Research Publications & Critiques

Bird, K. | 2019

Visual Presencing. In O. Gunnlaughson & W. Brendel (Eds.) Advances in Presencing. Vancouver, BC: Trifoss Business Press.

Brendel, W. | 2019

Sensing into the future of Theory U: Catching up with Otto Scharmer and Adam Yukelson. In O. Gunnlaughson & Brendel, W. (Eds.) Advances in Presencing. Vancouver, BC: Trifoss Business Press.

Chlopczik, A. | 2014

Magic Moments – Otto Scharmer’s Theory U and its Implications for Personal and Organizational Development. Gestalt Theory, 36(3), 267-278.

de Monthoux, P. G. & Statler, M. | 2018

Theory U: Rethinking business as practical European philosophy. In: Business Education and Ethics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools & Applications. IGI Global.

Gardner, S. & Paulin, S. | 2018

The Journey of Self, Nature, Technology and Sustainable Organisational Design: Insights for Transformative Leadership Praxis. In M. Brueckner, R. Spencer & M. Paull (Hrsg.), Disciplining the Undisciplined? Perspectives from Business, Society and Politics on Responsible Citizenship, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability (CSR, Sustainability, Ethics and Governance Ser), 243-254. Cham: Springer.

Giesenbauer, B. & Müller-Christ, G. | 2020

University 4.0: Promoting the Transformation of Higher Education Institutions toward Sustainable Development. Sustainability, 12, 3371; doi:10.3390/su1208337.

Gioacchino, G. | 2019

You defend what you feel: ‘Presencing’ nature as ‘experiential knowing.’ Action Research, 17(1), 108-129.

Gunnlaugson, O. & Brendel, W. (Eds.) | 2021

Advances in Presencing Volume III: Collective Approaches in Theory U. Trifoss Business Press. Trifoss Business Press.

Gunnlaugson, O. & Brendel, W. (Eds) | 2020

Advances in Presencing, Volume II: Individual Approaches in Theory U. Trifoss Business Press.

Gunnlaugson, O. & Brendel, W. (Eds.) | 2019

Advances in Presencing. Trifoss Business Press.

Gunnlaugson, O., Scott, C., Bai, H. & Sarath, E.W. | 2017

The Intersubjective Turn. Theoretical Approaches to Contemplative Learning and Inquiry across Disciplines. New York: State University of New York Press.

Hall, G. | 2008

Inside the Theory of U: Interview with Peter M. Senge and Otto Scharmer (Part 2). Reflections, 9(1), 41-46.

Hayashi, A. | 2010

Feminine principle and Theory U: Character Based Leadership. Oxford Leadership Journal.

Kalungu-Banda, M. | 2006

Leadership calls for courage Management Today, 22 (7), p. 18 - 19.

Levitt Cea, J. & Rimington, J. | 2017

Creating Breakout Innovation Stanford Social Innovation Review, 15(3), 32-39.

Nullens, P | 2019

From spirituality to responsible leadership: Ignatian discernment and Theory U. In J. Kok & S.C. van den Heuvel (Eds.) Leading in a VUCA World: Integrating Leadership, Discernment and Spirituality. Springer Open. pp. 185-207.

Pavey, E. | 2021

Exploring open and relational theology and Theory U for transformational change. Practical Theology, published online April 18.

Pillay, K. | 2011

Local Economic Development Postgraduate Education and Mindful Research: Deepening the Practitioner Research Paradigm. Alternation 18, (2), 195 - 215.

Scharmer, C. O. | 2001

Self-transcending knowledge: Sensing and organizing around emerging opportunities. Journal of Knowledge Management, 5(2), 137-150.

Scharmer, C. O. | 2016

Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges (2nd edition). Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Scharmer, C. O. | 2018

The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Scharmer, O. & Kaufer, K. | 2013

Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Scharmer, O. & Kaufer, K. | 2015

Awareness-Based Action Research: Catching Social Reality Creation in Flight. In H. Bradbury (Ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Action Research, 3rd edition. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Scharmer, C. O., Pomeroy, E. & Kaufer, K. | 2021

Awareness-Based Action Research: Making Systems Sense and See Themselves. Burns, D., Howard, J. and Ospina, S. (Eds). The SAGE Handbook of Participatory Research. London: SAGE Publishing.

Senge, P., Scharmer, O., Flowers, B.S. & Jaworski, J. | 2011

Presence: Exploring Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Senge, P., Scharmer, O. & Winslow, D. | 2013a

30 Years of Building Learning Communities: A Dialogue with Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer and Darcy Winslow, Part 1. Reflections, 12(4), 40-52.

