How could we ever do anything without power? Power empowers: yet we know power is a problem. Social interaction is the human condition—and it cannot possibly be improved without exercising power.

The problem is that it is now a universally recognised truism that power corrupts. Why? Read on for a taxonomic answer! But first let's explore some issues.

Recent academic research suggests that power heightens pre-existing ethical tendencies. But this sort of study actually avoids the power issue. It confuses «having power» with «exerting power».  Power in the political or social sense is not just being powerful or having authority, but using it on others. More specifically: “using it to get someone to do what they otherwise would not do”— More...

I  am a bit on my own with understanding Communication (PH5 in my taxonomy). In a small boat in a vast ocean with a lot hanging on my ability to think clearly and not fool myself.

I like to allow a new taxonomic framework to get clarified in phases over several years. There are periods of forgetting, mulling, intense revision, frustration, even disgust and blinding insight—see blog on my cycles of insight and illusion. If I'm lucky, I come across a book where someone has done most of the work for me. Remember that I have never claimed originality in ideas, only a new way to order well-established ideas. But that means reading lots of books.

Understanding communication requires the same lengthy treatment. I remember reading books on linguistics in the 1970's. But I first looked properly at communication in the 1980's in relation to Jaques levels-of-work ideas. I last looked at it properly around 2009-2010 when I was concerned to get some comfort that I would not end up being mocked by my website challenge of empty frameworks.  

To my surprise More...

You will read again and again in popular scientific articles that we human beings are not very good at handling probability.  It has become almost an article of faith.

John Kay, respected economist and academic, writes in the Financial Times (as noted here): “We do not often, or easily, think in terms of probabilities, because there are not many situations in which this style of thinking is useful."

Really?  Is that true? More...

Change is hard. 

Have I mentioned that before?

Not just hard to do, but hard to see and hard to grasp.  I came across the superb blog of Giorgio Bertini; who covers an amazing amount of topics, all related to helping change agents.  Just look at his category cloud.  I doubt that it is just me who finds change massive and near-overwhelming.

So I'm progressing very slowly.  Here is an update on latest thoughts.  If you are new to THEE: see the graphic showing levels of WILL that also forms the framework for Personal Endeavour.

Is CHANGE the right name for Level 3 in the Root Hierarchy?  It seems to work but that does not mean it is correct.  When I was finalizing the Levels of Will, there were two levels causing me trouble.  Level-5 was then called "Naming".  It was probably because I was preoccupied with More...