Reconciling Planetary Diversity Through Transcultural Management

The universe is the sum total of all existence as far as we know it. It is part of the integral Creation with a Creator that exceeds conceptualization. Cosmos which means order integrates all. Order, that of physics and that of consciousness, are part of the overall order. A key governing principle of it is that of hierarchical integration in both universes, the material and that of consciousness.

As our planet earth is positioned in a cosmic order (see page 39), so does the planet itself need its order to survive. A physical cosmological hierarchical order, where the sun is the key to life in our planetary system maintains life of the system as a whole. Order within and between hierarchical levels characterize the physical universe as a whole. The human, the physical as well as the consciousness cosmology are part of the totality of the universe. The Ancients have understood this principle and called it cosmos which means order. It is a hierarchical order, where the sun presides over the physical order in our solar system which in turn is hierarchically integrated in a galactic and those in turn in vaster systems. The various inner and outer cosmologies are part of the one life with its material and immaterial aspects and integrated, interdependent, hierarchical and synergistic order characterize it. This quality of order reigns between and within macro- and microcosmic planes. The continuity of them ensures the continuity of life. The biological, the physical and the consciousness cosmologies are diverse aspects of existence of life as a whole.

In order to ensure the integrity of the planetary cosmology with its physical, biological and consciousness components cosmic order needs to be maintained. In order to ensure microcultural order the macrocultural planetary system needs to be understood, for based on the principle of hierarchical integration, there can be no planetary intracultural order unless the planetary cultural order is established. The transcultural order which encompasses the totality of cultures has, in line with cosmological principles, an integrative function for the diversity of cultures. The transcultural order of the macro-system as a natural hierarchical integrator of the cultural micro-systems needs to be ensured and operationalized so as to naturally lead to planetary cultural order at the various local, regional, national and global cultural planes.

Therefore it is useful to look at the macrocultural order of the planet as in the north-south-east-west diagram (page 4) with the transcultural synergy principle at its quintessential center that integrates the four cardinal directions. That transcultural principle is the psychological sun comparable to the sun of the solar system. Both ensure the viability of their respective systems, of the physical or the consciousness cosmos. The sun of the psychological cosmos can be called the cosmic, noetic or transcultural dimension. It is modeled in the top levels of the transcultural profiler below. They integrate the entire human cultural universe based on the principle of hierarchical control and integration. Profiler levels ethics and evolution lead to the sun of the universe of consciousness which enlightens the human spirit so as to naturally integrate planetary cultural diversity. The noetic or transcultural level of the profiler provides the key to all planes of the planetary cultural system. It is represented in the following.

And the subsequent exposé integrates three chapters of my publication TRANSCULTURAL MANAGEMENT, namely the “Subquantic-Supercosmic Continuum”, “East-West Synergy” and “Conquest of and Ownership of and Leadership from the Innermost Center” which address certain aspects of the question and elaborate more specifically on the East-West axis of the planetary cultural system which is a subsystem of the total planetary system of cultures:

THE TRANSCULTURAL PROFILER

OR

DOME 12 D TRANSCULTURAL MANAGEMENT MODEL

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A SHORT EXPLANATION OF THE 12

TRANSCULTURAL PROFILER LEVELS

D1 Cosmics

The absolute of consciousness silences all cultural relativities. It is the superquantic dimension of the source - timeless, nameless, and absolute; beyond the mind and the diverse aspects of matter and energy. It integrates the aspects of the real in a transcendent reality.

The unitary structure of the lantern in the DOME architectural metaphor symbolizes that singular unity; the highest level of integration.

D2 Noetics

Is the transcultural level that presides over the quantum optical consciousness and has three major characteristics:

It integrates the totality of the subjacent edifice

It can alternatively work with intercultural consciousness which deals with the diversity of cultures and it can work with transcultural consciousness, i.e. diversity transcending unity.

In the cupola (and lantern) the twelve arcs of the DOME architectural modeling of the psychological edifice converge. Here the intercultural diversity and transcultural unity are bridged.

D3 Operationalization

Translates the superquantic and the quantic culture consciousness into the cultural dimensions of the edifice rather than sufficing itself in its transcendence and remaining aloof. In physical terms it can be considered as an energetic potentialization-actualization dynamism leading to the cycle: Consciousness- energy-waves-values-behaviors.

D4 Ethics

Ethics is a stepping stone that enables the access to the consciousness of the superordinate dimensions. Personal egoism corresponds to cultural ethnocentrism. Both need to be managed for growth into the transcultural dimension. The relative particle must become aware of its being part of a dynamic of an interdependent field and become committed to and accountable for it. Ethics is a cardinal dimension on which any further evolution hinges. They are interdependent, and ethical attitudes and behaviors in the sense of the unconditional respect of any culture member is the sine qua non of viable interpersonal and intergroup relations. Love of God and fellow man is the fulfillment of ethics, of the entire law according to the Christian optic. It can unlock all doors and remove all barriers on the way to all encompassing consciousness. The absence of this dimensional virtue is the negation of human culture and civilization in the original sense and poisons all relationships interindividual, intergroup and intercultural.

D5 Evolution

Diagnoses the phylogenic and the inter-/transcultural evolution of the cultural players. They are progressive enablers of superordinate cultural capabilities. As the cultural player masters the two sets of evolution completely the transcultural as opposed to the intercultural consciousness unfolds. Upon reaching the universal stage of phylogenetic evolution the threshold to the superior dimension can be crossed.

D6 ICP Individual Culture profile

The specification of the cultural players’ individual cultural profile impacts the potential for the achievement of higher dimensions of culture consciousness. The various affiliations/layers can pave the way or impede (culture) consciousness evolution.

D7 NCP National Culture Profile

The aggregate models of culture consist of 12 dualistic dimensions and illustrate the dialectics of the cultural mind. It is the realm of dualistic culture consciousness: the domain of time, mind, conditioning and antagonism; of cultural strife. The dialectics of its structural duality can be sustainably redeemed by the non-dualistic levels of consciousness, which merge the cultural waves into their source or the destination of the ocean, which form but a circle. The intercultural optic of the quantum cultural optic is only aware of the momentary manifestation of consciousness without contextualizing it in the totality of the field of consciousness which redeems the wave of culture in the ocean of consciousness with its integrative and renewing dynamic; its creativity.

D8 Communications Profile

While the previous 2 dimensions are important structural elements, which is insinuated by the architectural term “shoulders” - they provide structural information about a person or and an edifice -, the communication styles dimension can structurally be connected to walls and widows, which allow us to build up barriers or to create relationships and permeability with regard to the environment. Cultural diversity of communication styles is culture consciousness in inter(action). According to Hall culture is communication. Here we additionally conceptualize it, based on the quantum cultural optic as waves which translate as the music of consciousness resulting behaviorally as communication styles preferences.

D9 Corporate Management Profile

The organizational cultural environment grounds management in a combination of physical and psychological culture imperatives which determine horizons of managerial and HR consciousness in addition to the three other more general cultural profiles. They determine corporate consciousness, corporate culture consciousness. Corporate culture consciousness, societal culture consciousness, individual culture consciousness and transcultural consciousness will have to result in a powerful accord in musical terms and need to be based on a good foundation, if the company is to perform well; a blending of the organizational cultural, the intercultural and the transcultural, integrated by the latter.

D10 Intercultural management competencies

As an individual professional intercultural profile they complete the individual and other culture profiles and contribute to enhancing the accord between diverse cultural players in terms of business interests.

D11 Trust

Trust being the basis of all human relations it is as critical a dimension as the ethics dimension, intraindividually and interindividually. I can harmoniously tune relationships between diverse cultural players and foster a spirit of cooperation.

D12 Planetary interface

Physical culture and global governance variables constitute the interface with the global environment. The various levels of global consciousness evolution will impact choices.

The Subquantic-Supercosmic Continuum

While I write this chapter, it dawns on me that the potential paradigm shift provided by the enhanced models of culture which I will further enhance in this chapter parallels the paradigm shift ushered in by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, when he went to Arizona desert solitarily, as a pioneer, to work on what he called “cracking the box” in physical architecture, a concept by which he intended to merge and combine inner and outer physical space (and concomitantly also the mental space corollary of visual, spatial perception in a new way). It parallels the unlocking of our cultural mental architecture box, of opening it up to the wider context. By enhancing our cultural mental architecture edifice of the DOME model to a 12 octaves of 12 half tones model of 144 tones, we not only symbolically perceive the entire spectrum of cultural diversity, as it is equivalent to the 12 dimensions times 12 dimensional variables - by the way a biblical, sacred number of wholeness and completeness squared as 12².

By expanding our cultural perception to such a bandwidth we learn how to better attune ourselves to and synchronize with the diversities of cultural rhythms and melodies and to play the transcultural management game on a tremendous range of registers like a virtuoso with great creativity, deep knowledge and immense resources.

