I would put this integration of inner and outer realms a bit differently, suggesting one again that the mutual invasion is most likely to occur when our experiencing is filled with Awe (Keltner) and/or Flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
Jung’ Mask: Carl Jung also suggests that we put on a mask (persona) when engaged with the outside world (Jung, 1972). I would suggest that this is especially the case in our world of work. Our inside self is hidden away—often even from ourselves. As I have noted, it often may take a special moment of awe (Keltner) or an experience of flow (Csikszentmihalyi) for our inner self to break through. At other times it takes our shadow to do something (such as tripping us up) that shatters or at least puts a big dent in our mask. Only after feeling like a fool or appearing naked in our dream, do we experience our inner self.
Conclusions
As we review what Katherine plans to do in seeking to improve her work life and life at home with her children, three strategies are being engaged. These three strategies were originally identified by Goodwin Watson, an educational innovator and respected change-based consultant. Strategies that focus on structure, process and attitude were identified and described in the social psychology textbook he wrote with David Johnson (Watson and Johnson, 1972). I suggest that this use of multiple strategies aligns with Krishnamurti’s repeated suggestion that we become unbridled from static belief systems and sets of ideas. According to Krishnamurti (1956, pp. 56-57), belief systems can be “confusing and destructive. [While they} may at first seem orderly and constructive, . . . [in their] wake there is conflict and mystery.” Similarly, when we cling to a specific idea, we fail to recognize that it is “self-projected, it is a form of self-worship, or self-perpetuation.” (Krishnamurti, 1956, p. 86)
By looking from multiple perspectives at the ways to enhance our lives and by adopting multiple strategies for engaging in this enhancement, we avoid getting stuck in a rigid belief system – the forementioned “bubble of belief (Weitz and Bergquist, 2024 We also avoid becoming enamored with one “correct” idea that we have generated. When there is no one right answer, then there is the opportunity, as Krishnamurti advocated, to learn of alternative answers while experiencing the implementation of several different change strategies. Following the lead taken many years ago by John Dewey (1929), the advocates of action research (Lewin, 1946), action science (Argyris, 1985) and reflective practice (Schön, 1983) have proposed that we are most likely to learn something new and something important when we “kick the tire” (take action) and note the reaction to this kick. We try out an idea, and test out a belief system, by experiencing the enactment of this idea and the guidance of this belief system. And then we learn. And then we modify our ideas and our beliefs.
Given this orientation to multiple perspectives and strategies, let’s briefly consider each of Watson’s three strategies. First, the structurally oriented change strategies concern modifications in that which is visible and readily articulated. In an organization this can be the organization chart and reporting relationships, buildings, technologies, and official strategic plans, etc. They are the stable, enduring “snapshots” of the organization. In the case of Katherine, there are personal structures to be introduced or modified. Two of these changes concern the scheduling of special nights with her children: the Wednesday evening “Kitchen Table Study Hall” and Friday evening “Film Night”.
Watson’s second change strategy (process) provides guidance regarding the ongoing way in which people inside the structure operate. This dimension is best conveyed not through a static snapshot, but rather through a movie that documents the behaviors taking place. The process dimension includes behaviors related to interpersonal functions, such as communication, conflict-management, problem-solving, and decision-making. For Katherine, the change in process involves asking her friends at the college to lend her a hand in finding an appropriate work-life balance. While Katherine is usually providing help, this shift in her interpersonal relationships provides her with a good reason to ask for help.