Senge, P., Scharmer, O. & Winslow, D. | 2013b

0 Years of Building Learning Communities: A Dialogue with Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer and Darcy Winslow, Part 2 Reflections, 13(2), 1-9.

Sohmen, V.S. | 2016

Change management and Theory U leadership. International Journal of Global Business, 9(2), 102-110.

Wilson, P. | 2019

Otto Scharmer and the field of the future: Integrating science, spirituality, and profound social change. In D. Szabla, W. Pasmore, M. Barnes & A. Gipson (Eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, 1129-1146. London, U.K.: Palgrave MacMillan.

Wilson, P. | 2019

he Heart of Community Engagement: Practitioner stories from around the globe. Chapter 8 Theory U: Engaging global community with breadth and depth. Routledge.

Winther, A., Jackman, V. & Oliver, K. | 2019

Massive Open Online Course u.lab: Creating Transformational Learning in Scotland. In M. Noble & C. Ross (Hrsg.), Reclaiming the University for the Public Good. Futures in co-operative higher, 205-225. [S.l.]: Palgrave Macmillan

Veerstegen, U. & Veersteegen, L. | 2021

Social Fields As An Awareness-Based Approach To Reconnect Self, Other, and Whole. In O. Gunnlaugson & W. Brendel (Eds.) Advances in Presencing Volume III: Collective Approaches in Theory U. Trifoss Business Press, 145-188.

Veerstegen, U. & Jakimetz, J. | 2020

Gestures of the mind as an invisible force for social change: A phenomenological exploration of what it is to listen. Gunnlaugson, O & Brendel, W. (Eds.) Advances in Presencing, Volume II Vancouver, BC: Trifoss Business Press.

Boell, M. M. & Senge, P. | 2016

School climate and social fields: An initial exploration. Garrison Global Collaboration for Emotional, Social and Systems Education & MIT.

Bajraktari, F., Mosse, R. & Neira Voto, G. | 2019

ransforming u.lab: Redesigning a social technology from a strategic sustainable perspective. In O. Gunnlaughson & W. Brendel (Eds.) Advances in Presencing. Vancouver, BC: Trifoss Business Press.

Chlopczik, A. | 2016

Conscious change, change in consciousness: Prototyping our interior condition. In S. Sharma & M. Zirkler (Eds.), From the edge of Chaos: Dialogues amongst social theory and practice. Bengaluru, India: IBA Publications.

Drimie, S., Hamann, R., Manderson, A.P. & Mlondobozi, N. | 2018

Creating transformative spaces for dialogue and action: reflecting on the experience of the Southern Africa Food Lab. Ecology and Society, 23(3).

Garcia-Feijoo, Alcaniz, L. & Eizaguirre, A. | 2021

Shared strategic reflection process by a higher education institution: A case study. Managment in Education, published online July 8.

Goldman-Schulyler K., Olsen Taylor, M. & Wolberger, O. | 2017

Bringing mindfulness and joy to work: Action research on organizational change. In J. Neal (Ed.) Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation. New York, NY: Springer.

Goldman-Schuyler, K., Skjei, S. Sanzgiri, J. & Koskela, V. | 2017

Moments of waking up”: A doorway to mindfulness and presence. Journal of Management Inquiry, 26(1), 86-100.

Gunnlaugson, O., Baron, C. & Cayer, M. (Eds.) | 2014

Perspectives on Theory U: Insights from the field. Hershey, PA: IGI.

Gunnlaugson, O. & Brendel, W. (Eds.) | 2019

Advances in Presencing. Vancouver, BC: Trifoss Business Press.

Hakio, K. & Mattelmäki, T. | 2019

Future skills of design for sustainability: An awareness-based co-creation approach. Sustainability, 19 (5247). doi:10.3390/su11195247

Hentsch, R. | 2021

Italian u.lab Hubs: A Study and Comparison of the Application and Adaptation of Theory U Principles and Practices to the Specificities of a Local Community of Learners in Rome and some other Italian Cities In O. Gunnlaugson & W. Brendel (Eds.) Advances in Presencing Volume III: Collective Approaches in Theory U. Trifoss Business Press, 67-84.

Kaufer, K. & Steponaitis, L. | 2021

Just Money: Mission-Driven Banks and the Future of Finance. MIT Press.

McLeod, N. | 2015

Reflecting on reflection: Improving teachers' readiness to facilitate participatory learning in young children. Professional Development in Education, 41(2), pp. 254-272.

O'Brian, J. | 2020

Cultivating Capacity: A Fieldbook for Strengthening Person-Centred Practices Session I Inclusion Press

Pillay, K. | 2014

Learning, the whole and Theory U: reflections on creating a space for deep learning. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 12(4), 340-346.

Petitmengin, C. | 2006

Describing one’s subjective experience in the second person: An interview method for the science of consciousness. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 5, 229-269.

Pomeroy, E. & Bernardi, N. F. | 2021

Tending the Social Field in Higher Education In O. Gunnlaugson & W. Brendel (Eds.) Advances in Presencing Volume III: Collective Approaches in Theory U. Trifoss Business Press, 85-119.

Pomeroy, E. & Oliver, K. | 2020

Action Confidence as an Indicator of Transformative Change Journal of Transformative Education, OnlineFirst, doi.org/10.1177/1541344620940815

Pomeroy, E. & Oliver, K. | 2018

Pushing the boundaries of self-directed learning: Research findings from a study of u.lab participants in Scotland. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 37(6), 719-733.

Rege-Colet, N. M. | 2017

From content-centred to learning-centred approaches: shifting educational paradigm in higher education. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 49(1), 72-86.

Scharmer, O.

Dialogue on Leadership | Presencing Institute Website.

Wanasika, I. & Krahnke, K. | 2017

Leadership and vision. In J. Marques & S. Dhiman (Eds.), Leadership today: Practices for personal and professional performance, 75-88. New York, NY: Springer.

Wukitsch, M., Simmons, R. & Hutt, M. | 2013

Rearticulating Values Through Applied Theories at Children's Hospital Colorado. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 15(3), 252-269.

POINT: The Blind Spots in Theory U | The Reconstruction of a (Change-) Management Fashion | By: Stefan Kühl

Following a long period where the concept of a learning organization was the most popular way to implement change projects, consultants have now begun to apply a program known as Theory U. A description of Theory U from a sociological perspective reveals that it has the typical structure of a management fashion. Theory U resembles a management fashion in as much as it holds out the promise that an organization — all of society, or even simply one individual—will be better off than beforehand after it has run through the various phases of the change process. Accepted for publication at J. Change Management

COUNTERPOINT: Social Systems As If People Mattered | Response to the Kühl Critique of Theory U | By: Otto Scharmer, Sep 24, 2019

Following a long period where the concept of a learning organization was the most popular way to implement change projects, consultants have now begun to apply a program known as Theory U. A description of Theory U from a sociological perspective reveals that it has the typical structure of a management fashion. Theory U resembles a management fashion in as much as it holds out the promise that an organization — all of society, or even simply one individual—will be better off than beforehand after it has run through the various phases of the change process. Accepted for publication at J. Change Management

Bohm, D. | 1996

On Dialogue. Edited by Lee Nichol. London: Routledge.

Capra, F. | 2002

The hidden connections: Integrating the biological, cognitive, and social dimensions of life into a science of sustainability. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Habermas, J. | 1989

The structural transformation of the public sphere. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Lewin, K. | 1951

Field theory in social science. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers.

Maturana, H. | 1999

The organization of the living: A theory of the living organization. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 51, 149-168.

Maturana, H. R., and Varela, F. KJ. | 1980

Autopoiesis and cognition: The realization of the living. Dordrecht, Holland: D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Nan, Huai-chin. | 1993

Working toward enlightenment: The cultivation of practice. Samuel Weiser, Inc.

Rosch, E. | 2008

Beginner's mind: Paths to the wisdom that is not learned. In: M. Ferrari & G. Potworowski (Eds.) Teaching for Wisdom. Springer.

Scharmer, O. | 2016

Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges. The social technology of presencing. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Schein, E. | 1998

Process consultation revisited: Building the helping relationship. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Schön, D. A. | 1983

The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Senge, P. | 1990

The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Currency Doubleday.

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The Philosophy of Freedom London: The Rudolph Steiner Press.

Varela, F.J, Thompson, E. & Rosch, E. | 2016

The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience (Revised Edition). MIT Press

Zajonc, A. | 1993

Catching the light: The entwined history of light and mind. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Otto Scharmer & Eva Pomeroy | 2020

Action Confidence: Laying Down the Path in Walking Deep dive into action confidence, a concept emerging from research with u.lab Scotland.

