Integral Human, Organization and Community Development: A Roadmap for SEKEM and Egypt in the 21st Century

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore how a social innovation like SEKEM could be functionally and structurally understood, designed and institutionalized, in order to move towards the integral phase of the organization as a living organism. The intention was to contribute to the renewal of SEKEM’s[1] holistic approach to development and societal transformation. 

It became evident that SEKEM’s renewed approach to integral human development  incorporates individual storytelling (grounding), consciousness level and complexity handling capacity evaluation (emerging), competence level mapping (navigating) and self-management (effecting). The corresponding rhythm of SEKEM’s integral organizational development includes the dimensions of collective storytelling (grounding), arts and rituals (Cultura Activa) for stimulating consciousness development (emerging), knowledge creation via the integral project management framework (navigating), and the application of Holacracy as a complete system for self-organization (effecting). All the aforementioned elements on different levels build on and mutually reinforce each other and help SEKEM to actualize its potential to become a fully functional integral enterprise. Thus, there is need to actively take the social innovation agenda forward within and beyond SEKEM, and to work on integral human, organizational and community development. By following the emancipatory methodology of critical theory, new emancipatory knowledge was created, which leads to an integral human and organizational development approach to release the individual and collective GENE-ius.