Reviews for Spiral Dynamics : Mastering Values, Leadership and Change

The average rating for Spiral Dynamics : Mastering Values, Leadership and Change based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-07-14 00:00:00 Edward Trout While the creator of Spiral Dynamics is no longer with us, this reworked and updated version presents a theory of human "progression" through various stages of value systems. Each stage of the system is represented by colors. It reminds me of Abraham Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs theory, only with more layers and technicolor. This book is essential reading for many reasons. One is diversity training. Different people have different values and filters on the world. SD not only simplifies and explains those values but shows the life conditions which perpetuate them. If you ever wondered why someone got gunned down over a pair of Nike Air Jordans, this book will help you to understand the "Red" mindset AND the life conditions of the people living there. If you wonder why that weird uncle of yours is all into God and Government, SD will teach you all about the "Blue" mindset and the life conditions which would lend themselves toward a Blue solution. Once you understand the value system of a person in this way, it becomes much easier for you to work with them. Or work for them. Or manage them. Or simply tolerate them at the holiday dinner. You'll understand why they would respond better to discipline (for Blue/Red), or incentives (Orange), or recognition (Green), etc. While it's not exactly the superpower the authors present (You'll become a SPIRAL WIZARD!) it's definitely powerful knowledge about the humans you share the planet with. Since reading this book, I've been able to identify the different colored thoughts and patterns in both conversations and headlines, and even in my own life. Self Knowledge - always a good thing. The authors repeatedly point out that that people aren't simply one color for all things, but they can have dominant color thinking for different areas of their life. They may be Green regarding their relationships, but Blue in their business dealings. These values are not necessarily a conscious choice, but rather a reaction to the Life Conditions in which people find themselves. When the zombie apocalypse happens, those trapped in the infected zone will quickly find their brains switching to a more Red mindset because of the prevailing Life Conditions. SD definitely implies nurture over nature in this case. I'm not sure if I agree with the authors that there is an actual Progression through the color spectrum as they list it. On the surface it makes sense, but my own experience I seem to have skipped some colors, and they mention more than once that skipping colors is possible, which makes me wonder if there are other paths through the colors than the one listed here (Tree Dynamics?) Furthermore, there is a Second Tier to the spiral, (starting with Yellow) in which one recognizes the different colors and is able to pick and choose the appropriate color for any particular situation. The problem should be obvious - how do I know whether my weird uncle is really Bright Blue, or enlightened, second tier Yellow, but choosing to value Blue around Religion and Politics? Nit picking, I suppose, but not really addressed in the book. Overall, this is an extremely helpful book for managers, the diversity-challenged, or those wanting more insight into human nature.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-11-06 00:00:00 Thomas Steele important but , in my humble opinion, very poorly written book - the work of Graves did not deserve to be buried in such a shambling text - it made an extremely useful and creative model of human development into something obscure and elitist ( for really smarty people who have university education) - the KEY to these ideas can be found in 'A Theory of Everything' by Wilbur - who managed to make the theory much more accessible to everyone.