Spiral dynamics coral and orange level. Spiral dynamics of organizations

Figure out what level you are at now and what level you want to be at.

Today I propose to familiarize yourself with the very interesting theory of spiral dynamics, based on the research of the American psychologist Claire Graves.

Basic ideas of the theory of spiral dynamics

The development of each individual person and of all humanity proceeds along a spiral trajectory, passing through a successive series of levels.

The six levels of the first order are “survival,” “mysticism,” “craving for order,” “serving a higher purpose,” “materialism,” and “striving for the common good.”

At second-order levels, personal potential is revealed and people unite with each other.

The levels, each of which has its own sociocultural “meme” and conventional color, characterize not types of people, but ways of thinking.

Harmonious development presupposes a progressive upward spiral; the levels partially overlap.

Each level goes through the stages of “emergence”, “culmination” and “extinction”

People and groups can be influenced only by those forces that correspond to the current circumstances of their lives and the level of their development.

Spiral model

Spiral Dynamics theory describes eight interconnected levels of maturity of the individual and society. Each level corresponds to a certain set of cultural values, its own color, its own priorities, beliefs and worldview characteristics. Developing, people and nations move from level to level under the influence of living conditions and experience in solving problems. When the conditions of existence of a person, organization or society change, this transformation forces us to reconsider basic values ​​and beliefs. Problems that cannot be solved within the framework of the existing value system force us to rise to the next turn of the spiral. The levels partially overlap each other, going through the phases of “emergence,” “culmination,” and “decay.” This evolution occurs over a long period of time: a person or society leaves the previous level and slowly moves towards the next level that appears on the horizon. Problems arise when something interferes with such forward movement.

The spiral model is a tool that allows you to manage the process of transformation. But to take advantage of it, you first need to understand what level of development a person or team is at, and then you can choose methods for introducing change accordingly. These levels characterize not a personality type, but a way of thinking.

As a rule, we are influenced by several layers of values, or ideological complexes, called “memes.” Any major transformations must be carried out taking into account the characteristics of the level at which it is locatedperson or society. Thus, attempts to quickly create a free market economy in a country in which an authoritarian regime reigned for decades are doomed to failure. Such a country must go through a stage of gradual liberalization and instilling respect for individual freedom so that the desire for independence and the spirit of entrepreneurship develop in society.

Learning to determine what level an individual or group is at is not easy, just as it is not easy to cope with the desire to accelerate change. The Spiral Dynamics model has enormous potential for guiding change ina variety of contexts, including organizations. The scope of its application is almost limitless. Colors: levels and value systems

Levels of development, each of which corresponds to a specific value “meme,” reflect the psychocultural maturity of an individual or society. The first six levels (first order levels) correspond to the following colors:

Beige

This is the “Stone Age”, in which people are ruled by instincts, and their main concern is survival. They gather in groups not to communicate, but to share food and protect themselves from threats.

Children quickly leave this spiral, like most primitive cultures. Older people may fall into the “beige” level if they suffer from Alzheimer's disease. It is necessary to work with groups that are at the “beige” level, appealing to the senses (vision, taste, touch). Less than 0.1% of the planet's inhabitants are at this level of development, and only 0.01% of political power is in their hands.

Violet

Driven by the desire to improve their living conditions, people enter into more complex social associations, moving from families and clans to tribes. The life of the tribes is governed by rituals, mysticism, belief in spirits and ancestor worship. Their members obediently obey common rituals, observe prohibitions and respect blood ties. To influence a person or group with this level of consciousness, show its members that you respect their morals and customs. For example, a sports team may exhibit purple level traits. Criticism of the superstitions common in such a group causes a negative reaction in it. About 10% of people still live in clans and tribes, concentrating about 1% of political power in their hands.

Red

The purple color gives way to red when people realize the inconsistency of superstitions and the meaninglessness of rituals. When group members begin to challenge the power of the rulers who exploit them, the rulers become even more oppressive, which accelerates change. As soon as agreement disappears between group members, anarchy arises, after which power ends up in the hands of dictators. In the cruel “red” world, the law of the jungle reigns, tyrants rule over empires, and power has the highest value.

Everyone strives to grab their share of the benefits and believes that the fittest will survive. Society is dominated by a rigid hierarchy, authoritarianism, inertia of thinking, and cruelty. People have no empathy for each other. To achieve change at the red level, teach people to show respect for others and protect their reputation. Any attempts to bring the team closer will be perceived with hostility by its members. Explain to the Reds what their “benefit” is: instead of anarchy, offer them order and service to a higher goal. About 20% of people are at this level, accounting for about 5% of political power.

Blue

The desire for order heralds the approach to the “blue” level, which is characterized by predictability, patriotism and self-sacrifice for a higher purpose. In the “blue” world, strict control and authoritarianism still reign, but leaders are distinguished by a “fatherly” attitude towards the people, and not by the desire for self-aggrandizement. To transform this society, teach people to value personal merit and be rewarded for success. Respect their traditions. Do not encourage wasteful, conspicuous consumption and social dependency. The “blue” level is the largest segment of the world’s population, these 40% of people concentrate 30% of political power in their hands.

Orange

This level replaces the “blue” level when people question the authority of the authorities. When leaders abuse their positions, it accelerates change. As soon as people realize that they know better than the authorities how to live, they stop being loyal. They begin to think more freely, and the beginnings of entrepreneurship and careerism appear in society. Wanting more, people see the path to a better life in science and technology. Neglect of personal interests for the sake of a higher goal gives way to the pursuit of material wealth. The society is dominated by “meritocracy”, the power of the worthy. To influence an orange team, focus members' attention on professionalism, the needs of the team, and the benefits of living in a community. Making up 30% of the population, this group holds 50% of political power.

Green

The “orange” level gives way to “green” when people begin to strive for mutual understanding and the development of spirituality. Material possessions and personal achievements no longer bring them joy, and the lack of relationships makes them feel lonely. The spirit of competition weakens, and collective well-being and concern for the environment come to the fore. Decisions are not made by a minority, but by consensus. People are beginning to be guided by the principle of reasonable necessity, and not by greed; they strive for a simple life, not burdened by unbridled consumption. To help them move to the next level, let them know that going “with the whole world” is ineffective and self-limiting. Advise to take all the good things from other levels. This segment covers 10% of the population and accounts for 15% of political power.

Colors in Spiral Dynamics

The following two colors correspond to the two second-order levels:

Yellow

The transition to second-order levels is a much more important step than the transition between first-order levels. Thoughts and actions acquire special flexibility and multidimensionality here. Individuals and communities reach this level when they become disillusioned with collectivism and begin to recognize its limitations, but still feel the need to devote themselves to activities for the common good.

Suppressed individualism is being revived, devoid, however, of the desire for luxury and demonstration of high status characteristic of the “orange” level. Those at this level skillfully unite individuals and groups at different levels of development into a single organism to solve a specific problem. At the same time, they do not feel the need to recognize their merits. These people have outgrown the desire to compete and assert themselves and, in search of their “I,” try not to harm others. The “yellow” level begins to recede as soon as people realize the limitations of the individual’s capabilities and unite to solve global problems of human existence. The 1% of the population that reaches this level controls about 5% of political power.

Turquoise

As people, having learned well the possibilities and limitations of individualism, return to balanced collectivism, they again begin to show self-sacrifice, lost after leaving the “blue” level. If the “yellow” level is creation and problem solving, then the “turquoise” level is the unification of humanity into a single spiritual whole with a focus on such priorities as caring for the environment, simplicity of life and respect for people at any level. Those who are at this level strive to become part of a single system of relationships that all forms of life form. They are able to combine the strengths of all other levels without compromising their own self. 1% of political power is concentrated in the hands of 0.1% of representatives of this level.

Six conditions for change

In order for individuals and groups to undergo the development process described, certain conditions must be met. The scale of change and its sustainability depend on this.

Potential assessment. Is the person, organization, or culture receptive to the changes you intend to make? Are they in an “open” state (you can act), a “constrained” state (remove all barriers first and don’t expect quick success), or a “closed” state (it’s useless to even try to change something)?

Search for solutions. Find solutions to problems that exist at a given level before stimulating an upward spiral. When starting a change, make sure you have a solid foundation in place first.

Creating dissonance. Provide evidence that the traditional way of thinking does not meet new requirements and living conditions. Describe the dangers that will inevitably arise from this. Move people out of complacency to awaken their desire to change.

Breaking down barriers. People and groups strive to erect barriers around themselves that protect them from change. Identify these barriers and break them down.

Awakening understanding. Talk about why the person or organization needs to change. Point out what needs to be fixed and help people imagine how it will change their lives for the better.

Consolidation. Carrying out transformations is a long process, during which breakthroughs alternate with retreats. It needs to be constantly supported. If changes occur in an organization, its leader must be at the center of the change process, providing all possible support to subordinates.

If these conditions are met, the transformation process will take place in five stages:

1. “Alpha stability”. Everything is fine, people are happy, the system works.

2. “Beta conditioning.” Small problems turn into large ones; traditional solutions do not work in the new conditions. Doubts about the viability of the system are growing. Trying to improve the situation by using old ways of working more effectively only makes the problems worse.

3. “Gamma trap”. The problems are becoming more obvious. Denying them is not the best way out of the situation. You feel it's best to wait and see how things develop before you act. But we need to act now. If you hesitate, you may find yourself in a “trap”, which will lead to personal, organizational and social collapse. Recovery from such a collapse will be lengthy, if possible at all.

4. “Delta burst”. Having avoided the gamma trap, you will experience a feeling of euphoria. But other pitfalls await you. The changes may make the situation even worse, or they may be superficial and you will begin to slide back into the “trap.”

5. “New alpha stability.” If the transformations were successful and you avoided the “gamma trap,” you found yourself at a new stage of development. Ensure that the system is stable before the cycle begins again.

Use accurate assessments of the five conditions for successful change and monitoring of the five stages of the process as tools to help people and teams achieve sustainable change. Work at all levels at once, consider the benefits each level provides, and develop solutions that fit each level. Follow the principles of “politeness” (show respect for others), “openness” (listen to others) and “autocracy” (govern with a firm hand and boldly accept responsibility).

Before you embark on the path of transformation, figure out what level you are at now and where you want to be. Conduct an audit of available resources and means to implement changes. Formulate your vision for the future and share it with your group members. Develop a work plan that covers all the activities that influence the change process. Form a management team that will support the program throughout its implementation. Control the process and coordinate the work of people implementing changes. Move steadily forward, finding optimal solutions to problems as they arise.

In the second half of the 20th century, many theories emerged that described the individual evolution of consciousness based on observed, empirical data. Piaget observed the cognitive line of development, Kohlberg observed moral development, Loevinger observed the development of self-awareness, Maslow, the author of the famous “Maslow’s pyramid,” observed the development of needs, Graves observed development of a value system.

It has been observed that most people go through certain stages in their development, with some moving on and some getting stuck. Studies in cultures other than the West have shown that people in them are characterized by the same stages, with the only difference being that in less developed cultures, most of the population is in earlier stages of development (although this does not exclude the emergence of individual thinkers in these cultures higher order).

What is the higher order criterion? The main criterion is the relative complexity of the system. As evolutionary development progresses, systems tend to become more complex. The history of society itself has been accompanied by an increase in complexity approximately a millionfold. If primitive societies can consist of hundreds or thousands of people, then modern society cannot exist with a number of members of less than 100 million, and recently even this number has become clearly insufficient for the implementation of the most complex technologies.

It is especially worth noting that systems do not accumulate arbitrary complexity, but complexity that allows the system to function more efficiently within the framework of an external system. For an animal it will be the ecosphere, for a person it will be society, and for a country it will be a set of other countries with which cultural ties have been established.

What gives grounds to draw an analogy between the stages of individual development and social stages? The fact is that human consciousness is culturally conditioned; in society there are mechanisms of inheritance of the level of thinking and vertical transmission of ideas. Each next generation inherits the ideas of the previous one, which gives it the opportunity to more easily move to the next level of its development. Thus, if today we see individuals developing into what seem to us to be more complex and higher stages, we can assume that the whole of society will follow them in the future.

In the 1970s-90s, American psychologist Claire Graves, and then his followers, Chris Cowan, Don Beck and Ken Wilber, developed a new socio-evolutionary theory, later called the theory of spiral dynamics. This evolutionary theory was chosen among many others because, in my opinion, it most fully describes the possible stages of the evolution of development of both man and society. Levels of development in Graves' theory are described through paradigms of consciousness (which, for convenience, are coded in various colors from beige to yellow). These paradigms of consciousness, or value complexes, include spiritual beliefs, cultural ideas, moral principles, learning models, etc. arise as the need for them arises in the process of sociocultural evolution.

Each successive stage of development satisfies needs that were not satisfied (or were suppressed) by the previous stage of development of civilization. The fundamental difference from social Darwinism here lies in the holistic approach - each subsequent level of development of society is considered as the next level of holarchy, which includes the previous one. As a result, the highest levels of development of society do not deny, but include the previous ones.

According to the theory of spiral dynamics, at the upper level of cultural holarchy there are so-called value memes of a higher order - in English terminology vMeme (hereinafter referred to as “MEMEs”). Each 'MEME represents a value system that ultimately gives rise to certain beliefs, social groupings, motivation patterns, organizational dynamics, goals. If we artificially try to introduce solutions or structures into a society that correspond to a “MEME” that is different from the one the society is on, they will be rejected. The model is hierarchical, that is, the “MEMEs” in it are in order of increasing complexity, but it is open, that is, the end point is unknown. To date, eight levels of holoarchy have been described, which are presented below.

1) Beige – automatic, instinctive thinking.

Stone Age level, not particularly common on the planet today. At this level, survival instincts dominate; a person generally behaves like an animal, albeit the most intelligent one. Social organization: small tribal groups.

Ethics: none. What is ethical is what promotes survival.

Modern examples: newborns and very old people.

Prerequisites for moving to a new level: awareness of oneself as an individual, comprehension of cause-and-effect relationships, concern for survival, which requires group interaction.

2) Purple – animistic, tribal.

Animistic, magical, down-to-earth thinking. The individual is subordinate to the interests of the group. Emphasis on group rituals and spirit worship. Blood ties are very strong. Strong power of shamans/chiefs.

Ethics: Anything that benefits the tribe is ethical.

Modern examples: tribes of Africa.

Prerequisites for the transition: the emergence of a dominant ego, an individual who is stronger than the group, limited niches for existence.

3) Red – egocentric, forceful.

Severe authoritarianism manifests itself in slavery or similar forms of exploitation of unskilled labor. Power through a leader and several vassals (two-tier model). The belief that people are lazy and need to be forced to work. True leaders suppress human emotions. Characteristic of early states.

Ethics: the strong is right.

Modern examples: street gangs, African kingdoms.

Prerequisites for the transition: recognition of the power of morality, search for the meaning and purpose of life, increasing the range of planning.

4) Blue – absolutist, sacred.

Patriotic thinking, the only true way to think, submission to authority, imposition of guilt for not conforming to group norms, self-sacrifice in the name of a higher goal. Active protection of “our own” from the attacks of “strangers”. Works well in industrial economies. The emergence of complex hierarchies. “Think locally, act globally.”

Ethics: religious or quasi-religious.

Modern examples: Puritan states of the USA, modern Confucian Chinese families, Islamic states.

Prerequisites for the transition: searching for the best choice from many alternatives, searching for happiness in this life, discovering the mistakes of the church/leadership.

5) Orange – materialistic, achievement-oriented.

Rationalism, private enterprise for its own good, economic motivation, competition improves productivity and quality of goods, promotes growth. Possibly the dominant 'MEME' in America today. “Think locally, act locally.”

Ethics: secular law is paramount.

Modern examples: “capitalists” of the USA, Western Europe.

Prerequisites for transition: discovery that material wealth does not bring happiness, a renewed sense of collectivism, dissatisfaction with competition and inequality.

6) Green – sociocentric.

Emphasis on shared growth, equality, humanity, tolerance, stability, attention to environmental issues. Motivation - human relations and learning. Openness and trust are valued, not competition. Leaders become less autocratic, hierarchies are blurred. Efficiency falls and stagnation sets in. “Think globally - act globally.”

Ethics: Laws are important, but they must serve the welfare of everyone.

Modern examples: European welfare states, Greenpeace, leftist movement.

Prerequisites for the transition: the cost of collective decisions is too high, the need to compete with systems that have fewer social obligations.

7) Yellow – systemic, integrating.

Motivation by learning, emphasis on growth, change, challenges. Systems thinking, ecology fades into the background (but remains), the efficiency of the system comes to the fore. Recognizing the value of chaos and self-organization. “Think globally, act locally.”

Ethics: Ethics is a matter of agreement between people, not of the state.

Modern examples: companies in the high-tech sector.

Prerequisites for the transition: the search for order in chaos, the search for guiding principles, the combination of spirituality and physics.

Turquoise – globalist, modernizing.

Synergetic, holographic thinking, the ability to fully see the advantages and disadvantages of previous levels, integrating them into a single integrity.

Modern examples: Gaia theory, “global village”, Gandhi’s idea of ​​pluralistic harmony.

Discussion

An important feature of this model is that each odd level is focused primarily on individual values, and the even level is focused primarily on collective values ​​(except for the last one, where collective and individual values ​​are in harmony). Thus, the significance of culture, the collective subjective, will be especially great at the “purple”, “blue”, “green” level. On the contrary, in “red” there will be a clear priority of force, in “orange” - money and individual freedoms, in “yellow” there will be faith in society’s ability to self-organize, to resolve the conflict between intersubjective and interobjective non-violent means.

As a rule, societies are heterogeneous in their memetic composition, and the more developed and complex the society, the greater the variety of levels that exist in it. Levels do not change overnight, and do not represent steps of a ladder, they behave more like rolling waves, each next wave more difficult than the previous one.

Beck and Cowan estimate that 10% of the world's population is in the purple tier, 20% in the red tier, and 40% in the blue tier. The remaining 30% of the population is scattered across “orange” and “green”, with rare visits to “yellow” and above.

The process of transition to a new level is not something irreversible or inevitable. A corporation, for example, may be stuck in blue while orange economic conditions push it toward a completely different way of doing things. Usually, this ends in bankruptcy. For a state stuck at a low level of development, while its neighbors have gone far ahead, this situation is fraught with poverty, falling into colonial dependence or severe “shock therapy.” During transitional phases, when two colors mix, the dominant color is written in large letters and the recessive color in small letters, for example, “BLUE/ORANGE” or “ORANGE/GREEN.”

Of particular interest within the framework of Graves' theory are transitional factors, conditions that ensure a smooth transition from one value level to another.

Spiral dynamics of a company analyzes the current and determines further levels of its development. Read the article about how, knowing the level of development, identify a leader who can take the company to the next level.

From the article you will learn:

Graves' theory of spiral dynamics and its application in the practice of HR management

The founder of the theory of spiral dynamics is American psychologist Claire William Graves. He also called it a theory of the development of human biopsychosocial systems. The essence of the theory is that adult human systems, be it an individual or a team, including production, develop in the same way. In this case, development occurs from the bottom up, progressively. Each level is based on the knowledge, values ​​and principles of the lower levels. Visually, the development process can be represented as a spiral.

Followers Don Beck and Christopher Cowan developed Graves' theory of spiral dynamics, adding levels that no longer determine being, but consciousness. The authors assigned each level its own color code. Moreover, each level reflects a separate paradigm of consciousness and worldview. The figure depicts the concept of spiral dynamics and the levels of development of human systems.

The spiral dynamics model can be viewed from the point of view of the psychology of the individual, the phase development company and the demand for leadership qualities at every stage. The results are presented in the table.

Table. Levels of spiral dynamics in the context of an individual, an enterprise, in demand leadership qualities.

Level	Individual personality	Company	Required Leadership Qualities
"Survival"	Focus on survival	The preparatory stage, when the founders are just thinking about a business idea, looking for ways to survive in the market	There are no leaders - there is only the founder
Violet "Belonging"	The desire to become part of a team, group, to ensure safety	Recruitment, creating a team of like-minded people	A high level of collectivism eliminates the need for leaders
	Assertion of one’s independence, suppression of others, thirst for power and money	Competition, conquering new markets, within the company - competition between groups and leaders
"Rules"	Submission to hierarchy, discipline and law	Establishment of clear internal corporate regulations, the interests of the company are a priority	Responsibility, discipline, strict adherence to established rules, absolutist type of thinking
Orange "Result"	Goals have been achieved, energy is directed toward broadening one’s horizons, and a scientific and material system of values ​​is professed.	A team, rules and laws have been formed. The company brings stable profits, efficiency becomes the goal	Confidence in one's own success and effectiveness, desire to teach others how to succeed
"Agreement"	Respect for other people's opinions, tolerance, harmonious relationships with oneself and others	Common values ​​and united team. Employees understand and share the company’s strategic goals, are motivated, involved, and loyal	Collegial leadership style, desire to respect everyone’s interests, desire to provide a comfortable environment and protection for the team
"Development"	Finding a balance between one’s own and others’ needs, competence, increased adaptability. Self-realization as a way of existence.	The company's values ​​are the experience and knowledge of its employees. Both management and staff strive to maintain a balance between their own needs and the company’s goals	Flexible integration of all leadership qualities, the ability to apply a wide range of them in specific situations, guided solely by the interests of the system. At the same time, democracy and humanity in the absence of decentralization in management.
Turquoise "Evolutionary Balance"	Achieving differential and holistic thinking, understanding the laws and commonality of all processes

The answer was prepared jointly with the editors of the HR Director magazine

Answers Anna Nikulina

One commercial and industrial company occupied a new market segment, so it was necessary to open service centers of a different level and work with more demanding clients. In short, it was required reconfigure the business-processes, train employees to work differently than before, interact with customers differently, that is, move to a new level of development...

Corporate culture and spiral dynamics of the company

If manager understands the laws of company development, then the selection of managers and their education will correspond to the stages of this development and corporate culture. The theory of spiral dynamics of organizations suggests that the type of corporate culture changes following a change in the stage of development of the company. This means that the principles and styles of management, as well as the qualities of managers at this stage, are changing. As a result, the efficiency of enterprise management increases.

Use the spiral dynamics model to solve the following problems:

• current level diagnostics corporate culture, its advantages and disadvantages;
• identification and prevention of conflicts between structural divisions as a consequence of the discrepancy between the real and desired state of corporate culture;
• effective selection of managers and forecasting how successfully they will be able to work in the company;
• personnel assessment and identification of future leaders, in demand at each stage of enterprise development in a spiral;
• formation of long-term plans for organizational development and timely selection of relevant management systems;
• predict possible crises in the company and prevent them, reaching a new level of development.

In order for the company's development to go in a spiral, leadership managers must have state of the art higher than the current corporate culture. Increasing the level of management ensures the further development of the corporate culture of the organization.

The founder of the company was its only employee. Gradually the staff expanded, but at a certain point the founder realized that the enthusiasm of the employees had disappeared.

He analyzed his management techniques using the theory of spiral dynamics. After conducting an analysis, he realized that the methods were outdated, since they corresponded to the “red” zone, and the company itself had already moved into the “blue” zone.

The problem was resolved after some of the powers were transferred to a new team of system managers and a cycle of continuous improvement of the task and request management system was launched. The work of all departments was strictly regulated, and each employee was assigned an area of ​​responsibility.

How to Identify Leaders Using Graves' Spiral Dynamics Theory

When choosing a leader, use special methods for diagnosing leadership qualities, which are based on spiral dynamics. The figure shows an example of a company analysis according to the theory.

The presented results show that the subject demonstrated high values ​​of leadership qualities in the orange, yellow and turquoise zones. It can be assumed that such qualities will be in demand in an organization that is in the blue zone of its development. According to data obtained using spiral dynamics, Russia is a country with a predominant number of organizations whose development phases correspond precisely to the blue zone.

The levels of spiral dynamics will help diagnose what stage of development the company is at and what leadership qualities management needs to move it to the next level.

The idea of ​​spiral dynamics is widely used in coaching. In particular, in the MEUC certification program, students become familiar with it in the third module, dedicated to values. Because a person’s values ​​form the core of his picture of the world. And whatever the picture (map) of the world is, such is the world of a particular person.

Memes are pictures of the world, according to the concept of spiral dynamics by Claire Graves. You can read more about spiral dynamics in the relevant literature (D. Beck, K. Cowan, etc.). This article presents the general characteristics of each of the spiral levels.

The evolution of memes occurs along several trajectories:

From less complex to more complex natural, technological and social environments.

From surviving in the "jungle" to surfing the Internet and beyond by awakening new ways of thinking and consciousness

From a small piece of land to a “global village” and cyberspace through interterritorial and information migration.

Level 1 – “Memes of Needs”

Beige meme –Survival

Main theme: Do whatever it takes to stay alive

Individual" I" weakly demonstrated

Priorities: food, water, shelter, sex and safety

Uses instincts and habits to simply survive

Forms survival groups to prolong life

Where is it observed?: primitive people, newborns, frail old people, seriously ill people, homeless people, starving masses.