Robin Duval | 2020

How Could Regeneration Increase Social Equality in Govanhill, Glasgow? A Systems Mapping Event Using Social Presencing Theatre Reflections and outcomes of an action research project.

Otto Scharmer & Eva Pomeroy | 2019

Social Field Resonance: How to Research the Deep Structure of the Field An account of the inaugural Social Field Research Summer School, its intention and vision for a new science, and the methodological experimentation that took place.

Amir Carmel | 2019

Coaching Circles: A Vehicle for and Ego- to Eco Shift in Organizations. Summary of an action research project using coaching circles as an organizational intervention in two settings - Tridos Bank and the South African Military.

Arawana Hayashi & Ricardo Dutra | 2019

Social Reality Contemplation: a Performance-Led Approach to Making Visible Deep Layers of Social Fields. Description of an arts-based methodological experiment at the 2019 Social Field Research Summer School using the "Stuck" exercise from Social Presencing Theatre.

Kelvy Bird | 2018

Ecosystem Activation Description of a methodological experimentation to engage with generative scribing as a contemplative tool, laying the foundation for the Visual Resonance practice used today.

Bajraktari, F., Mosse, R. & Voto, G. N. | 2016

Transforming u.lab: Re-designing a participatory methodology using a strategic sustainable perspective. (Master’s dissertation: M.A. Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden).

Bryant, J. | 2012

Being Human in the System: A journey into sustainability and local government in Perth, Western Australia. (Master's Dissertation: M.A. Human Ecology, Lund University, Australia)

Carmel, A. | 2019

The relationship between participation in a Coaching Circle and empathy, self-awareness and locus of control. (Master's dissertation: M.A. Work and Organizational Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands).

Chieko, A., Coletinha, E. & Villoch, P. | 2010

An exploratory journey into sustainability changemakers learning programs. (Master’s dissertation: M.A. Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden).

Duval, R. | 2020

A systems analysis of the social impact of regeneration: A case study of Govanhill, Glasgow using Theory U to co-create transformative intervention proposals to enable socially equitable regeneration (Master's Dissertation: MSc Sustainability and Adaptation, Graduate School of the Environment, Centre for Alternative Technology/University of East London, UK)

Fundira, T. | 2018

Rethinking organizational learning using Theory U: An ontological approach to strategic leadership. (PhD Thesis: Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa).

Giacchetto, M. | 2018

Development of professional capital in the PLC analyzed through the lens of Theory U. (PhD Thesis: Administrative and Instructional Leadership, St. John's University, New York, USA).

Hautle, G. T. | 2018

Responsible leadership development in the context of Deep Ethics and Theory U. (Master's dissertation: M.Sc. International Business, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland).

Hoy, S., Sarker, C.S., & Schmidt, E.K. | 2018

Planting seeds for the future: sustainability, Theory U, and youth. (Master’s dissertation: M.A. Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden).

Kimmie, R. | 2012

A Constructivist Approach to Theory U as a Transformation Model in Academic Development within South African Higher Education. (PhD thesis: Faculty of Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa).

McClelland, A. | 2014

Going beyond ‘getting it right’ in a mindfulness organization with Theory U. (Master’s dissertation: Master of Arts, Human Systems Intervention, Concordia University, Canada).

Moodley, K. | 2017

Toward Eco-system awareness: An inquiry into the ontological processes of Theory U. (PhD Thesis: Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa).

Northcutt, C. | 2019

Changemakers bend the beam inward: Contemplative practices in social innovation education. (Master's dissertation: M.A. Higher Education Leadership, University of San Diego, USA).

Ruff, J. | 2019

Shifting perspective on agriculture: How young regenerative farmers in South Africa discover their metabolic value in a globalised world. (Master’s dissertation: Master of Arts, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität/University of Cape Town, South Africa).

van Droffelaar, B. | 2020

The Impact of a Wilderness-Based Training Program on Leadership Transformation (PhD Thesis: Cultural Geography, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands).

Van der Westhuizen, T. | 2016

Developing individual entrepreneurial orientation: A systemic approach through the lens of Theory U. (PhD thesis: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa).

Verbist, K. | 2019

Bringing the future into the classroom: Action research based on Theory U: Impact of a student-centered competence-oriented learning environment on learning approach. (Master’s dissertation: Master of Arts, Instructional and Educational Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium).

Pater, E., Keim, L. & Lang, P. | 2022

‘Out of your Mind’: The embodied pedagogy of Social Presencing Theatre for sustainability. (Master’s dissertation: M.A. Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden).