Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies

• By the author of the bestselling Theory U
• Provides a profound new analysis identifying the underlying causes of the economic, social, and spiritual-cultural crises of our time
• Offers a practical method that will enable leaders to address key challenges and create an economy that generates well-being for all

We have entered an age of disruption. Financial collapse, climate change, resource depletion, and a growing gap between rich and poor are but a few of the signs. Collectively, despite our best efforts, we are producing results that nobody wants.

Having worked in hot spots of societal innovation and conducted interviews with thought leaders, innovators, and change makers worldwide, Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer argue that we need to jettison the old frames and habits of thought left over from the 19th and 20th centuries. Meeting the challenges of this century requires updating our economic logic and operating system.

We must move away from an obsolete “ego-system” awareness that focuses entirely on the well-being of the individual—be it a single person, group, organization, or country—to an eco-system awareness that emphasizes the well-being of the whole. To free ourselves from outmoded ways of perceiving the world, we need the capacity to sense and actualize emerging future possibilities, both individually and collectively. Scharmer and Kaufer here describe a method they call presencing (a combination of the words presence and sensing). It enables the development of institutional innovation and new leadership capacities so leaders can connect to the highest future possibility and become part of what brings it about.

Scharmer and Kaufer take readers on a thought-provoking journey filled with real-world examples that will help leaders and change makers transform and renew business, society, and the self. They present a proven program for developing leadership skills that will bring about innovation in all sectors and create an economy that works in more intentional, inclusive, sustainable, and inspired ways.

About the Authors

Otto Scharmer is a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and cofounder of the Presencing Institute and the Global Wellbeing and Gross National Happiness Lab. He is the author of Theory U and a coauthor of Presence.

Katrin Kaufer is research director at the Presencing Institute and a research fellow with the MIT CoLab.