Emergent. Johnson Stephen Scott

hen Scott Johnson

      Emergent

      In Emergent, Stephen Scott Johnson sets a flag in the sand, a mark, if you like, for how we achieve great things, not so much by being great but rather creating the conditions for greatness to emerge. The new role for the human factor is perhaps the oldest of all: to mobilise people in pursuit of a better future. This book is a great start in that direction.

Matt Church, Chairman and Founder, Thought Leaders

      Australia’s leading thinker on creating and sustaining movements, Stephen Scott Johnson, has turned his attention to how companies can transform cultures, and the result is profound. Emergent is a game changer for organisations looking to transform their results through real culture change.

Peter Cook, CEO, Thought Leaders and author of The New Rules of Management

      In Stephen Scott Johnson’s hands, the words change, culture and purpose become far more than corporate buzzwords, they are revealed as the keys to not only navigating the future, but of creating it also.

Dan Gregory, Co-Founder and CEO, The Impossible Institute

      In a world where organisational purpose risks becoming a catchcry, Stephen’s CATALYST system offered our business the insight, clarity and direction we needed to truly co-create value and meaning with our people. The opportunity to create a movement rather than deliver another top down communications campaign affords an important step change for leaders and communicators alike. For us, the change in approach was not without its challenges, however, the CATALYST system offered profound support and guidance. A movement feels different from inception. It requires leaders and communicators to let go and trust that their people can create shared meaning. When delivered properly, the result is enticing – an organisation where its people can self-sustain a shared truth, a true purpose and grow together.

Rebekah Miles, Head of Communications, Sanofi Australia and New Zealand

      Emergent is a collision of contemporary thinking and ancient wisdom brought together in a practical narrative with confronting tools to support your journey to evolve your leadership and organisation.

Will Noble, Managing Director, Human Systems Companies

      In a world where organisations are paralysed by complexity and cultures of fear, Emergent offers a roadmap for collaboration, co-creation and most importantly purpose-driven communities.

Simon Talbot, former CEO, National Farmers Federation

      First published in 2017 by

      John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd

      42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064

      Office also in Melbourne

      © Altitud3 Pty Ltd 2017

      The moral rights of the author have been asserted

      National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

      All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

      Cover design by Wiley

      Cover image © mustafahacalaki/Getty Images

      Author image by Steven Granger (www.stevengranger.com)

      Inside pages pattern image © TRIKONA / Alamy Stock Vector

      Disclaimer

      The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

For Dante and LuciaBe curious and burn brightly

      About the author

      Stephen Scott Johnson is a culture change expert who helps organisations catalyse engagement and innovation. An industry veteran with two decades of experience in global business, he is a highly sought after international mentor and keynote speaker in enterprise co-creation, crowdsourcing and movements.

      Stephen has worked with hundreds of people and organisations to transform their impact. He is featured in BRW, Fast Company, Huffington Post, National Marketing Mag, MICENET and PRWeb. Stephen’s clients include Unilever, Sanofi-Aventis, Victoria Envi-ronment Protection Authority, Momentum Energy and ecostore, just to name a few. His contribution to industry is critically acclaimed with accolades including Cannes Lion, AIMIA and Webby.

      Outside of industry, Stephen has engaged in large-scale social change for organisations such as the United Nations and the World Wildlife Fund, helping them to achieve results for some of their most critical causes. He is passionate about conscious leadership and helping organisations adapt to the increasing current away from hierarchies to autonomous and interdependent networks.

      Gratitudes

      Writing this book felt like a rite of passage. What began in 2005 with a deep realisation of a broken world system and dismay at the lack of humanity in big business resulted in a life-changing quest for truth and meaning. I could never have imagined the journey that would unfold, the people, the stories and incredible encounters that led to my own conscious awakening. This book is the result of that journey – an achievement I am immensely proud of that would not exist were it not for the love and dedication of family, friends and an extraordinary team who made it possible.

      Firstly, thank you to my north star – the many authors and thought leaders whose inspiration and insights light the path and help cultivate my own thinking and ideas. Special mention goes to (in no particular order) Lynne Cazaly, C. Otto Scharmer, Simon Sinek, Dr Jason Fox, Tim Leberecht, Frederic Laloux, Dan Gregory, Kieran Flanagan, Mykel Dixon, Alison Hill and Gabrielle Dolan.

      To all the Emergents in business and society, men and women whose passion and contribution to improve the human condition fills me with awe. For those in my orbit who taught me what it means to live fully present and to honour the space between no longer and not yet – thank you, Jonathan Fields, Jarrod Briffa, Sarah Davis, Danny Almagor, Rebecca Scott, Graham Hill, Cameron Burgess, Malcolm and Melanie Rands, Gabor Bukovinszky, Tim Mahlberg, Damien Melotte, Michael Margolis and David Hood.

      To my wonderful clients, whose commitment to innovation and excellence makes the work I do all the more meaningful. Your courage to suspend disbelief and embrace mess, complexity and variation gave me the platform to develop my ideas and intuition into the proven system and tools contained in this book. I am ever grateful. Thank you for rocking the status quo.

      To the exemplary team at Wiley. Matthew Holt, for seeing the spark in me all those years ago at SXSW and offering me a book deal. The lovely Lucy Raymond, my commissioning editor. Thank you for capturing the vision for Emergent and for your longsuffering during what unexpectedly became a time of significant change and growth in my life. To my production team, Ingrid, Chris and Theo – you guys are incredible!

      Kelly and Charlotte, my editors. At different stages you jumped into the fray to work on this book and helped make it so much more. It’s never an easy thing handing over a baby, however your professionalism and editorial prowess took the stress out of the writing process and elevated Emergent to a whole other level. Thank you, you’re the best!

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