B LA
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YSTEM S N IC A
Systemic constellations are like a bathing In waters that purify OUR SOUL! This book is for those women and men who want to live truly in intimate relationship: Order of love is really incredible, A honor A reminder A blessing A river of life in Ancient earth Constellations are stones that carry time. They are a Message from the cosmos itself. And we decided to offer this experience to our readers.
Welcome in our golden world! Daniela Terrile
DANIELA TERRILE PCC ICF Coach- PNL practitioner, Systemic Coaching, Shamanic constellations Daniela keeps coaching4all methodology on practicing on clients’ strengths and weaknesses, empowering her colleagues to face fear and improve their style. Daniela is thriving when coaching, respecting and adapting to her clients’ preferences: she keeps an eye on research to improve her understanding of people’s needs, reveal insights and inspire innovative solutions. Daniela is inspired by people: she strongly believes that all her colleagues haveinsights and internal resources to be effective and resilient. Systemic coaching is not about the form or fixing you: it is enhancing client’s potential to gain their place in society and understand the complexity and beauty of our systems.
CAROLINE KRAFT Trained coach certified by the Robbins-Madanes’ Institute - Strategic Intervention, Systemic Coaching, BeeAligned methodology, Human Needs Psychology. Caroline empowers and guides her clients through their professional transition. She helps them to build the professional life they want, in alignment with their values, their talents, and with their needs. Systemic coaching and constellations reveal what is IN-visible, meaning what your eyes don’t see but what your inner self does. It brings awareness by showing a whole picture of a situation or a system. Caroline strongly believes that awareness is the first step to transformation.
DANIJELA KIRIN Experienced Landscape Architect with more than 10 years of international experience, with an education in Systemic Coaching (under mentorship of Daniela Terrile) and Systemic Structural Constellations (Syst-Nederland). Danijela believes that in order to solve complex spatial, social, natural and economic issues that architects are dealing with today, there is an urgent need for an effective holistic technique. Challenges for optimal design lie in the hidden dynamics of systems themselves and their relationship to each other. In Danijela’s opinion Systemic constellations are an excellent tool for revealing these underlying dynamics. Therefore, she is currently researching how the design process can be enriched by systemic constellation technique and theory. She believes that systemic constellation technique can help architects to get in contact with Genius Loci and provide the complete picture of the system they are working on, resulting in a design that optimally fits with the person’s need and our environment.
DANIELA TERRILE
TARGET SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATIONS
MULTIVERSUS Start-up How to move forward to best respond to the world’s transformation Target systemic constellation approach is: – A metaphorical form of entrepreneur’s analysis – A coaching/consulting approach – An inter-relationship perspective in a system A system is a collection of elements or components, organized for a common purpose; a system relies itself on human expectations and frustrations. Do you recognize your start-up (1) as a system? Who are the actors? What for? Who is doing what? Start-up works mainly on three main pillars: Alignment, Commitment and Dialogue. Alignment is about your place, your contribution and connects to SPACE (belonging). Commitment is about your participation, your responsibility, your empowerment and connects to TIME (order). Dialogue is about the benefit that you bring to your start-up, your mission, your skills and competences and connects to EXCHANGE (balance).
Rules and principles in Systemic Coaching There are three fundamental needs to satisfy in a start-up: 1. Belonging - This is the strongest and has to do with our very survival. We often do whatever we must in order to continue to belong to a group, especially our family, even though it may not be best for us. These struggles to leave or stay within a group are often deeply felt. Our families are one “group” we cannot leave, and balancing the “rules” of our family of origin within our adult lives can be a source of a great deal of difficulty. Hidden and unconscious loyalties often govern our actions more than we realize. 2. Order - That is, following the rules of the social group we belong to, the backbone of communal living. It also includes a sense of having a right place in the groups we belong to. This provides a sense of safety and stability. We know where we belong relative to the other members of our group. When this is not clear in a group a great deal of chaos can arise. 3. Balance - When we receive or take from another, we feel a debt and some discomfort. When we give back we feel a freedom and a sense of innocence. If giving and taking are out of balance in some way, then we may feel guilt, and sometimes hiding that guilt, we feel anger or other emotions. This can be very apparent between couples and between parents and children. Harassment, burnout, exclusion 1. Every member has the same right to belong. If a member is not given that right to belong, that is, if someone is excluded, then someone else in the group may be moved to identify with the excluded member and in some way share their fate. 2. Wrongs must be re-dressed. If an injustice is done to one member, then
another member will feel called upon to redress that wrong. Conversely, if a member commits a wrong, another member will feel called upon to atone for that wrong if the wrongdoer does not. 3. People have rank according to who entered the system first. This is one of the ways that we know our place. A teacher of mine was working with a man who had sinus cancer. He said he always felt like he should not have been the oldest child. In setting his coaching session, the man suddenly remembered that there had been an earlier child who was stillborn. When he placed this “older” child in his coaching session, the child was literally breathing down the man’s neck on the same side as the cancer. What target systemic constellation is and what is not In business, the systemic approach is a solution-focused process, which helps leaders of organizations to identify the complex, often informal, relationships and inter-dependencies within their organization and to develop a deeper understanding about the underlying dynamics in a very time and cost-efficient manner. Target Systemic Constellation is useful to better understand stakeholders/clients’ needs and to integrate their thoughts and their vision in your daily professional life. It is not a Role Play. Start up When speaking of start-up I often ask my clients how their start-up responds to internal and external needs in the world. For start-up, I intend that process which starts with the visualization, the plan and the action to activate a new career in life. Therefore, I often ask if they know the structure of their career. What is still missing,
Daniela on Systemic constellations:
All dimensions of knowledge...
Explicit wisdom/ implicit wisdom Rupert Sheldrake - Morphic resonance
Constructive approach based on trust and mutual commitment.
Collective inteligence is in elements/parts of the System and Their relationships.
People who represent take the script directly from the representative perception which emerges from the Constellation
what are their strengths and how they want to reinforce their competences in order to be successful? But most of all, the personal“quest� is not merely about being successful in obtaining results, but is related to the value that our contribution brings to the organization in order to evolve and transform it. For my clients, it starts a journey where they understand their value and want to contribute to their success, through meaningful questions such as: -They want to understand my value first, in order to be aware of what they can offer to people -They want to change / transform themselves -They want to know if they have a place in the Business They want to understand why they are excluded from the team, from the company When do I use target systemic constellation? For companies, organizations and institutions, to gain better outcomes and better productivity and performance, design thinking. For the individual to gain higher levels of wellbeing and a more satisfying workplace and for the career in organizations, where work changes and needs greater expectations. What is the impact? Target Systemic Constellation opens up unusual perspectives, broadens the scope for action, generates sensory responses, allows a shift of perspective, allows a high level of complexity without becoming overly concerned with details. Time for an exercise? Drop me a line at daniela.terrile@ec.europa.eu or call me +32 472 907679 to organize a session via Skype!
CAROLINE KRAFT
What is a System? A system is formed by interconnected parts with a common purpose We all belong to several systems in our life: family, friends, work, school, sport team, club, neighborhood, community, the country where we live, religion, etc. Interconnections and relationships form systems. As individuals, we are interconnected parts of the systems we belong to. The number of systems is unlimited and all systems are interconnected with each other. By extension, this means that we are all connected to each other - directly or indirectly. Example: In an organisation there are several departments like for example finances, human resources, marketing, legal, sales, IT, etc. To illustrate the interconnections between the parts, we could say that employees working in the same team are directly interconnected with each other. Employees working in different teams are indirectly interconnected with each other. Even though each employee performs different tasks and may not be aware of the tasks others perform, the work of each employee serves the common purpose of the organisation they belong to.
Interconnections mean that the action of one part affects the others, and this even indirectly and unconsciously. What one part does or doesn’t do, says or doesn’t say has an impact on others, and by extension on the system. These interconnections create a movement that influences the system: it makes it change, evolve, grow and, in extreme cases, disappear. Interconnected parts are responsible for the survival of the system through their acts, their decisions, their emotions, their words, the respect of the rules of systems, etc. Since everything is interconnected, this also means that the survival of the interconnected parts depends on the survival of the system. So, the survival of the system and its parts doesn’t only depend on “just a movement”. It depends on a movement that sustains growth because what doesn’t grow dies. For example when political movements, organisations, projects, friendships, couples don’t grow in the sense that they don’t develop sustainably the purpose they pursue or just stop pursuing it, they die. Political movements fall apart, organisations close down, projects are abandoned, friendships are broken, couples divorce. Example: In organisations, projects are systems that die when parts don’t share a common purpose, don’t agree on the evolution of the projects and/or don’t develop them. The growth of the system is internal and also external since systems need interconnections with other systems to exist as systems and to grow. This means that organisations need interconnections with other systems like clients, suppliers, external advisers, banks, etc. All organisations feed each other through the existence of interconnections between them.
A system is more than the sum of its parts...A system is alive Systems are governed by invisible forces which role is to maintain coherence in systems and to restore it when this latter has been disrupted. These forces are balance, order and belonging. Balance / Exchange: giving to the system and taking from it is important for the system to be in movement, to be alive. This should be done in a balanced way. Order / Time: there is an order of arrival in a system that should be respected. The ones who arrive first have a precedence over the ones who follows. Precedence doesn’t mean dominance or importance. It just refers to the fact that the first to arrive should be recognized as the one who arrived first in the system and so the one who made space for the next ones to integrate the system. Belonging / Space: Everyone has a right to belong to a system. This right should be respected by all. The respect of these rules contributes to maintain coherence, flow and order in a system. On the contrary, the non-respect of these principles brings disorder in the system. When systems are disrupted, they will take as much time as needed until coherence is restored. This can take decades or even generations in family and organisational systems. Systems have a long memory: they are formed by past, present and future parts, experiences and energies. This is why systems are bigger than ourselves and more than the sole sum of their parts.
The Order of System Chaos and cosmos - disorder and secret order
“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order� - Carl Jung. We all recall a scene of Wall Street in some movies. At first sight, we can see disorder: dozens of people running around, shouting, speaking loudly over the phone, phones ringing, etc. However, when we look closely at the situation we can see the secret order: everyone is executing specific tasks with the objective to serve the common purpose of the organisation. This can be one illustration of the cosmos in the chaos, the secret order in the disorder. Order The original state of a system is order, like the natural state of a human being is joy. Order manifests when the principles of balance, order and belonging are respected. When there is order, energy flows smoothly, each part contributes to the growth and to the survival of the system. In exchange the system contributes to the survival of its parts. Coherence is maintained. Each part is integrated into the system. Another definition of order could be an absence of disorder, this is, an absence of distortion in the system. Example: In an organisational system, order is reflected when employees feel safe at work, when they can express themselves freely, when each one has its place, when their right to belong to the orgnisation is respected, when their motivation is high, when leadership is powerful and accepted by all, when employees are happy to go to work, etc. Disorder On the contrary, disorder is the manifestation that order is disrupted in a system: principles of balance, order and belonging are not respected, energy is blocked, coherence and growth are not maintained, information is hidden,
secrets exist in the system, people are excluded from systems, etc. Example: In an organisation, symptoms of disorder could be high turnover, frequent sick leaves, frustration, anger, burnout, lack of motivation, lack of creativity, difficulties with clients, issues with suppliers, absence of leadership respected by all, difficulty to grow financially, etc.
The invisible forces and disorder Systems are more than the sum of their parts because they are governed by invisible forces, energies and vibrations that reflect when energy flows smoothly in a system or not. These forces manifest by influencing the atmosphere, the behaviours and actions of interconnected parts until coherence is restored. People are energy. Emotions are energy in motion. Thoughts, words and and acts are energy. Expectations and frustrations are energy. All these energies are vibrations that both impact the system and are influenced by the system. Disorder is a warning pointing out that something is going wrong in the system and that this something should be solved to restore order. Like the natural state of the human being is joy, the natural state of a system is order. This means that the invisible forces crystallized into symptoms of disorder will always tend to restore order. In the end, this shows that disorder serves the purpose to restore order and that the system tends to assure the survival of its parts. In human beings, symptoms of disorder are diseases, fatigue, accidents, etc. The body warns that something needs to be taken care of to restore coherence. The solution to restore coherence may be more sleep, a better diet, less work, an emotional wound to be healed, etc.
Systemic coaching and systemic constellations in organisations help restore order in a system by revealing what generates disorder and what needs to be restored.
Resistance and resilience Resisting to systems, to their principles and to their rules increases disorder. Resistance can take different forms: ignoring, denying or rejecting someone or a situation, not respecting systems’ principles, feeling angry, sad, afraid, jealous, in pain, etc. Resistance blocks the flow of energy in the system. Resistance drains the energy of the parts and of the system. When a system is fed with resistance it manifests resistance, so disorder. The more resistance there is in a system, the more disorder there will be. Like a mirror, the system reflects what it is fed with. The more the rules are not respected, the more violent the symptoms are. It is like a vicious circle. In case coherence, flow and life are not restored, ultimately the system will die. Again, this shows that interconnected parts are responsible for how they feed the system. The survival of the interconnected parts depends on the survival of the system. The survival of the system depends on the survival of its parts. Resilience restores coherence in systems and keep them alive. Resilience doesn’t mean accepting everything and every situation. It means acknowledging things as they are, acknowledging the forces and principles of systems. It means feeling the energies to finally go back to its normal state which is a smooth flow.
What is systemic coaching? Systemic coaching and systemic constellations help reveal the invisible dynamics in a system. Phenomenology of the parts -this is, what they feel and embody in their body- help reveal what has been distorted in the system. What was not visible for the eyes becomes visible through the body. The body doesn’t lie. It always knows the answer. Embodiment brings experience and awareness. Awareness brings acknowledgement of what is, of the situation as it is in the moment. Acknowledgement is the first step towards transformation. Acknowledgment frees us. It also gives us responsibility. The responsibility to take actions, to change ourselves in order to change a situation. Transformation is only possible when people take actions. And this is where systemic coaching and constellations end: they don’t take actions for people. People involved are free and responsible to take actions and to step into the transformational process by themselves. They are also free not to take actions and so to not change and assume the consequences. Ready to be free? Drop me an email at caroline@coachingck.com Follow me on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kraftcaroline/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinekcoaching/ www.coachingck.com
BOB stands for Balance, Order, Belonging Aristotle said « the whole is more than the sum of its parts » so is a system. Systems are more
than the sum of their parts because they are governed by hidden dynamics: balance-exchange, order-time and belonging-space. These forces are here to achieve coherence in systems. They can impact movements and behaviours of
parts in a system. The purpose of systemic coaching and systemic constellations s to reveal these invisible dynamics so the real situation can be acknowledged and an action or a new direction can be taken to restore alignment in the system. When there is a disruption in a system, the symptom or pattern can be repeated throughout generations or for example through employees who occupy a same position in an organisation until coherence is restored.
Balance / Exchange A dynamic balance of giving and taking is needed in a system. Taking and giving in a balanced way maintains coherence in a system. The balance of giving and taking could be seen as a smooth flow, a smooth movement, like a wave which comes and goes gently. It means that one should not give or take too much or on the contrary not giving or taking at all. In case parts of a system block this smooth flow by giving and taking in an unbalanced way, the system can be disrupted. Coherence and balance of exchange in a system are not related to “having a good intention”. Having a good intention is good by essence but from a systemic point of view it is not enough to maintain balance and coherence. For example you can disrupt a system by giving everything you can to the system even if your intention was positive and good. The issue is that if you give too much to the system it may not know how to give it back to you. You are not respecting the principle of balance. If you give too much people can feel uncomfortable and may adopt « strange » behavior. You may experience negative impact from the system even if your intention was positive.
Balance in organisations In an organisational system it is the same. A client explained to me that he gave everything he could to his former team. In addition to his mandatory work, he volunteered to take care of internal trainings for the staff and to recruit new members for the department. Part of his working time was dedicated to these extra activities. Consequently, he had more work to do than his colleagues while not getting any recognition in return. On the contrary, he was criticized for billing clients less than his other colleagues. Of course, part of his working time was used for internal topics he couldn’t bill clients for. He didn’t understand why he was criticized while his intention to dedicate time for the department was positive. Looking at this situation through the prism of systemic principles made him realized that he probably gave too much to the system. He also realized that he didn’t feed the system with what was expected from him. Indeed, time dedicated to internal issues was time he couldn’t dedicate to what he was paid for, this is solving clients’ issues and billing them for that. Order / Time Everything in a system has its place. To respect the principle of order and time, the order of arrival of people in a system should be acknowledged. What or who comes first has a precedence over what or who comes next. In a family system it is easy to visualize. Grandparents were born before the parents. They arrived first. Then parents were born. Then children were born. Respecting the principle of order means acknowledge that grandparents have a precedence over parents. They came before parents and children. They made space for the parents to come. And parents have a precedence over the children because they arrived first and therefore made space for chil
dren to come. Each member of a family contributes for future generations to come. The same applies to siblings. The elder child should be acknowledged as the first who arrived in the family, the second child as the second who arrived in the family, etc. Unborn and dead children count as well. The principle of order doesn’t mean importance. Acknowledging that the first child precedes over his or her siblings in the family doesn’t mean that he or she is more important than the other siblings. This just means that everyone arrives in an order in the system and this should be acknowledged for the coherence of the system. On the contrary, the system can be disrupted and this can be manifested by tensions in the family, separations, sickness, etc.
Matryoshka and the principle of order I like using matryoshka to illustrate this principle. Matryoshka are Russian wooden dolls of decreasing size placed inside one another. You can open them except the very last and little one. Imagine the most little doll represents you. You are the member who arrived last in your family. The other dolls represent - in order - your mother, grandmother, great grandmother, etc‌These dolls show that you are here today thanks to other members of your family who preceded you and made room for you to come. These Matryoshka also illustrate the fact that a family constellation is formed by all its members, alive or not for generations and generations. In case the family system has been disrupted, the system may need generations to restore coherence in it.
The principle of order in organisations In an organisational system, everyone has its place and its order of arrival. To respect this principle and maintain coherence in a system, the persons who joined the organisation first should be acknowledged and respected for that.
Matryoshka - Illustration of Order and Time principles in Family
They have a precedence over people who joined the organisation later. The first persons who first joined the system did things that made space for other people to join. In the same line, people who join a system lately should be acknowledged by the first ones who joined to be here to contribute to the well functioning and growth of the system. Again, precedence doesn’t mean importance. Precedence just refers to a logical concept that the one who arrives first should be acknowledged as the one who arrives first.
The example of the marathoner Imagine a marathon. The marathoner who crosses the finish line first should be acknowledged as the one who crosses the finish line first. That’s it. A way to violate this principle would be for example that another runner who crossed the finish line after the first marathoner pretended he arrived first. This would disrupt the system.
The example of the new manager It can seem very simple and logical but in many systems this principle is not respected. Not because people don’t want to respect this principle but because they are not aware that the non respect of the principle of order can disrupt the system. A common example of disruption would be a new leader who joins a company. This leader has already several years of experience and discovers that things can be improved. She or he is full of new ideas on how to improve the team, the department, the working procedures, the rules, etc. This leader has a clear vision on how things should be performed for the well being of all and wants to impose her or his vision to the team. The intention is good: the drive is the well-being of the employees and the well-functioning of the company. However this person doesn’t respect the principle of order and disrupts the system by imposing her or
his vision to the team without acknowledging the work performed by the team until today, and by not involving the team in the decision making procedure. Indeed, by acting like this, this person is imposing her or his vision without acknowledging that other persons were here before and made space for this new leader to join. Things should probably be improved. This is an obvious fact since improvement refers to movement, to evolution and growth which are necessary for the survival of a system. The point is that improvement is possible because the persons who preceded this leader contributed to the system first. The work these persons accomplished made space for this new leader to join the system. They have precedence over this new leader, regardless the role or position they occupy in the hierarchy of the organisation. In case the principle of time (order) is denied, the system will make sure to restore coherence. The visible symptoms showing that this principle has not been respected can be that this leader may have difficulty to gain respect of the team or difficulty to influence them. People working with this leader may lack of motivation, may be sick more often, they may experience anger and frustration, etc. These symptoms will persist until order is restored, this is until the new leader acknowledges the contribution of the team to the organisation before her or his arrival and the fact that the team has precedence over the leader in this system. The system will put this manager back at her or his place until coherence is restored.
Belonging and Space Everybody has a right to belong to a system. This principle applies to every system. In case this right is refused the system is disrupted. This is the case when a person is excluded or rejected from a system. In order to restore coherence, disrupted systems will ÂŤ re-member Âť the person or the concept that has been excluded until coherence is restored.
“Re-member� means that the system will find another person to replace the rejected or excluded one. The person who replaces the rejected or excluded one may face the same difficulties than its predecessor. Since the predecessor was rejected, the new person may face rejection as well. In case the fact that the predecessor was rejected is not acknowledged by the system, the new person may be rejected as well. In case this second person is excluded too, the system will take other person to replace the ones who have been rejected until coherence is restored. This is, when finally the parts of the system acknowledge that the excluded persons had the right to belong to the system. This process can take long time until coherence is restored. In family systems this can take generations. In companies as well. Example in organisations Systems have a long memory. For example when an employee is forced to leave a company and the reasons of this departure have been hidden to the team, the person that will replace this employee may encounter the same difficulties as its predecessor. The manifestation of the symptoms can even be nightmares, getting sick, etc. High turnovers, sick leaves, frustration, anger, miscommunication, etc in organisations are the visible part of the iceberg. They are a visible manifestation showing that hidden dynamics are not respected. The way to restore coherence is to restore the principle of belonging. In this specific case it could be for example that the reasons of the dismissal of the employee are revealed to the team. Another way to restore belonging could be to acknowledge and recognize the positive contribution of this employee to the organisation or to the team. Each part contributes to the system in a way or in another. Recognizing the contribution of each part is important to maintain coherence in a system. The principle of belonging doesn’t only mean having a right to belong to a sys-
Belonging and security The principle of belonging doesn’t only mean having a right to belong to a system. It also means feeling secure that your right of belonging is guaranteed. Example: A client told me that she didn’t feel secure at work. Each morning she went to the office without knowing if she would still be an employee of this firm at the end of the day. In this firm it was frequent to fire people without notice. This was so frequent that the whole team started to gamble every day on who will be fired. She explained to me that this situation wasn’t sustainable anymore : employees weren’t productive, didn’t feel involved in the projects, lacked of motivation, got sick, etc. These behaviours were symptoms showing that the system was disrupted. Not respecting the principles of balance-exchange, time-order and belonging-space is going against the flow. It is being resistant. Being resistant is not a right answer to restore coherence in systems. Resilience is the right answer. Acknowledging the situation as it is is the first step toward transformation and toward the restoration of coherence. Once the hidden issue is revealed, it belongs to each part to take actions to restore coherence; in essence, to contribute to the survival of the system.
Burn out and systems As we saw, burnout is a symptom showing that the system is disrupted. Energy is not flowing smoothly in the system. Below some questions to be asked to know what has disrupted the system: Is the principle of balance respected? Is the job fulfilling? Are the professional
needs of the employee satisfied? Is remuneration enough for the hours effectively worked? Is there any information hidden to the employees? Are the employees recognised for the tasks they perform? Is the principle of order respected? Is the first one to arrive recognised as such? What about the secretary that belongs to the organisation since 20 years? Is she recognised as the one who arrived before the new director? What about this new manager? Does he respect the fact that her/his team belongs to the organisation before he arrived? Is the principle of belonging respected? Is the right of being included in the system respected? Is there competition at work, alliances, do colleagues get along well? Does the management recognise when a job is performed correctly? Are people fired without notice? How do people leave the organisation? How does the management deal with the communication of firing people, resignments, etc? What is said when an employee leaves the firm? Is the contribution of the employee to the organisation recognised? When we understand that the natural state of a system is flow and coherence and when we compare this with the current state of the organisations - like burnout, bore-out, depression, lack of motivation, high turnover, everything indicates that organisations don’t function correctly. Something is going wrong. In these situations, systemic coaching helps putting order back by acknowledging what has disrupted the system.
DANIJELA KIRIN
HOW CAN THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE DESIGN PROCESS BE ENRICHED BY SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATIONS TECHNIQUE AND THEORY
Today as a society we are facing major challenges. Climate change is influencing society and will continue to do so even more in the future. The consequences of macro scale disasters like hurricanes and tsunami floods are well known. The impacts on the micro scale seem sometimes less dramatic or even non-existent due to the time it takes for the consequences to become visible. A good example of this is land subsidence or sea level rise. On the other hand, our society has become more and more complex, so the issues are also more complicated, as for example segregation. Landscape architecture as a profession is involved in finding solutions to all these problems from the macro to the micro scale. In my opinion, in order to solve complex spatial, social, natural and economic issues that architects are dealing with today, there is an urgent need for an effective holistic technique. Challenges for holistic design lie in the hidden dynamics of systems themselves and their relationship to each other. Systemic constellations are an excellent tool for revealing these underlying dynamics. It can help architects to get in contact with Genius Loci and provide the complete picture of the system they are working on. This paper uses the following hypothesis: There are scientifically tested and recognized principles that govern living, social and organisational systems so they thrive. Therefore these principles can be applied also when designing a park, transforming a city area or restoring an ecosystem system to ensure a project is holistic.
1.INTRODUCTION 1.1. Need for a holistic design approach (Hypothesis) 1.2. The ‘systemic ‘ and the link to landscape architecture 1.3. View on landscape architecture through the systemic lens: belonging - order - balance 2. 2.1. 2. 2. 2.3.
EXPLORING SYSTEMIC PRINCIPLES IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: ‘Belonging’ in architecture - sense of belonging and Genius Loci ‘0rder ‘ in architecture ‘Balance ‘ in current architectural theory as a neglected pillar
3.CASE STUDIES 3.1. Research by experiencing - systemic constellation technique 3.2. Case study 1 - systemic constellations as a testing tool for a regional vision of city Semarang, Indonesia (student project) 3.3. Case study 2 - Systemic constellation as a design testing tool for public space design in Zagreb, Croatia 3.4. Case study 3 - Systemic approach as intuitive analysis tool in the student design workshop for industrial area in Hannover, Germany 4.CONCLUSION - Analysis of the cases and potential for future use in landscape architecture design process REFERENCE LIST
1.INTRODUCTION
1.1. In search of a holistic design approach
I have chosen a profession where the process of creation of new physical realities is a daily challenge. The profession has existed for some centuries, even under different names, and as a result various tools have been developed that are used in the design process. Among these tools there are some which we now see as decadent, old-fashioned, but there are some tools and techniques that resist the flow of time. Since landscape architecture is a profession in duty to society, as society changes so do the challenges of the profession. Consequently, as landscape architecture evolves and adapts to its time, its tools should as well. Regarding climate change issues and the growing complexity of society, I see that there is a need for a tools update that needs to be holistic, as timeless equals holistic and therefore remains valuable. As often in life, inspirations come from unexpected directions. In my quest for an applicable holistic approach I have experienced a systemic constellations technique and theory. In this research paper I will investigate if and how this systemic theory and technique can enrich a landscape architecture design process. As the systems theory is very broad and complex, I will refer mostly to living, social and organisational systems theory since this is successfully applied in practice by using a systemic constellation technique. This technique will then be tested on two case studies.
1.2. The “systemic’ and the link to landscape architecture
“The whole is more than the sum of its parts “, Aristotle (4th century BC) What is a system? I believe the majority of people can easily define what is a system even if they have never thought about it consciously. We know it has elements and that these elements are in relation with each other. The term system in Greek means “to stand together “. It refers to a whole that exists only through the working together of its parts ( p.23,Koeningsweiser, Hillebrand, 2015). These parts and their relations are constituted by the process of autopoiesis (self-production), that consequently also defines the area of a system’s influence or its border (Cull,2013).
1.3. View on landscape architecture through the systemic lens
In this chapter I explain the terms that are common to systems theory and the systemic constellation technique and that have found their way into the architectural vocabulary. Systemic term 1 - Autopoiesis Recently, architect Patrick Schumacher (2011) wrote a book with an interesting title ‘The Autopoiesis of Architecture ‘. In an interview he states that ‘the crucial inspiration came from outside architecture, from the work of sociologist Niklas Luhmann and the Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela’ (Flores, 2011). They are all prominent thinkers in systems theory. In his book he classifies architecture as a unique system of communication, that works as a subsystem of society. As part of their living systems theory., Maturana and Varela created the term autopoiesis. It describes the essential characteristic of life as a circular organisation that reproduces all its specific components out of its own process. In the same way, according to Schumacher, architecture as a subsystem of society, reproduces itself. For him this is proof of architecture’s independence from art or other social subsystems. In relation to this, I question the position of landscape architecture as a profession. According to living systems theory we can distinguish a system and its environment (Cull, 2013). This interaction is an ongoing process because it is the way a system and environment learn and evolve. But the environment is only a trigger for the system. The information from the environment can enter the system, but only the system decides how this information will change the system. So, not the environment but the system‘s intrinsic structure. This is the essence of autopoiesis. Having this in mind, defining landscape architecture as a subsystem of architecture makes sense. But it also clarifies that because landscape architecture is an independent system (with its own elements, relations, own intrinsic order and borders) it evolves according to its own dynamics where the environment (architectural or other systems) is only a source of triggering.
Apart from using the term autopoiesis as a principle to describe an evolution of the architectural profession, this principle is also being used to explain how non-living systems such as cities evolve in time. There have even been written manuals on self - organizing cities. I have noticed that most designers who use parametric design as a tool in their work, often turn towards systems theory in search of theoretical support. Systemic term 2 - Field In the systemic constellation technique, facilitators experience that they work with what is called the knowing field (McTaggart, 2002). Jan Jacob Stam, a well known systemic coach, draws an interesting parallel between considering organisational systems both as structures and fields just like light can be both a wave and a particle. In this case elements of a system constitute a density of fields. From quantum theory it is known that in the spaces between elements there is at least as much information as in the elements themselves. (2016) Architect Stan Allen (1997) writes about how actually architects are working with fields, not objects. Recently field conditions have become a part of architectural assignment in all its complexity and messiness. When working with the site and not against it, constraints are transformed into opportunities. The first step when working in a systemic way, is mapping of what is. So the starting point in the process is always an image that shows what is there now, what are the ‘field conditions’. When the current situation is truly recognized as it is, this is the point when it becomes possible to move towards transformation and change. Also, from a systemic point of view problems are the resources and solutions. So if Stan Allens words are translated into a systemic language, than I hear the following: A shift in understanding has happened such that architecture works with fields (of information) and not objects. The first step in the process is the mapping of what is there in the field and accept it fully just as it is. By recognizing the real issues in their reality and complexity, their potential to transform into solutions is revealed.
Systemic term 3 - Governing principles of a system: belonging - order -balance or ‘systemic lens ‘ At its core, the systemic approach deals with the dynamics of relationships. The system remembers it all. On the other hand for us it is not always possible to recognize all underlying dynamics. Most of the time disfunctionality in a system is a result of some past dynamics that are often forgotten or hidden. If the existing situation is not clear, it is impossible to take a step towards an optimal solution. In that case, if we talk about designing a system, the final project result is not going to be satisfactory. The part can never be well unless the whole is well. Plato (2nd century) This is a moment where theory needs to be backed up with practice. The systemic constellation technique is a tool used for revealing hidden dynamics in social and organisational systems. When facilitators use this technique they look at the relationships with what I call, for the purpose of this paper, a systemic lens. Bert Hellinger, called by many the father of systemic constellation technique writes: ‘In all our various relationships, fundamental needs interact in a complex way’ (p.5, 1998). This “Orders of love” were revealed to him after years and years of practical work. So, they are not a product of the rational mind but a discovery (Whittington,2016). When in a social system these principles are respected, the system thrives. If not, the system seeks a resolution. Until this (re)solution is reached, problems will occur. For a ‘happy relationship‘ there are 3 systemic principles: 1. the need to belong, for bonding. If you belong, you have a place. ‘Everything and everyone has a right to a different but unique and respected place in the system’ (p.22, Whittington,2016) 2. the need for balance in giving and taking, There is one thing it seems systems just can’t stop doing and that is to exchange (Stam, 2016). 3. the need for safety and predictability, for order in time. ‘What comes first has a natural precedence’ (p.16, Whittington,2016). In the design process we work with sense of belonging, ordering principles and visual balance. I will explore this comparison further in the second chapter.
2. EXPLORING SYSTEMIC PRINCIPLES IN (LANDSCAPE) ARCHITECTURE
2.1. ‘Belonging’ in architecture - sense of belonging and Genius Loci
In my experience as a landscape architect I can distinguish two related but different ideas about belonging in relation to a built/designed environment. At an almost unconscious level, I ask myself the following questions: One question is about how will the new design ‘belong‘ in the existing environment. Will it connect/contribute to what already exists? This almost feels like talking to the genius loci (spirit of the place).Another question is how will the future users relate to the new spatial structure? Will they have a sense of belonging? The designer knows the he has done a good job if people are using it frequently. I will use an example of a pen (Cull,2013) to relate this question to systems theory. Components and their relations form a pen system. Without it it would not work and would not be able to perform the act of writing which exists in the domain of environment. When compared with a pen, a park system is also a composite unity of elements (e.g. flora, fauna, human users, routes, stay areas ) and their relations. This is the first domain of existence and determines how a park is made as a system. The second domain of existence of the pen is about its function, about writing. This happens in the environment. Similarly, the park can only fulfill its meaning in the domain of the environment. This environment is a relation with different users that come and go, with fauna and probably even air quality, just to name few. So if explained in terms of a systemic approach, both questions are equally relevant in making a holistic design. This is a nice example where systemic theory is working side by side with design practice.
2.2. ‘0rder ‘ in Architecture theory “. . . Nothing but confusion can result when order is considered a quality that can equally well be accepted or abandoned, something that can be forgone and replaced by something else. Order must be understood as indispensable to the functioning of any organized system, whether its function be physical or mental. “ Rudolf Arnheim, The Dynamics of Architectural Form (1977) It is evident that systems search for and thrive with an intrinsic order (Stam, 2016). Order is about rules. Architecture as a discipline has recognized the importance of order. The architect Francis D.K. Ching categorized ordering principles as: axis, symmetry, hierarchy, rhythm, datum and transformation. These principles should equip designers for the challenging task of designing ( 2015). A simple proof that there is order in the built environment is easiness of orientation. Orientation is indeed a valuable consequence of good order in a place. Schumacher (2011) also touches on orientation and order with an interesting new viewpoint. According to him, the concept of space in architecture was developed only in the last 100 years or so. Before that the goal of architecture wasn’t about creating space. Further, he states that this style of space making, even though it still dominates mainstream architecture, is going to be replaced by avant-garde architecture ideas of creating fields in stead of spaces. This is of course in relation to parametric design which he sees as the unifying architectural style for the 21st century.In this architecture of fields we will also need to be able to orientate. But orientation in this environment is going to be more alike to orienting yourself in a natural environment, like in a forest. In this way he is implying that we will create a new set of rules for a new architecture order.
