When I first started leaning about Spiral Dynamics at School of Coaching Mastery, my first reaction, like many others, was “huh??”; My second reaction was “hmm, this is interesting…”; my next was “wow, this is REALLY interesting”; and my next was “Why haven’t we heard of this before???”.
I have a four-year degree in Psychology, have attended many educational conferences, and have been into personal development for a very long time, but not once have I heard of Spiral Dynamics until studying it at School of Coaching Mastery, at least not in a meaningful and detailed way!
This is what I have learned so far about Spiral Dynamics:
So, what IS Spiral Dynamics???
Spiral Dynamics describes human thinking in terms of an evolution of individual and societal value systems. According to the theory, each individual, culture, and society follows a succession in levels of thinking, that are characterized at each stage as a different value system that guides not only the person’s thinking, but their behavior, and their interaction with others, and the world around them.
Each stage, for simplicity, has been organized into a color system that describes different value systems and ways of thinking.
The key things to remember when learning about these value systems and stages are:
The “stages” are as follows (they will be described in terms of the individual for simplicity):
So, what does this all mean to coaches, and how is learning about this going to benefit us in terms of our interactions with, and understanding of others?
For one, it reminds us that we are all individuals, with different value systems, ways of thinking, and different ways of interacting with the world. It therefore follows that we cannot assume that any individual does, or should think the same way we do.
Knowledge of this theory can also help us in coaching and communicating with others, whether it is on an individual level; through professional coaching, via marketing; or in a more global sense. If we can understand where another person is coming from in term of their values and thinking, then we can tailor our communications to that person, audience, or community to foster a stronger connection.
As Coaches, if we can understand where our Clients are coming from in terms of their values and thinking, we can help them find solutions that are appropriate for them, and that will resonate with them much better!
Since this is a pre-pre-101 to Spiral Dynamics blog article, you may want to visit some other sites to read more about it: I found this one helpful in deepening my understanding.
You can also take the Introduction to Spiral Dynamics for Coaches at School of Coaching Mastery.
If you have heard about Spiral Dynamics, I would love to hear your comments! Let’s get the discussion going!
Peace and Love,
Ang :)
School of Coaching Mastery teaches a Spiral Dynamics course tailored to the needs of business and life coaches. It's part of the Ultimate Coach Training Program: