Rating: 
Summary: Clarification Concerning Previous Reviews
Review: A brief note regarding comments made by the previous reviewer:When Blackwell Business Publishers published Spiral Dynamics, they did not include an index developed by Don Beck and Chris Cowan (mistakes like this do happen sometimes with academic publishers). Interested readers can contact the authors directly at ... for further details and updated research. Any initial "X-Files" feeling is dispelled once you become more familiar with the model, and the milieu that it evolved from. Spiral Dynamics draws extensively upon over 40 years of research by Beck, Cowan, and their mentor Clare W. Graves. The original research data includes over 500,000 interviews conducted over five continents, and is comparable to other "biopsychosocial systems development" research conducted by Jane Loevinger, Stanley Milgram, Laurence Kohlberg, Erik Erikson etc. What makes Graves unique however is that he created a dynamic model of human consciousness evolution which can assimilate other models and worldviews. He also recognised that insights from Cognitive Psychology, Genetics, and Neurophysiology would need to be examined. Fans of NeuroLinguistic Programming, General Systems Theory, Memetics and the Human Potential Movement will find a wealth of material, plus reading resources for further specialised research. SD has been applied to resolve racial tension in South Africa, in education systems and government, by the World Future Society State of the World Forum, Arlington Institute, and Integral Institute, and by major companies such as Nedbank and SouthWest Airlines. Anyone questioning its credentials simply haven't done their research. Its scope and depth surpasses what masquerades as "snake-oil" solutions: SD asks "why" such solutions are posed; what the prevailing "life conditions" are in an individual's life, company's growth, or country's situation (the interaction of historical times, geographic place, human existential problems, and social circumstances); and in examining change, questions "from what . . . to what?"
Rating:
Summary: Must read for leaders & business coaches
Review: As a CEO and business person for the past 15 years I thought that the vMEMES distinctions provided an explanation and a guide to managing change within organizations that is extremely useful and unique. I first learned of this work through Ken Wilber's books and was intrigued in how Wilber has integrated it into a "Theory of Everything". I believe that Spiral Dynamics provides a grounding and a depth that make it a critical read for anyone interesting in understanding, facilitating, and mastering change initiatives.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning Guide To Revitalising Teams And Communities
Review: Based on the 'Bio-Psycho-Social' Systems framework of Dr. Clare W. Graves, authors Dr. Don Edward Beck and Christopher C. Cowan have developed a powerful tool for revitalising individuals, business and sporting teams, and communities. This book is truly 'third-way' thinking for the new millennium. Beck and Cowan fuse many different elements together into a powerful and *practical* synthesis, including the latest scientific research from neuro-biology, multiple intelligences, memetics, paleo-psychology, values systems design, and various schools of business management. Like grasping Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), this initially takes some personal commitment and intensive self-study, but the longterm benefits of Beck and Cowan's lucid comments are well worth the initial effort. The models are part of a wider 'Third Culture' paradigm that many academics and cultural theorists firmly believe will become a major force within empirical mainstream science over the next fifteen years. The book also has an invaluable extensive reading list covering the major conceptual theorists and models across many disciplines. It covers over thirty years of pioneering academic research and subsequent real-world application. Spiral Dynamics principles have been successfully applied to a wide variety of situations, including blue-chip corporations, sports teams, and high-level government institutions, and the authors have consulted with many international institutions, including the Clinton (U.S.) and Blair (U.K.) administrations, the World Future Society, the London School of Economics, and the EC Committee for the Future. Beck is highly regarded for his 'behind-the-scenes' geo-political work since the early 1980s in South Africa dismantling apartheid. Like the 'Six Thinking Hats' of Edward de Bono, the controversial 'crazy wisdom' of Tom Peters, or the leadership principles of Stephen Covey, a knowledge of Spiral Dynamics will add a powerful real-time diagnostic tool to your perceptual engineering toolkit. In an increasingly hyper-real postmodern world, Spiral Dynamics principles will enable you to outwit your competitors, gain an understanding of the 'psychological DNA' of your customers and market niche, and promote effective and efficient high-performance teams and encourage leadership within your organisation.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful theory. Not beautiful writing.
Review: Ever listen to two people argue and realize that they don't really disagree, they just can't understand each other? Ever contemplate two mutually contradictory perspectives that seem to have equal validity? Spiral Dynamics is a powerful and beautiful psychological/philosophical theory that explains the above everyday phenomena better than any other theory I've encountered. It simply posits that humans develop through different, all-encompassing views of life as they mature. Unfortunately, in the book "Spiral Dynamics", Beck and Cowan have aparrently tried to market this theory to a management market by dressing the terms up in CAPITAL LETTERS, bold type, and the ridiculous superscripted "v"-MEME. I assume this is to make them seem like scientific acronyms, like DNA or H2O. Why? Have faith in the theory guys, it's a good one. I just hope they don't screw up the Clare Graves book that they are currently editing. Of course, I'm sure that it will be exorbitant, like the volume under review. Again, why? I suppose, in SD terms, the authors are merely writing for an orange audience, but between that and their exorbitant prices, they come off as rather first tier.
Rating:
Summary: Wilber pointed me in this direction...
Review: I am still in the process of reading this book so I may have to alter this review when I am finished - but I doubt it.
This is an amazing tome of cultural analysis that provides a metaphor that is truly accessible. I mean, this model provides a texture that allows for REAL interface.
My only previous exposure to this model was Ken Wilber's "A Theory of Everything" and the article on SD in the Boomeritis issue of Andrew Cohen's What is Enlightenment? Magazine.
However, as much as I am really digging this text, I'd suggest getting some intro material before you plow through this magnificent beast.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet Smelling Snake Oil or X-file Classifiable Insight?
Review: I bought the book based on these glowing 5 star reviews. At first glance, I thought the book was complete phantasy and the authors must be just mad...yet curiously the book contains some down-to-earth examples. For example: "[Tom Peters] initially made his name and fame in 1982 by preaching the virtue in 'pursuing excellence' and of MBWA -'...by walking ...' A decade later he seemed to recant a bit, deciding the who 'excellence' theme was 'about wacky idea' and the companies he selected as 'excellent' were not that, after all. They just did some 'excellent' (does that also mean 'wacky'?) things. [The text continues with 8 more high-quality paragraphs of this Tom Peters argument/analysis...see pp.24-25] " Such depth is not consistent with a Snake Oil business/psychology book. Nevertheless, I must warn you that I cannot fully endorse this "vMEMES" concept as it seems analogous to an only-in-Alice-in-Wonderland "cross-breading": 1/4 respected Freud's psychodynamics, 1/4 Eastern Philosophy bio-energy fields (eg Chi from Taoism), 1/4 semiotics, 1/4 molecular biology. In fact, this "cross-breading" is built into the very spelling of the word "Memes." The book calls a "vMEMES" a "PsychoSocial DNA"; "MEMEs" conveniently rhyming with genes. Also of note is "MEMEs" conceptual and etymological similarity to the semiotic terms: morphemes and phonemes. (From Schaum's Outline on Psychology: Morphemes--"the smallest meaningful units of a language"; Phonemes--"the basic sound or inflection components of a spoken language") Conclusion: I haven't decided if the good and insightful business examples are just facades covering over the sweetest snake oil I've yet seen in a junk business/psychology textbook or if the originator of Spiral Dynamics and the authors of this book have discovered a useful, yet unverified, dynamic component of the human being's bioelectric personality pattern (ie, the energy that moves around the neurons of our brains' when we think). About my Rating: First, this book is currently in my "X-files" category. Second, it has no index. So I've given it 2 stars out 5. (I could change my mind in a few months if these "vMEMEs" explain any phenomena I experience in the areas of "mastering values, leadership, or change." I have yet too...still why no index, professors Beck and Cowan?)
Rating:
Summary: Come on now!
Review: I have not read this book yet but have some insights into its content. The reason I am writing this review is because I nearly rolled over with laughter as I read the other reviews. I wondered what color corresponds to the arguments and the justification that followed. You all can do better than that. Lets be turquoise!
PS the five stars are for the pleasure and laughter you gave me this morning.
Rating:
Summary: Come on now!
Review: I have not read this book yet but have some insights into its content. The reason I am writing this review is because I nearly rolled over with laughter as I read the other reviews. I wondered what color corresponds to the arguments and the justification that followed. You all can do better than that. Lets be turquoise!
PS the five stars are for the pleasure and laughter you gave me this morning.
Rating: 
Summary: The book is complete but I am missing something
Review: I would suggest looking on the Internet for an overview of the Spiral Dynamic theory and THEN buying this book to learn more. Essentially, Spiral Dynamic is a well chosen name for a theory defined by Clare Graves back in the fifties and given a pompous name by him which can be found in the book. Beck and Cowan are FAR better writers than Graves, but they acquired some of his professorese style unfortunately. So you will have to be prepared for that. They also distract the reader with stuff about matters such as Gympty Dumpty which did not seem to this reader to have anything to do with anythng. As for the theory itself, it begins with the fact that has been known since ancient times that everything evolves in cycles. This was known to Plato and is the basis for the pseudo-science of astrology. Graves did not discover it. Graves adds to that the insight that at one end of the cycle everything is about ME and on the other end everything is about THEE. The cycle is therefore a cycle between MR and THEE, between self centeredness and other centeredness. Thus the "let them eat cake" crowd is at one point in the cycle and the "social consciousness" crowd is at the other. Graves further adds that we do not stay at ME or THEE but oscillate between these two. Reagan therefore started out as a Democrat (THEE) and ended up a Reagan oriented Republican (ME). Most people do become more conservative (ME-oriented) as they grow older. To that Graves adds the interesting insight that instead of thinking of cycles as circles we think of them as spirals. Every time one completes the cycle one ends up on a higher level. This is indeed a major insight. From there on it seems pretty ordinary to this reader. At an abstract level that is pretty much it. At a content level the book points out that some people belong to fundamentalists religious cults and others belong to street gangs. Some people are entrepreneurs and others are tree huggers. Well, that is certainly true, but my reaction is that anyone who has been awake for the past ten years should know that. It seems like the classic No Jive Headline. One is reminded of George Bernard Shaw's fictional dialogue with Pavlov. P's great discovery was that if you show hamburger to a hungry dog, his mouth waters When asked how long it took him to figure that out, Pavlov answered twenty five years. To which Shaw's fictional reporter answers that he could have told Pavlov that in twenty five seconds. Forget twenty five years. I mention this because it apparently took Graves twenty five years to figure out that some people belong to street gangs and others start businesses. Maybe I am missing something but I just could not see what is so profound here.
Rating:
Summary: The best insights into reality
Review: Outstanding! This is not only one of the few books I have read several times, this is the one I take almost always with me on travel (other people take the Bible). As a consultant, I often enter new organisations, and this book provides the most valuable insights to read the organisations and the individuals within, where they are, and where they go. It shows you very fast the meta-structures behind their values, what they expect from you, and what you can expect. It is also very useful, when you are interested in (inter-)national politics or cross cultural interactions. Or take it as a mirror to reflect your own perceptional and behavorial flexibility. The Book explains why and how the peoples values and views of realities are influenced by their life conditions. Included: conditions of change, how should who manage whom to do what, leadership packages, designing natural systems, motivational structures, etc. Vivid examples and explanations of each vMEME pattern convince you instantaneously. WARNING: Once The Book has opened your eyes, you can not close them again.
| 
