient, and uses the resources of the group as a whole. Synergy typically implies a multiplier effect,” through which the power of individual work or service seems to multiply exponentially through joint, coordinated effort. 

Many conference participants described experiences of communion (deep connection or union with others and with life or Spirit⁷) during times of group synergy. They referred frequently to consciously creating⁸ and accessing a group field, or feeling themselves to be a part of larger fields (e.g., a culture) or the “great field of life”, and of coming into “resonance” (defined below) with each other and with other fields. Some participants felt that simply creating communion constitutes service in and of itself. Other participants felt that synergy inextricably involves external acts of group service for others. For example, as one participant said, “We don't want musicians just to commune together. We want them to make beautiful music together.” 

I believe that both perspectives B one focused upon being and one upon doing B express aspects of synergy. Why? First, experiences of communion in groups do tend to transform group members and therefore serve not only them but also those with whom they subsequently interact.⁹ Second, the field effects of GSS may work across space and time¹⁰ and thereby serve others who are not part of a particular synergistic group. If Sheldrake's theory regarding morphogenetic fields (endnote 2) is correct, then any group that creates communion would make it easier, through field effects, for subsequent groups to enter into communion. The cumulative effects would strengthen over time and smaller fields would influence larger fields (e.g., a whole culture), thereby inducing or facilitating more frequent and more intense experiences of communion and synergy. Third, groups can move from communion to external acts of service, or vice versa, regardless of their initial focus.¹¹ I have found that some of the inner psychological and spiritual changes that facilitate group synergy are closely related, even identical in some cases, to those changes that often motivate individuals to serve (such as expansion of identity, as discussed below). So perhaps it does not matter where a group begins.¹² 

I'd like to take a moment to discuss resonance, a concept I mentioned earlier, because it seems central to an understanding of GSS. The dictionary defines resonance as “reinforcement and prolongation of a sound by reflection or by vibration of other bodies; in electricity, the condition of adjustment of a circuit that allows the greatest flow of current of a certain frequency...; in physics, the reinforced vibration of a body exposed to a vibration, at about the same frequency, of another body.” Resonant means “resounding, re-echoing; increasing the intensity of sounds by sympathetic vibration.” Group members can, given some of the conditions described in the following sections of this paper, come into increasingly greater levels of resonance, i.e., empathetic vibration and rapport with each other and with life itself. Similar to the effects of resonance, in terms of sound or electricity, a resonant group does seem to be able to allow a greater, more intense flow of energy to come through it and to channel this energy for constructive purposes and in service. In light of the above definitions, what sound, vibration, or energy might a group be reinforcing, prolonging and allowing to flow through it, via empathetic resonance? I would suggest that it is Spirit and its manifestations (insight, wisdom, love, etc.). 

A phenomenon that is related to resonance is attunement, which means bringing into harmony or agreement. An apt metaphor is provided by the members of an orchestra, who tune their instruments to the same note before they begin to play together. The musicians then play in tune and in harmony with each other, even though their individual instruments, the timbre of the instruments, the actual notes played, etc., may differ. Another related concept is alignment, the development of a common orientation in terms of intentions, purpose, etc. An interesting metaphor comes from superconductivity: alignment of the polarities of different particles within a given material enables faster and more efficient transmission of energy, similar to the electrical and sound phenomena described in the above definition of resonance. Finally, the concept of entrainment, which Cedar Barstow introduced during the first GSS conference, may also be relevant. Entrainment means guiding into a common state. One example of intentional, freely chosen entrainment is provided by the Navy's precision-flying team, the Blue Angels. Prior to flying their jets in tight formation and maneuvers, with their wing tips within inches of each other, they conduct a ritual together. They sequentially and methodically call out the numerous commands they will use as they fly, in order to move in total coordination. Similarly, hunter-gatherer groups often engage in ritualistic dance in preparation for hunting, so they can develop an extrasensory awareness of each other and a high level of empathic coordination, thereby avoiding being killed or seriously wounded by the animals they stalk. 

Returning now to group synergy, the conference participants discussed other aspects of it, including the following: 

o        Group synergy typically occurs periodically, rather than being a sustained experience over long periods of time.¹³

o        Negative or destructive group synergy can also develop.¹⁴

o        Group synergy can occur in a variety of settings, although it is more likely and more frequently to occur when groups are together long enough to establish some of the conditions listed below. Examples of such settings are shown in Exhibit C.¹⁵

o        Experiences of group synergy in the context of longer-term, day-to-day relationships, e.g., in a community, may be perceived more realistically (see below) and may be more likely to be translated into practical results and service (since an existing structure of relationships is immediately available to be utilized and acted upon). 

I would like to take a few moments to discuss the relationship between communion and community, since the conference participants discussed some of the similarities and differences between them. I will then end this section by placing them within the context of group synergy and GSS. 

Experiences of communion tend to be of relatively short duration for most of us, often have the quality of what Maslow described as peak experiences, and can be unexpected and spontaneous, rather than being consciously intended. They are particularly likely to occur when individuals work together in response to a threatening crisis (e.g., a flood) or engage together in an intense activity of sufficient duration (such as an experiential workshop of two days or longer). They may also occur, as mentioned above, during experiences of group synergy. But such peak experiences do not necessarily result in long-term, sustainable improvements in individual or group lifestyle, practice, activity, or behavior. Typically individuals and groups fall back after a while into less collaborative patterns of relationship. 

Sometimes people describe such experiences of communion as community. Due to feelings of oneness, closeness, and commonality, they have a sense of belonging to a group. I call this a sense of community.  

In my mind, community involves more than just experiences of synergy or communion, and more than a sense of community. When healthy, community is a system of relationships and roles, characterized by shared values, meaning and norms; by a sense of responsibility among members to care for and about each other (i.e., to serve each other); and by a commitment to work through difficulties for the sake of the growth, development and health of the whole community and all its members. 

Compared to experiences of communion or synergy, community tends to require more time to build, involves engagement in sometimes mundane operational and organizational tasks, requires members to deal with issues or people that they may find unpleasant, and is hard to sustain over time (at least in a healthy state). Due to its demands, it therefore requires a deeper level of maturity and individual development than periodic, especially spontaneous experiences of communion or synergy. Cornelius Pietzner stated that, in contrast to experiences of "random synergy", community requires "going through crap and getting beyond appearances. This takes time. You can't be in your head. The Bushmen of the Kalahari have a term, 'to grow slowly'. If you rush, you abort the element that will make synergy [and community] stick." 

Yet community can result in deeper, more complete, mutual understanding and appreciation among the members and deeper levels of change and growth than periodic experiences of communion or synergy. The distinction may be compared to the difference between creating and sustaining a day-to-day sense of partnership, mutual understanding, oneness and love within a long-term married relationship, for example, and experiencing communion when one has just fallen in love. 

Even more important, the learning of attitudes and skills (such as how to work successfully with variable leadership in a group or how to build trust) that are necessary for creating group synergy or experiences of communion on a more regular basis, requires repeated practice in a group setting over time. Therefore, individuals who work on creating synergy and a sense of communion more frequently, especially if they do this within a community, have a more comprehensive and realistic understanding of the value of synergy and its place within relationships. As the Skin Horse in the Velveteen Rabbit wisely notes, “'Real' is when you love a child for a long, long time. Most of your hair has been rubbed off and your eyes drop out. Once you are real, you can never become unreal again.”  

So experiences of communion and synergy can occur within communities, especially if they function in a creative and healthy manner, but those experiences do not necessarily result in community. On the other hand, if the members of a community do not periodically experience communion and synergy with each other, Spirit will be absent and the community will feel lifeless. 

I have spent this much time comparing and contrasting synergy, communion and community for a few reasons. First, it is important, as we experiment with group synergy and communion, to realize that “high” or peak experiences do not necessarily translate into ongoing healthy relationships that are characterized by service. We can mislead people into thinking GSS is about having peak experiences, rather than serving each other. Second, as I discuss later in this report, an increasing number of researchers are realizing that simply the experience of community is a powerful healing agent. I believe, however, that experiences of communion and synergy that are the real healing agents. The more we can help communities create these experiences on a regular basis, the healthier their members will be. It is therefore important that we understand the relationships among these phenomena. Third, it is important that we be clear about what we are talking about when we discuss GSS. 

In summary, here are the relevant definitions. Service is shared presence, compassion and care between individuals who perceive and treat each other respectfully and as equals. Communion is an experience of deep connection or union with other beings and things or, ultimately, with Spirit. Group synergy is the experience of communion and collaboration by the members of a group. Community is a system of relationships and roles, characterized by shared values, meaning and norms; by a sense of responsibility and commitment among members to care for and about each other (i.e., to serve each other); and by a commitment to work through difficulties for the sake of the growth, development and health of the whole community and all its members. In its ideal state, therefore, community involves service, communion and synergy. Group service and synergy is service that is intentionally provided as a group, the efficiency and effectiveness of which, in terms of improved physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health, have been exponentially increased by synergy. 

Why does group service and synergy matter?

         There are a number of reasons why GSS represents an important development in our world: 

GSS recognizes and expresses our essential relatedness. When we engage in GSS, we create and tend a common hearth that honors our interconnectedness and nourishes us all. As Lorain Fox Davis said, “Like the worldview expressed in the Lakota phrase 'all my relations', most spiritual instruction teaches us that we are all related and that we are here to serve."¹⁶ GSS matters because it expresses who we most fully are as human beings -- spiritual beings in respectful service to all of life -- and therefore engages us in a natural, fulfilling and creative way to live. 

GSS utilizes one of the most powerful healing and creative forces in life. As I stated above, regular experiences of communion and synergy through GSS are one of the most important factors in creating and maintaining physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Research over the past 10 years has demonstrated that simple participation in a community or in social networks -- or, as I contend, the experience of service, communion and synergy within these settings -- is as important for health as are the myriad inventions that caregivers make in people's lives (e.g., diet, exercise, non-smoking, therapy). Through this participation individuals experience that they are part of a larger whole. Not surprisingly, the root of healing (haelen) means wholeness. GSS provides an experience of wholeness, as revealed by the etymologies of the words used by many conference participants either to describe GSS, important aspects of it, or the factors that create it. For example, many participants talked about the importance of creating sacred space.  Sacred means holy or whole and “entitled to the highest respect,” according to the dictionary. Service is shared presence, compassion and care between individuals who perceive and treat each other respectfully and as equals because they see themselves as part of an interdependent and interconnected whole. Group synergy is the experience of communion (union with the whole of life) and collaboration (through which we respect each other's unique contribution to our common work). Community means strong unity, reflecting a common, integrated purpose and effort, and characterized by a sense of responsibility and commitment among members to care for each other (i.e., to serve the whole community). Thus, participation in GSS expresses and honors our interconnectedness. By living our wholeness, we heal ourselves and others. 

Healing also occurs via GSS because both those serving and those being served -- given the conditions for creating synergy described below -- begin to open up as trust is built and to reveal more fully who they are. They come eventually to see and affirm each other's deepest capacities. They often describe this experience as “being known” or "being seen". Such mutual recognition constitutes one of the deepest levels of healing and being served -- a call to growth and development toward wholeness¹⁷ and greater creativity.¹⁸ Those who are so called begin to express aspects of themselves that they were individually unaware of, denied, or believed they were not capable of expressing. They begin to stretch beyond their perceived limitations. Together with other group members, they can meet challenges that are overwhelming when confronted alone, and, because of mutual support and affirmation, can handle more stress. In such situations people often say that they feel as if they have finally “come home”. The power of such experiences is still largely unrecognized and untapped.¹⁹ 

GSS helps us learn how to elicit group wisdom, in order to solve complex social problems more creatively and serve more effectively. Many participants spoke about moving into resonance during experiences of group synergy, akin to what Csikszentmihalyi calls a “flow” state²⁰ or what the Chinese refer to as coming into harmony with the Tao (the flow of life). If group members go through a process of emptying themselves of preconceptions, opinions and judgments, they can enter a state of mutual rapport and communion. In this state, synchronicity increases²¹ and synergy begins to develop. As the members of a group begin to enter a quiet, meditative state, the accuracy, depth and scope of their perceptions increase. They become more deeply connected to one another.²² They become more sensitive and attuned to their intuition and aware of what otherwise is typically unconscious knowledge and sensing. In this state, group members often understand each other more readily, easily and fully than at other times, occasionally without even needing to speak much or at all. They begin to speak for each other: the frequency with which group members express the thoughts, feelings, or sensations of one or more of the other members increases, sometimes with words that are virtually the same as those being thought by the other member(s). 

Eventually synergistic groups seem to develop a "group mind", a "group heart" and perhaps even a “group soul”²³. A group wisdom²⁴ can develop, which incorporates into a beautiful tapestry of insight all the diverse threads that have been contributed implicitly or explicitly by group members. Using the language of complex, adaptive systems, Rick Ingrasci noted that “dissipative, or far-from-equilibrium, systems [such as groups], when you make enough connections, a new element is introduced [e.g., group wisdom²⁵] reorganize into a higher order of structure." I believe that the increased and strengthened web of connections forms a metaphorical “chalice”, a structure of unified consciousness that can draw in and contain Spirit, from which group wisdom perhaps emerges. 

Why is group wisdom important? First, by incorporating and synthesizing diverse perspectives, a group's insights and solutions become more holistic, comprehensive and inventive and can therefore more effectively address complex situations. By considering the whole picture, aspects of problems that might typically be ignored or overlooked and might undercut an effective and long-lasting solution are addressed and accounted for. Group wisdom tends to deal with essential, root causes (and therefore all the symptoms, rather than one isolated symptom), and -- at that deep level -- literally resolves (re-solves²⁶) the situation by restoring the harmony that typically is sundered through unintegrative, narrow, or partial efforts and practices. Second, because all the members of a group participate together in discovering and recognizing the wise solution, they support, not sabotage, any actions taken. Finally, with practice and increasing skill, intuiting group wisdom becomes a very fast process of inquiry and/or problem-solving, much faster than our usual experience of consensus. I call it "consensus-plus". Thus, one of the most common complaints about consensus-building -- its slowness -- is addressed. Fast decision-making processes and comprehensive and wise solutions are desperately needed in a world where, as futurist Robert Theobald has said, we must "ride the rapids of change". As Anne Dosher stated, our fast-moving, troubled world "is issuing a deep call to wisdom." By eliciting group wisdom, synergistic groups are a way of "actualizing our social potential", according to Charles Garfield. 

GSS will help establish a new global wisdom culture that is characterized by collective effort and by synergy. Experimentation with GSS is part of a growing and important global movement. As a number of conference participants noted, the number of groups working intentionally with GSS is increasing. Humanity is developing a new global “wisdom culture”, which I believe will evolve to a point of widespread influence over the next 50 years. This movement will bring together two broad cultural strands that have existed simultaneously around the globe for the past 300 years. Certain cultures have emphasized the primacy of the independent, autonomous individual and the great importance of personal freedom and rights.²⁷ Other cultures have emphasized the primacy of the group (identified as a tribe, corporation, local community, etc., depending upon the culture) and the importance of personal responsibility to the group.²⁸ In both cases, individual identity is defined in terms of the overarching focus of the culture, i.e., individualistic and autonomous, with an emphasis upon rights, versus communal and interdependent, with an emphasis upon responsibility to others. 

But experimentation with GSS teaches us that, from a deeper and more inclusive level of identity, both emphases can and must be embraced and balanced. Only decisions and actions that emerge from the consideration and integration of diverse viewpoints and experiences can be wise. GSS can help us develop a new, global wisdom culture²⁹, one that recognizes and works with the wisdom of synergistic collectives. John Fetzer referred to this balancing of individual freedom and collective responsibility when he described the collaborative creation of communities of freedom, characterized ultimately by a “consciousness of synthesis”, a consciousness which I believe underlies GSS. 

As I noted during the GSS conference, the new wisdom culture counteracts several distressing trends in an increasingly influential Western, especially American, culture. For example, creating GSS requires regularly slowing down, instead of speeding up (even though decisions ultimately can be made more quickly); requires connection and, therefore, respect and appreciation, instead of “objective” distance and manipulation, control and domination; and requires a sensing, understanding and valuing of the whole, rather than always breaking things down through analysis into parts. GSS requires that group members learn to resolve the following paradoxes, while being able at the same time to shift their behavior freely toward either end of each polarity, as circumstances require: individual-group, independence-interdependence, differentiation-integration, rights-responsibilities, uniqueness-commonality, heterogeneity-homogeneity, etc. 

Similarly, GSS will help us move from domination-and-control to partnership-and-collaboration models of organization, authority and creativity. The cross-cultural shift described above involves a related movement: an evolution in individual and collective consciousness (as several participants and writers such as Ken Wilber³⁰ and Jean Gebser³¹ have asserted) and the development of a strikingly new worldview. An increasing number of individuals are moving from a third-chakra, power- and control-oriented centering and focus within themselves to a fourth-chakra, heart-centered, service-oriented focus.³² By developing an identity that encompasses both poles of independence or dependence, yet balances these through the recognition and embracing of interdependence, these individuals are secure enough in an expanded sense of themselves and of others that they need neither to fiercely defend their ideas, nor to conform to group pressures for uniformity, for the sake of preserving a (however limiting or constricting) sense of identity, acceptance, belonging and meaning. They are able to function independently and autonomously, as mature adults, generating and taking responsibility for the expression of their own creative ideas and actions, but without needing to fearfully compete with, control, dominate, or disregard the creative ideas and actions of others.³³  

Such individuals are able to contribute to and flow with emerging group wisdom. Due to the influence of their increasing numbers and to morphogenetic field effects (endnote 2), they can help create a new global culture that, guided by a wisdom that transcends the perspective of any one individual, including solitary leaders and expert elites³⁴, will function in a more holistic, healthy and creative³⁵ manner than most cultures currently do.³⁶ Experience with GSS can help individuals make the identity and worldview shifts described above and provide them with the skills and awareness necessary for effective collaboration. Groups experimenting with GSS can serve as cultural demonstration models, as incubators for new ideas and ways of being. 

GSS will continue to provide an experimental laboratory for exploring new models of leadership, especially “leaderful groups”. Those experimenting with GSS are investigating the potential of what I began years ago to call "leaderful groups"³⁷, which are groups composed of autonomous, relatively mature and responsible peers who share and rotate authority and leadership -- what some call "variable”, “positional”, or “situational”³⁸ leadership. Such groups are not led by an institutionalized, hierarchical leader who expects conformity to rules and norms that have been dictated to, rather than developed by, the group. Rather, the role of the new, heterarchical, positional leader is one of inspiring others by modeling collaborative behavior and engaging in what I call the "practice of presence" -- a disciplined spiritual practice whereby simply a leader's quality of being, even without words, helps create the group field and calls to other members of the group to attend to how their presence and behavior affects the building and sustaining of the field. For me, this presence is characterized by openness, risk taking (in terms of vulnerability), authenticity, integrity, identification with others, compassion and wisdom. According to Cornelius Pietzner, this "being-with-ness" is not easy for most of us to achieve or sustain. Yet synergistic groups provide a safe setting for experimenting with and learning about positional leadership and the nurturing of healthy group and perhaps even larger collective fields. 

What are the unique characteristics of synergistic service groups? 

What makes synergistic service groups unique? Although there have been groups and organizations that have provided service (e.g., local groups trying to develop their communities, organizations such as the Red Cross, etc.), the groups that are experimenting with GSS are characterized by the following unique features: 

Conscious intention to work in a coordinated fashion, utilizing the strength and powerful effect of groups and community to heal others and ourselves. Accepting that they are naturally interdependent with others and that many of the complex problems we face today cannot be solved alone,³⁹ as John Fetzer wisely recognized, members of GSS groups freely, maturely, consciously and explicitly choose to create and align themselves with their peers around a common vision that involves working as a coordinated group, and to commit themselves to processes of communication and communion that enhance that coordination, in order to utilize the exponentially increased power of synergy for the sake of more effective service, deeper healing and greater creativity.⁴⁰ 

Being in community with those served. A central theme which emerged from the first conference was that service involves respect between servers and those served and that servers can learn as much from those served as those served can learn from the servers.⁴¹ Moreover, as mentioned above, research has demonstrated that being in community is a primary healing force, as important as specific interventions aimed at transmitting knowledge, skill sets, or particular services. One of the ways in which GSS groups can express and utilize these effects is by creating some form of community with those served. In a simpler form, the members of a peer supervision group might attempt to create a sense of community over the course of their meetings. In a more complex form, community might be developed by having the servers live in a residential household that is shared with those served (as do the Camphill and L'Arche communities around the world, which serve individuals with developmental disabilities).  

Seeing personal and group development, including spiritual development, as crucial to more effective service and greater synergy. Many conference participants stressed the importance of this point. Experienced practitioners of GSS know that achieving high levels of coordination and collaboration among those who are attempting to serve as a group requires the ongoing⁴² psychological and spiritual development of group members. As discussed elsewhere in this report, issues such as self-esteem, expansiveness of identity, self-differentiation, personality integration, worldview, unconscious and conscious beliefs and fears about oneself and others, and meditative or contemplative skills will greatly affect the degree to which group members are able to collaborate. Learning to work with group fields and group wisdom involves dealing skillfully with group dynamics (such as projection and conflict), which requires understanding and awareness of oneself and others and individual and group development.⁴³ Synergistic groups are unusual in their willingness to explore such individual development and group process factors and dynamics -- and the interactive relationship between them -- in depth. 

Consciously working with group fields as a significant determinant of individual, group and collective health (seeing all fields as mutually influential). Although increasing numbers of researchers and organizational consultants⁴⁴ are beginning to investigate and work with group fields, they still represent only a small proportion of the scientific and organizational worlds. Nonetheless, it was apparent during the two GSS conferences that many of the participants have developed a sensitive awareness of group fields, see working with them as crucial for effective GSS and healing, and are investigating whether and how group fields can influence individual, other group, and large collective fields, and vice versa.⁴⁵ 

Experimenting with new forms of  collective contemplation, inquiry and learning. Meditation and contemplation have traditionally been considered solitary pursuits, even when practitioners have sat together in the same room. Meetings and group discussions have typically been forums where certain individuals dominate and control the proceedings and individuals attempt to convince others of the rightness of their individual opinions.⁴⁶ In contrast, inspired in part by David Bohm's seminal work on group dialogue, an increasing number of groups are consciously using a group format to engage in meditation and contemplation and in deep levels of collective inquiry and learning.⁴⁷ GSS groups are experimenting with the ways in which meditation, contemplation, inquiry and learning can be explored in a group format, without attachment to personal ideas or outcomes, in order to elicit group-level, higher-order phenomena, such as group wisdom. Moreover, such groups are investigating the ways in which meditators may work intentionally with their unified group consciousness to serve others at a distance (e.g., through healing) and the ways in which collective consciousness and thought may influence events and environments in subtle yet profound and powerful ways.⁴⁸ 

Experimenting with group creativity. As I have described elsewhere in this report, most Westerners, particularly Americans, have been enculturated to believe that groups inhibit or even destroy individual creativity by causing a regression to lower levels of individual cognitive and emotional functioning, and that groups are therefore inherently uncreative (as Ayn Rand famously claimed, e.g.). Experienced GSS practitioners realize that the opposite can be true⁴⁹  and that the level of creativity that groups can achieve is astounding, since groups, as more complex and holistic systems, can at times tap into higher-order levels of creativity than individuals. Creative collaboration is a greatly unappreciated and underutilized resource for society. 

Learning to build and access group wisdom through working with diversity. In many business periodicals I have read and in numerous conversations I have had with organizational executives, managers and employees, groups and teams are too often portrayed as boring or wasteful experiences that are dominated by “lowest-common-denominator” activity and by “group think”.⁵⁰ In contrast, GSS practitioners realize that groups that harvest the gold mine of diversity can be exceedingly wise. Some GSS groups that I have encountered, by exploring the apparent contradictions to be found in pluralistic experience, seem to have tapped into deep levels of group wisdom. Group wisdom reflects the highest common denominator in groups, allows members to see through the otherwise overwhelming complexity of diverse information and experience, recognizes the essence of a situation or of experience, and transcends even what some call “co- intelligence”⁵¹. 

Experimenting with building and utilizing leaderful groups and new understandings of leadership. As described above, GSS groups are experimenting with developing and sustaining leaderful groups. This trend is unusual, since most groups in many cultures have one formal, designated leader, who is often viewed as solely responsible for leadership of the group. By emphasizing the capacities and responsibilities of all group members for leadership, GSS groups can become extremely resourceful and very effective in their service efforts. 

The nature of leadership also changes in synergistic groups. The authentic presence of the positional leader is perceived to be as important as any particular tasks or functions that the leader might perform. Leadership involves intuitively sensing subtle shifts in the group field and helping the group work with and strengthen the field. Rather than merely issuing directives or supplying apparent answers, the positional leader guides the group in together eliciting group wisdom and developing shared vision and meaning.  

What conditions support group service and synergy? 

The participants identified a number of conditions which support the creation and development of GSS. The following list focuses on the most important conditions only. Because developing GSS is complex, given the complicated and at times subtle dynamics involved, increasing one's sensitivity to, consciousness about, and skills regarding building and sustaining GSS can be a lifelong task. 

Building an environment of trust, safety and respect. The need to create a sense of mutual trust, safety and respect among group members seems obvious, but doing so is difficult and many groups fail in this regard.⁵² When this sense is created, however, group members are more likely to risk being authentic and genuinely share more fully who they are -- a wondrous contribution to the group and very necessary if the rich diversity of a group is to be appreciated and harvested.⁵³ When this occurs, group members often become very attentive and quiet. They begin not only to understand each other, but also to empathize with (not merely sympathize or, worse, pity) each other. Empathy arises from perceptions of our common humanity and equality, and therefore is in tune with real service.⁵⁴ 

Trust involves four key, interconnected areas: trust of oneself, of others, of the group as a whole and of its process, and of life itself. Without a basic level of trust, group wisdom is unlikely to emerge. Eventually, with individual and group experience, openness and a commitment to developing the conditions outlined here, group members come to know (not just speculate or merely intellectualize) that they can trust the group's process and can accomplish amazing things. 

Regularly creating a sense of sacred space. Space is the aspect of life that has to do with relationship⁵⁵. Creating sacred space (looking again to the root meaning of sacred) involves connecting with the whole, with Spirit. Although there are many ways to do so⁵⁶, a clear, strong intent on the part of group members to create sacred space is essential: it communicates an appreciation that the work the group is to do together is not mundane and that the members wish to treat each other with respect, reverence, and even awe and wonder. Sacred space is characterized by emptiness (in a spiritual sense, i.e., the absence of preoccupation), an inner quiet, and a sense of slowed-down time (even to the point of timelessness⁵⁷). In the quiet and slower mode of sacred space, group members become able to hear more subtle sounds, like Spirit moving through the group⁵⁸. Correspondingly, the open space created by the group allows group wisdom to emerge and enables its members to sense it. Creating sacred space is therefore critical for the creation of group synergy, as a number of conference participants stressed. In fact, the profoundly sacred sense that often characterizes group synergy reflects the fact that it essentially involves standing together in the presence of the Divine. 

Speaking from one's heart and from one's own experience. As Charles Garfield remarked, "When people speak and listen from the heart, they move beyond personality dances and ego games." When group members risk being vulnerable and open and speak about their deepest feelings, concerns and passions, the group field changes perceptibly: respectful quiet ensues, mutual appreciation and respect increases, and other members are inspired and moved to speak from their hearts also. Relating heart to heart, according to one conference participant, helps people “find the courage to act upon that 'still, small voice within’”, to find and express their creativity, fullness and life purpose. As Julie Glover noted in her case presentation, once group members felt heard, seen and known, the group shifted to speedy and seamless work on their task.⁵⁹ 

Developing inclusiveness. When group members work to create an environment characterized by the above factors and by experience-based and heartfelt statements, they find that they can naturally be inclusive of diverse perspectives. Even if the content and context of someone's experience is different from their own, they often can understand aspects of the other's experience and can identify with the other's deep feelings and longings,⁶⁰ without the need to persuade, convince, or convert the other to a perspective that is similar to their own. When individuals are respected and valued for who they truly are, with their unique perspectives, skills and capacities, and they are able to find a meaningful role within the group, they feel included and will focus their energy and effort toward accomplishment of the group's task.  

As Nelson Stover noted, groups also need to be inclusive of those being served, if they wish to  serve effectively and be inspired by and learn from those they serve. As Rick Ingrasci pointed out, synergistic groups reflect the principle of "tensegrity" found in natural structures: they are strongest when all their parts and members are in place and have the opportunity to share their skills, knowledge and wisdom with the whole.   

Sustaining a clear, inspiring and relevant purpose, vision, mission, tasks and roles. Groups that do not develop and sustain a clear and inspiring vision,⁶¹ mission, task and roles, even though they may have periodic experiences of group synergy, tend to become bogged down in a preoccupation with their own process and to rigidify and close their boundaries. Having no clear, sustained focus upon service, they can easily become isolated, stop learning from those outside the group, and become irrelevant to society.⁶² Without clear roles, group members can more easily become caught up in unacknowledged, unconscious struggles and games about authority, power and responsibility. In contrast, when groups develop a shared purpose and a clear task and roles, their members have the motivation to do the challenging daily work of sustaining their service project. Their excitement about and commitment to the group's task becomes strong. As Dennis Roblee noted, “Synergy is an energy flow that needs [the] structure of a task in order to produce meaningful and relevant outcomes.” 

