Draft:Presencing Institute
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Presencing Institute is a global non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that focuses on awareness-based action research and leadership development for systems change. It was co-founded in the mid-2000s by Otto Scharmer and collaborators in connection with research on organizational learning, systems thinking, and societal transformation associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Institute is known for its work on Theory U and awareness-based approaches to leadership and social change.[1]
History
[edit]The Presencing Institute was established as an action research platform to support learning and experimentation across organizational, societal, and global systems. Its formation emerged from earlier research initiatives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on organizational learning and leadership, including work associated with the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Society for Organizational Learning.[2]
Since its founding, the Institute has operated as a convening and hosting organization, supporting collaborative inquiry, applied research, and leadership development across sectors and regions. Its activities have evolved alongside the further development and global dissemination of Theory U.
Approach and focus
[edit]The Presencing Institute’s work is grounded in Awareness-based action research, a participatory research approach that emphasizes the role of attention, perception, and experience in shaping individual and collective action. Central to this approach is the concept of Presencing, which combines the ideas of sensing and presence and refers to the capacity to connect with emerging possibilities and act from that awareness.[3]
In academic literature, the Institute’s work is situated at the intersection of Systems thinking, phenomenology, organizational learning, and futures studies, and is discussed in relation to broader efforts to address complex social, ecological, and institutional challenges through reflective and participatory methods.
Programs and activities
[edit]The Presencing Institute supports a range of educational, research, and applied initiatives. These include open online learning programs, leadership development offerings, and action learning laboratories designed to foster collaboration across organizational and sectoral boundaries.
One of its best-known initiatives is u.lab, an online learning platform developed in collaboration with MITx that has engaged hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide in experiential learning related to leadership and systems change.[4]
Global applications
[edit]Elements of the Presencing Institute’s approaches have been applied in public-sector and international contexts. Between 2018 and 2023, United Nations SDG Leadership Labs were conducted in multiple countries across Africa, Latin America, and other regions, supporting leadership development for sustainable development and cross-sector collaboration.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "People – Presencing Institute". presencing.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
- ^ Scharmer, C. Otto; Kaufer, Katrin (2015). "Awareness-Based Action Research: Catching Social Reality Creation in Flight." In Bradbury, Hilary (ed.). The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications.
- ^ Cowart, Adam (2020). "Presencing: The Theory U Framework as Foresight Method." In The Knowledge Base of Futures Studies. World Futures Studies Federation.
- ^ "u-lab: Leading From the Emerging Future | MITx Online". mitxonline.mit.edu. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
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