There are many theories of how
humans develop. It is obvious - and studies have shown -
that children develop along many fronts from infanthood to
adulthood: they develop cognitively, socially, morally and
in many other ways.
What is less well known, but
equally demonstrated by studies, is that development does
not stop at the age of 18, but can continue throughout life.
Robert Kegan (Professor of Adult
Education and Professional Development at Harvard) says this
in his book In Over Our Heads (p.5):
But if in the last few
hundred years we have succeeded in recognizing a
qualitative distinction between the mind of the child
and the mind of the adult, it may still remain for us to
discover that adulthood is not an end state but a vast
evolutionary expanse encompassing a variety of
capacities of mind.
The premise behind Kegan's book
is that modern life demands a level of development that many
adults never reach - hence the title In Over Our Heads.
And if this is an important fact
as it relates to the population as a whole, it is many times more
important when it relates to society's leaders. When
society's
leaders are "in over their heads" - then we are in for
trouble. (Many people might look at their
bosses and see this issue manifesting itself very clearly
within a business environment.)
What this means is that:
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The world
needs more leaders who are at higher developmental
levels. |
Unfortunately, there is
no known formula to instantly ratchet up your own or someone else's
development level - and indeed, there are many different
lines of development as mentioned above (cognitive, moral,
social etc.). Not only that, but also it usually takes 5
or more years to move up a level† (if there is any movement at
all), and at the moment no-one knows for sure how to speed this
process up.
Nevertheless, a very
important part of the agenda for Life Learning Courses
is to apply what we do know to lay the groundwork for
helping our future leaders reach ever higher developmental
levels throughout their lives.
This criterion will be
a major challenge in the detailed formulation of the definition
of a Life Learning Course, and it must be done in a way
that allows for Life Learning Courses to be acceptable to
all traditions and cultures.
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