Creating a synergistic service community with those being served. As described above, when a synergistic group creates a sense of community with those being served, group service is highly effective, the servers learn from those being served, those being served are recognized for the valued experiences and wisdom they have to offer, and the odds that the services provided are in fact helpful and relevant are greatly increased. 

Communicating clearly and being willing to deal with difficult issues, including conflict, fears and grief. GSS cannot be highly effective unless group members are committed to communicate clearly and deal honestly with unpleasant issues, including conflict⁶³, fears⁶⁴ and grief.⁶⁵ Otherwise mutual trust and recognition will be eroded. Unresolved feelings will be played out unconsciously and will subtly yet powerfully subvert the group's task.⁶⁶ Over the long term, groups wishing to work synergistically must develop what Julie Glover calls a "loving ground". Although love is a very misused and overused word, I have noticed over my lifetime that loving, healthy relationships are typically and essentially characterized by what I call a "commitment to clearing": when a disagreement or misunderstanding arises, the parties will rarely let the discord continue for more than a few hours. Living in unresolved tension and conflict literally creates “dis-ease”. 

Playing together. When groups become too solemn and serious, their heavy and stodgy energy blocks the creative interplay between group members. On the other hand, when group members can play and laugh together, they enjoy each other outside of formal roles, appreciate each other's wholeness, and can access a free-flowing, creative exchange.⁶⁷ 

The maturity and transpersonal development of group members and the experience of the “communion of the heart”. Learning to engage in effective GSS can be seen as a lifelong process, involving the development of not only understanding and skills related to establishing and sustaining healthy group dynamics and processes, but also of personal maturity and ultimately transpersonal awareness.⁶⁸ 

In my experience GSS becomes a central, ongoing focus in one's daily life when one comes to directly know and experience what I call the "communion of the heart" -- a deeply felt, ongoing state of connection with the Other. In such a case, individuals move out of what Charles Garfield called an "egoic frame of reference" and "skin-encapsulated, radical individualism", into what some deep ecologists call the "eco-self", what Wilber calls the transpersonal structures of consciousness, what Peck calls the mystical or communal stage of human development, or what John Fetzer called “consciousness of synthesis” . They begin to experience synergy more frequently, more quickly, and with more people, even with some whom they meet for the first time. Such individuals can allow a great deal of openness and interpenetratability without fearing a loss of self or identity.⁶⁹ In essence, they begin to see themselves and others in greater depth and wholeness, for who they really are. No greater gift can be given, no greater service provided. Caring for their brothers and sisters, and with an expanded knowing of them, they are able to work through the rough patches in relationships that the members of any long-term group periodically encounter. Knowing that they are deeply connected to and interdependent with others, service becomes a way of life, a way of being in the world. 

What trends does the emergence of GSS reflect?  

In reflecting upon the pioneering work being done around GSS, it may be instructive to consider what new images, metaphors, myths, themes and societal trends are being expressed through its emergence. 

The death of the “Lone Ranger” myth and the emergence of leaderful, synergistic collaboratives. A predominant existing myth about leadership, creativity and service in the West, particularly in the United States, is the Lone Ranger -- the distant leader who sweeps down from above and saves those who are helpless and cannot solve their own problems. Searching for an  alternative myth, one might turn to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. But even this does not fit synergistic groups, because the king is the one and only leader. A new myth does not yet seem to have emerged. We might, however, create one, using the metaphor of flying geese. They take turns leading the formation. Moreover, similar to the effects of human collaboration and synergy, the flock increases each goose's flying range by almost 75% by traveling together in an aligned "V" formation, because each goose provides an uplift for the goose immediately following⁷⁰.  

Growing recognition of new leadership models. New models of leadership, which emphasize the importance of presence and being (not merely action and words), of wisdom (not merely intelligence), and of helping others nurture and sustain synergistic environments and fields (not merely issuing directives), will be increasingly recognized.  

Emergence of heterarchical models of leadership and organization, not just hierarchical models. In a heterarchy, governance is established by a pluralistic, egalitarian, open-ended exchange between all parties, whereas it is typically established in a hierarchy by a sole, expert leader who prescribes important values, norms and rules.⁷¹ 

A focus upon instantaneously, continually and mutually influencing interconnected fields, networks and systems, rather than only discrete, isolated and disconnected parts that interact periodically, if at all. Consistent with this emerging organic worldview, synergistic groups are reflecting a general and growing trend toward investigating and understanding the reality of fields, networks and systems. This emerging worldview appreciates that a relatively small shift in only a part of a system, field, or network, given certain state conditions within the larger, complex adaptive system, can lead to significant shifts in other parts of or even in the whole field⁷²; that such influence is often not physically manifest to the five human senses and is not necessarily bound by space or time; that reality is essentially relational in nature⁷³;  that chaos is a natural phase in transitions to a higher order and state; that the shift to higher orders of energy and form, together with emergent higher-order phenomena (such as group wisdom), may be induced by invisible forces that cannot be perceived by the five human senses⁷⁴, etc.. 

Exploration of resonance and related phenomena. Related to the investigation of fields and an increasing interest in collaborative inquiry and creativity, synergistic groups are exploring the nature and effects of resonance, attunement, alignment, entrainment, and related phenomena, as described earlier. These phenomena reflect a growing interest in group and collective activity, in subtle yet powerful modes of communicating, sensing and connecting, and in ways of maximizing the effectiveness of GSS.  

Increasing investigation, recognition and honoring of the transpersonal stages of human development and of group or collective consciousness. Although the transpersonal movement began more than 20 years ago, the mainstream scientific and scholarly communities in the West still do not for the most part recognize the existence of the transpersonal stages of human development and of group or collective consciousness. (In Wilber's four-quadrant model of human endeavor, these would be located in the upper-left [interior-individual] and lower-left [interior-collective] quadrants.) Nevertheless, the number of scholars and practitioners investigating these stages and phenomena continues to grow. As described elsewhere in this report, as individuals move into these developmental stages, their capacity to function effectively as members of synergistic groups and work with group consciousness increases markedly. Over the next 20 to 50 years, this paradigm shift in how we define what it means to be human and in how we are interconnected should gain increasing respectability and acceptance within the mainstream. 

A growing focus upon group- and collective-level phenomena and needs, rather than just individual experience and needs. In Western cultures, particularly in the United States, we have lost much of a sense of responsibility for the common good⁷⁵ and a sense of community and service. GSS reflects in part a desire to redress this imbalance and loss. Synergistic groups often practice some form of dialogical or appreciative inquiry, with members attempting to empty themselves of preconceived opinions and unconscious assumptions, in order to freely consider the ideas and experience of others and engage together in a creative and open process of collaborative discovery. Various individuals are investigating group- and collective-level phenomena like organizational fields, collective intelligence, group wisdom⁷⁶, the healing effects of focused group intention or prayer, the existence of a group being or essence, and collective consciousness and cultural-level healing.⁷⁷ 

Movement from sole reliance upon machine-based technological solutions and images to human-technology solutions and organic images. Since the first description of the universe as a clock several hundred years ago, the metaphors used to describe life processes, especially in industrialized nations, have increasingly come to be dominated by machine-related terminology.⁷⁸ As a result, the organic processes involved in complex adaptive systems (such as groups) are inappropriately described as Apart A moves part B, which moves part C, etc.” Such descriptions emphasize linearity (rather than cycles), independent and isolated parts (rather than interdependent parts meaningfully understood from the perspective of the whole), predetermined and fixed relationships (rather than emergent, flexible and changing relationships), rational and logical analysis (often without an acceptance of intuitive sensing), objectivity⁷⁹ (rather than subjectivity and feeling), etc. Within this worldview, machine-based technological solutions are often perceived to be the first and often sole response to human problems⁸⁰. In contrast, the emergence of GSS reflects a movement back toward a balanced, comprehensive worldview and approach to service, where human factors are seen as equally, if not more, effective in the sustaining of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. 

An increasing focus upon space, embodiment, uniqueness and diversity, intuition⁸¹, and non-verbal modes of expression and sensing, balancing out Western culture's excessive and narrow focus upon time, abstraction, generalization, analysis and logic, and talking and discussion. I have addressed a number of these increasingly important foci in other sections of this report. All of them reflect a shift, exemplified in GSS, toward more holistic ways of perceiving, being, and acting in life, reclaiming those human capacities which have been diminished, denigrated or ignored, primarily in Western cultures⁸². All of them reflect a greater focus upon relationship and upon ways of connecting and interacting respectfully and holistically with aspects of oneself and with others and life. 

The continued emergence of feminine modes of being, sensing and acting. GSS reflects the continuing emergence of feminine modes of being, sensing and acting (within women and men), which have been coming into increasing expression over the past 40 years. Such modes involve an emphasis upon many of the factors described in this report, including relationship, intuition, embodiment, empathy, compassion, receptivity, nurturing, partnership, collaboration and networking. Just as the new wisdom culture will synthesize the cultural strands of individual rights and collective responsibility, so too will it synthesize masculine and feminine modes of being, sensing and acting, with a deeper appreciation of both modes and of the need for balancing and integrating them within individuals and collectives. 

More frequent use of images of circles, spheres and spirals, rather than discrete and isolated points and  lines. The image of the circle is increasingly appearing in Western languages (wisdom circles, women's circles, etc.). The circle represents union, completeness and wholeness and a gathering of peers in dialogue and council (in contrast to the traditional organizational chart). It conveys the sense of cyclicality and an enclosing, holding, nurturing feminine energy (balancing out the image of unidirectional, goal-oriented, masculine energy, expressed in a line or arrow). The sphere represents wholeness in multiple directions and can contain within it the four horizontal and the two vertical directions, reflecting not only our relationship with other creatures, but also with the sky and the underworld. It also symbolizes our increasing global awareness. The spiral conveys a sense of not only cyclicality, but also development and process. All three images therefore convey symbolically the processes and trends described in this report. They have been used for aeons in numerous indigenous cultures to convey basic truths about life's processes and now appear to be reemerging in industrialized societies. 

The image of the chalice or the Grail. As I described above, a group functions as a metaphorical chalice or container for Spirit. The image of the chalice symbolically conveys, from one perspective, a circle, and from another perspective, half of a sphere. It also conveys the notion of openness, receptivity and a supportive structure or form for Spirit. In esoteric Christian symbology and Medieval mythology, the Grail represents communion with the Christ, the  representative of “group consciousness” or the energy of loving relationship.  

A more universal and authentic valuing of diversity as a critical factor in the emergence of group wisdom and effective problem solving. By necessity, as globalization has increased and various cultures have intermingled, business and government have begun to take steps to “manage” diversity through various cultural awareness programs. In a number of cases, however, these efforts are undertaken for legal or economic reasons, rather than out of a true appreciation of the value of diverse perspectives in discovering group wisdom and effectively solving problems. Synergistic groups are modeling in many cases the authentic valuing and embracing of multiple perspectives, an appreciation and understanding that will become more widespread as more individuals experience the power of group wisdom. 

A shift from competitive, win-lose behaviors to collaborative, inclusive, win-win behaviors. We are moving from a social Darwinist perspective that emphasizes win-lose competition to an ecological perspective that emphasizes connection and win-win collaboration. Members of synergistic groups are learning to develop this more inclusive identity and perspective. 

The emergence of a new, global, wisdom culture. As described earlier in this report, synergistic groups are helping to model and create a new, global, wisdom culture that balances and synthesizes, at a new order of complexity and wisdom, existing individually-oriented cultures and group-oriented cultures. Elaborating on John Fetzer's notion, this new culture will be characterized by “communities of freedom and synthesis”, by collective inquiry, reflection and decision-making. 

The use of community and group synergy to heal, to restore individuals and society to wholeness, will increase. The role of group synergy and community in healing is still largely unrecognized. As synergistic groups increasingly demonstrate the power of these factors, developing them will become the focus of more of our efforts and resources. 

What questions and issues about GSS need to be explored further? 

A number of important questions and issues need to be explored further, if we are to understand more fully the complex matter of GSS: 

How exactly does the level of psychological and spiritual development of group members, including development of the transpersonal stages of consciousness, and experiences of group or collective consciousness, affect the depth and effectiveness of GSS and the nature of the process issues with which the group must work? A number of participants felt that this is a crucial question. What is the distinction, if any, between group and collective consciousness? Are there various levels of group or collective consciousness? How would they be measured? Related questions include: What is the internal dynamic of moving from feeling disconnected to connected? How do ordinary people develop extraordinary relationships? 

How can we educate individuals and groups to build and sustain GSS, especially if doing so requires a continuous process of inner development? 

How can we work with and influence collective consciousness? Can synergy be achieved on a cultural level? What can we learn from what the anthropologist, Ruth Benedict, described as high-synergy cultures? 

How can we most effectively create communities of freedom and group synergy? What are the attributes of both? How do what John Fetzer referred to as “consciousness of liberation” and “consciousness of synthesis” relate to the transpersonal stages of development? 

If frequent interactions and deep engagement between group members can quickly highlight individual and cultural unconscious assumptions, beliefs and patterns of behavior, is learning and development in a synergistic group faster and more efficient than solitary reflection? 

What is the impact upon GSS when groups do (or do not) work with collective grief, shame, loss, or fear?⁸³  

How does the group synergy experienced by a group led by a charismatic leader differ from the synergy of a leaderful group? 

How can we help people avoid or work with experiences of negative or destructive group synergy, such as cults?⁸⁴ 

What is the effect of group size upon GSS? Is it possible to build group synergy in large groups or organizations?⁸⁵ 

What is the effect upon GSS when one or more members assumes the role of "holding the group", i.e., paying attention to group-level phenomena and supporting the development of a constructive group field?⁸⁶ 

What is the nature of group wisdom? Is it a reflection of shared consciousness? A group mind? 

What is the role of eros and creativity in group synergy, and vice versa? 

Next steps 

Toward the end of the conference, the group considered next steps that would advance the emergence of synergistic groups and the larger cultural trends that this emergence is manifesting. I have expanded upon the ideas that were offered. 

Further explore GSS and synthesize our learning. Many of the conference participants felt that three days were too short a time to adequately explore, let alone synthesize, the complex issues related to group synergy.  Five to seven days would be necessary to do so. A number of questions and issues, related to those above, were suggested.⁸⁷ 

Develop a training and educational⁸⁸ program for GSS. Several participants expressed an interest in collaborating to develop a training and educational program that would take groups through an experience-based learning program on how to build and sustain GSS.⁸⁹ Such a program might involve onsite consultation and training with groups that are exploring GSS or might bring together individuals for a series of workshops and retreats, similar to the training program based upon Parker Palmer's book, The Courage To Teach. Group members would explore the relationship between individual and group spiritual development and practice and would engage in practical, hands-on work with GSS, exploring the questions and experimenting with the factors mentioned in this report that facilitate the building and sustaining of synergistic groups. 

Convene an advanced practice group. In contrast to the preceding initiative, which would train individuals who have had a small or moderate amount of experience with synergistic groups, an advanced practice group might be formed, comprised of individuals who have had extensive experience with GSS. Such a group would explore the frontiers of this field, engaging in dialogue about the deeper process principles of GSS, exploring themselves the cutting-edge processes as a synergistic group, identifying the trends that are emerging, and exchanging ideas through a series of papers and conference calls regarding the best ways to nurture and promote this field. 

Conduct research on GSS. Several participants would also like to conduct research regarding GSS. One proposed initiative would involve action research, perhaps within the context of helping local communities prepare for what has been called the "Y2K [Year 2000] Problem". The aim of such an initiative would be to demonstrate constructive (rather than fear-based, defensive and separative) responses to the problem, helping local groups to use their preparations to practice GSS, so that they develop ongoing skills regarding synergy and become stronger and healthier communities, regardless of the degree of severity of the Y2K Problem. Another proposed initiative would be to use appreciative inquiry or grounded theory as research methodologies, to work with and study the process of groups that are currently engaged or would like to engage in GSS, thereby studying and documenting in a rigorous and disciplined fashion the principles and processes underlying GSS. 

Convene a scientific research group. A working group comprised of leading scientists and researchers who are investigating GSS, fields, resonance, the nonlocal and nontemporal effects of focused group intention, etc., would be called together to dialogue about their latest research, the ways in which their work elucidates the key principles of synergistic groups, and exciting new areas to investigate.  

Produce a book, articles and/or a video on GSS. Several participants have also expressed an interest in co-authoring a book on GSS. One option would be an edited version that first presents a coherent framework of principles (developed collaboratively), followed by illustrative stories on GSS, each written by a participant in the conferences. Another option would be a book focused upon common principles and group processes for GSS, with each chapter addressing one of the principles and processes, possibly in a workbook-with-CD format, with exercises for groups to experience together. Another approach would involve writing articles for the IONS quarterly journal, Yes magazine, Common Boundary, etc., that would describe in an accessible fashion the importance of synergistic groups for solving the complex problems faced by society today. In addition, several participants would like to work on an educational video that would present content similar to the workbook, showing groups engaged in GSS. 

Create an Annual “Communities of Freedom and Synthesis” Fund. This award would recognize each year a group that is exploring the frontiers of and making significant contributions to GSS. The award might involve a cash grant, to support not only the continuing work of the selected synergistic group, but also the writing of a report by group members about the group's learning and explorations during the award year regarding the cutting edges of GSS. Over the years, different types and sizes of groups might be selected, including those engaged in larger-scale organizational and societal change processes. Such an award would be unique, since few awards currently recognize and support collaborative efforts and accomplishment. The award would also raise awareness of this emerging arena of inquiry and service and of the new wisdom culture. 

Summary 

The two GSS conferences focused upon synergistic groups that serve collaboratively. GSS groups are experimenting with inn