Violetmeme –Mysticism (Spirit World)

Main theme: To please the spirits and maintain comfort and safety in the tribal “nest”

:

Obeys the wishes of spirits and mystical signs

Observes rituals associated with life stages, seasons, and tribal customs

Shows loyalty to the “chief”, leader, elders, ancestors, tribe

Protects sacred sites, events and memories

Where observed: Belief in guardian angels and curses, oaths, trance singing and dancing, love spells, family rituals, protective amulets, etc. Strong in Third World countries, criminal gangs, sports teams.

Redmeme –Gods of power

Main theme: Be who you are and do what you want, regardless of anything

Characteristic beliefs and actions:

The world is a jungle full of dangers and predators

Conquers, by force or deceit, and dominates other aggressive characters

Breaks free from any compulsion to do whatever he wants

Towers over everyone, expects attention, demands respect and commands everyone

Enjoys it “to the fullest” right now, without guilt or remorse

Where observed: selfish little children, rebellious teenagers, feudal kingdoms, epic heroes, rock stars.

Bluememe –The power of truth

Main theme: Life has meaning and purpose with predetermined outcomes

Characteristic Beliefs and Actions:

A man sacrifices himself for a great idea

Right living gives stability in the present and provides rewards in the future.

Impulsivity is restrained by guilt, everyone should know and have their place

The law prescribes rules of conduct based on eternal, absolute principles

Laws, regulations and discipline shape moral qualities and strength of character

Where observed: Puritan America, Confucian China, Hassidic Judaism, code of chivalry and honor, bureaucratic structures, patriotism.

Orangememe –Success

Main theme: Act in your own self-interest. The main thing is to win.

Characteristic beliefs and actions:

Change and progress are an integral attribute of the nature of things

The basis for the prosperity of society is strategy, technology and competition

Progress through learning the secrets of nature and finding the best solutions

Manipulate the Earth's resources to create and spread abundance in life

Optimistic, risk-taking, and self-sufficient people deserve their success.

Where observed: The Age of Enlightenment, philosophy of “success”, middle class, mass culture, new Russians.

Greenmeme –Community

Main theme: Seek peace within your soul and develop bonds of community with others.

Characteristic Beliefs and Actions:

The spirit in man must be free from greed, dogma and separation

Emotions, feelings and care prevail over cold logic

Reach solutions through processes of reconciliation and consensus

Distribute the earth's resources and opportunities equally among all

Refresh spirituality, bring harmony and enrich the human environment

Where is it observed?: John Lennon music, hippies, Green Peace, Swedish socialism, animal rights.

Level two – “Memes of Existence”

Yellow meme –Flexibility flow

Main theme: Live a full and responsible life in accordance with who you are and who you are learning to become.

Characteristic Beliefs and Actions:

Life is a kaleidoscope of natural hierarchies, systems and forms

Flexibility, spontaneity and functionality are of the highest value

The greatness of existence has greater value than material objects

Knowledge and competence must take precedence over rank, power and status

Differences can be integrated into interdependent, natural flows

Where is it observed?: chaos theory, eco-industrial parks, “new physics” F.A. Wolf

Turquoisememe –Integrity

Main topics: Feel the integrity of being - mind and spirit

Characteristic Beliefs and Actions:

The world is a single, dynamic organism with collective intelligence

“I” has uniqueness, and at the same time is part of a larger, single, whole

Everything is connected to everything else in single ecosystems

Energy and information completely permeate the Earth's atmosphere

Expects holistic, intuitive thinking and collaborative activities

Where observed: integral philosophy of Ken Wilber, ideas of Gandhi, concepts of Vernadsky.

In conclusion, I note that it is very important to remember one of the Hermetic principles, the principle of analogy, which states: “As above, so below; as below, so above.” By studying the concept of spiral dynamics, an attentive and erudite reader can easily detect the same type of logic of evolutionary development in systems of different levels, starting with elementary physics and chemistry, passing through the development of the individual psyche and social relations in general, and ending with the cosmic cycles of the evolution of the universe. The idea of ​​spiral dynamics fits very well on all planes of existence, which once again proves the unity and integrity of the highest plan. And awareness of this can be the basis of a worldview, or, at least, an extremely useful tool for one’s own development and achievement of one’s goals.