Let me briefly map the terrain we have travelled so far. As a whole it can be subsumed - and let us not be moved by the cryptic nature of the terminology - as a subquantic-supercosmic evolution model. If we 'crack the box', the prison box of culture, to paraphrase the great designer, it does not mean that we stop spellbound at the next intersection, because we do not know how to handle the newly gained freedom, if we want to explore the cultures of the world and their most hidden, secret rationale. Cultures are mirror images between Oneness and Oneness, the Oneness of the Source and the Oneness of the Destination, poles of this continuum, which synergize again as ONENESS, the dimension of wholeness of the A & Ω, and the myriads of myriads of cultural diversities are ultimate synergies of the 'One plus One equals One continuum of Oneness (1+1=1)'. The human microcosm (the neurophysiologic principle and the cosmic macrocosm are two poles of the continuum of existence and seem to obey the same synergy principle. All the diversities are embedded and contained in Oneness and cannot go beyond the oneness. Assuming the circle metaphor of oneness, we observe that only as the distance of the radii part from the centre towards the periphery the salience of diversity increases and the further the radii approach the centre, the diversity of the same phenomena under consideration decreases to ultimately merge and be reassimilated into Oneness again. Ultimately all radii merge into One. By the magic of perception, you, the professional global manager can thus handle and transcend any diversity issue, because the key lies in the perceiving subject and in the magic of the One, while you manage diversity. This cryptic understanding is the transcendence of the diversity challenge. So, manage diversity from the centre as we said in previous chapters. The very act of perception changes the nature of the problem. Where is the problem then? Though there may be residues to be dealt with, the nature of the challenge has changed, because, with your perception, you have been actively working on the issue on the basis of the inner outer space continuum. And if beyond the notion of a continuum you realize the Oneness of the continuum, there are no two left, there is no diversity left, there is just this magic cryptic One without a two. So who should be a challenge, a fight, a cultural diversity issue for whom? This is the highest intercultural chemistry, nay it is alchemy, because its transformatory power is beyond combinatory power. Not only beauty is in the eye of the beholder, culture also is simply a variable of the art of perceiving it.

Phenomena and cultural phenomena more specifically can be represented as upward and downward spiralling continua from infinity to infinity, from eternity to eternity, from Alpha to Omega. There is a positive spiral of evolution and a negative spiral of involution, which represent the whole picture, which can be summed up in the Chinese pictogramme of a cross framed at the top by an upward pointing semi-arc and at the bottom by a downward pointing semi-arc, which I would like to call Chinese Culture and Cosmology Model and in which the total picture of life is captured; the picture that encompasses the widest frame and the nearest and most intimate centre of the “human heart”, the matrix of the highest existential synergy and harmony. Incidentally the picture allows a Western Christian Civilization reading and parallelly an East Asian reading, while it wonderfully illustrates the two aspects of the root meaning of culture, with the lower arc pointing to the plane of nature (tilling the soil) the source of evolution, while the top arc points to the plane of heaven (cult, the connection to the metaphysical), the source of involution. Both, heaven and earth are reconciled and converge in the three, in Man at the Centre (Ren in Chinese). The heaven-earth dichotomy, symbolized by the two semi-arcs, is reconciled and synergized in the triad 'Heaven-Earth-Man'. Here the forces of involution and evolution are synchronized by the involution and evolution spirals at the absolute centre C, the cosmic dimension of man, so to say, at the interface between the celestial yang forces and the terrestrial yin forces. The Christian reading of the East-West cross matrix is, that here, Jesus Christ or God in man is the mediating centre between heaven and earth. The ultimate act of balancing between the sum total of interfacing cosmic forces again is in the absolute centre C (XR for Christos in Greek). Both systems are endowed with a transpersonal dimension that does the ultimate reconciliation between the two worlds. The Western cultural and cosmological model is Christcentric and personal, the Eastern is both anthropocentric and more impersonal. This is plausible if one considers the Christcentric Western civilisation and the Eastern Taoist tradition that consecrates nature, so to say. Position and mission of man as the carrier of culture in the picture as a whole, is clearly assigned in both civilisations. And it becomes even more plausible when we consider the dual nature of God who took the garb of man to become the ultimate of God-Man. And if we connect the horizontal arms of the EAST-WEST Cross, we can think in terms of an EAST-WEST continuum, an EAST-WEST MATRIX to be reconciled.

The synergy is a middle Cross, the heart centre of man and the heart centre of the Mediator (the motive behind this transcendental mediation was pure love of man by his Creator). The heart of hearts. The heart of GOD-MAN. The ultimate reconciler and reconciliation. A sustainable perspective of the perennial East-West dichotomy at the highest and best of the players and a healthy premise for the 21st century integration of the old centre of the world (economically, historically) and an emerging new Eastern centre of the world: a supercentre that manages and integrates the millennium antagonism, peacefully leveraging the combined capabilities of the Eastern and Western World, the more inner Eastern and the more outer Western Hemispheres: a unified East-West inner-outer space continuum. A superpole which allies through its moral superiority the emerging southern hemisphere to become the third millennium planetary super system that can not only deal with the global environmental survival issues but can face responsibly the cosmic dimension, the destiny of the blue planet in its cosmic context.

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