2.3. ‘Balance ‘in architecture theory
Balance in social and organisational systems is about an equilibrium of giving and taking. Balance in this context is not a static term. These systems are alive, so they are in a continuous movement of exchange (Stam, 2016). Writings from architectural theory mostly talk about the importance of visual balance. A balanced composition simply feels right. Since one of two main functions of architecture are utility and beauty (Schumacher, 2011), the importance of balance is in its contribution to aesthetics. In systems theory, balance is as important a principle as belonging and order. It is one of the pillars. Balance in architectural theory as only a visual quality feels lacking and diminished. But if we shift to landscape architecture, balance there is used in a different context. Currently a dominant idea is the necessity of including sustainability and circularity in the profession. These ideas are based on equilibrium of exchange. Society has come to realize that resources are limited. Jane Cull describes it beautifully: in order for humanity to live sustainably on this planet, we need to see ourselves and the world differently - not separate and removed from the web of life, but intrinsically interconnected and interdependent with it (p.1,2003). As I mentioned in the introduction my interest lies in a holistic approach. From a systemic point of view belonging, order and balance are inseparable principles that work together to support the system. Therefore, if we are to engage in holistic design by applying systemic theory to the design process, we need to treat all 3 principles as equally valuable. In the next chapter I go further with my exploration and focus on the systemic constellation technique.
3. CASE STUDIES
3.1. Research by experiencing - systemic constellation technique The most effective way to understand constellation is to experience it. John Whittington, (2016) Systemic constellation is a method used in social and organisational systems so they can be whole again. To be whole again, everything and everyone that was and is part of the system has to be seen and acknowledged including the bad, the shameful and the forgotten. In my opinion the same problem occurs in spatial systems, e.g. a forgotten war crime place. Because systems are non-judgemental, in their need for wholeness they will balance out every denial and exclusion. Therefore, systemic constellation is a tool for revealing hidden dynamics. There is more than one way to facilitate the systemic constellation but here I will explain shortly the process that I will use on my case studies. In a constellation we use the human embodied capacity to download information. A representative perception is the capability of representatives in a constellation to verbalise and develop body sensations and feelings. (Daimler, Sparrer, Varga van Kibed, 2015). First, the facilitator helps the client to define the objective of the constellation. When the elements of the system are detected they will be constellated. Among the people who are attending the workshop, the client first chooses a representative for himself and then for other elements important for the objective. For my case study it is convenient to ask people to position themselves in the space autopoietically, in this case meaning spontaneously.. They are now tuned into a field. The first picture they form is the externalized image of the client inner system related to his/her problem/objective. What follows, is representatives describing what they perceive and process work.
3.2. Case study 1 - systemic constellations as a testing tool for a regional vision of city Semarang, Indonesia About the project When constellating a project it is important that there is a contract that allows one to look into the specific system’s dynamic.Therefore I have chosen as a case study my own study project. Briefly, the city of Semarang is facing challenges like tidal and heavy rain flooding, land sliding and land subsidence. All of this is a consequence of uncontrolled urban growth. At the time of the workshop, a vision for the city was to be created. . In my opinion It is possible to use systemic constellation during various design phases. In this particular case I wanted to test if the vision that I am proposing is really adequate for the city system. The idea was that the technique would reveal valuable information that later could be implement in the design.
Systemic constellation process For the purpose of this research I organized an experimental workshop (Amsterdam, 2019). In total 7 people participated: me as a client, an experienced facilitator and 5 people as representatives. All of them had design background but none or minimal experience with constellations. two persons who attended were also involved in the same study project but were working on their own design vision. The first constellation was set with intention to discover if there are some relevant dynamics present in the project system that are important for the project success but are so far unknown to the client. First, the representatives for the client (myself), for the Academy ( a link between me in the role of a student and city of Semarang) and for the project were chosen and set. The second constellation was set with the intention to discover whether the strategic vision that I, as a designer, developed was appropriate for Semarang. The representatives were chosen and set in the following order: representative for myself, for the vision and for the genius loci. The process took proximately 2 hours and was filmed.
Consetlations’ benefits for design process For me as a designer I often wonder how to recognize weather the ideas I want to implement into design, are something coming from my (ego)personal world or from the deeper understanding of the location that almost speaks back through me. Therefor it was very valuable during the first constelation that the representative of Genius Loci said to the representative of myself as a designer: “You need to approach the project more firmly. It is ok to leave a new trace.” During the second constellation something hidden was revealed. It became obvious to the representatives that there was some past tragic event in Semarang involving children. (Two days later one of the representatives saw on the TV show, there was a child and women camp in Semarang during 2nd WW). A process came to its natural closure after Genius Loci, designer, vision and a representative of a tragic event were holding hands. The message was that in order for a vision to make sense for the Genius Loci, it must somehow include the honouring of this tragic event.
3.3. Case study 2 - Systemic constellation as a design testing tool for public space design in Zagreb, Croatia About the project At the time this case study took place, there was a big initiative for renewal of public spaces in Zagreb, in particular childrens’ playgrounds. Therefore the area that was chosen for a case study was a typical non-defined green space in-between buildings. It was neglected even though located in the densely populated city centre. The research question brought into constellation was to test if the new proposed program was suitable for the area and the users.
Systemic constellation process In Zagreb’s workshop (2015) approximately 12 people participated: the facilitator, me as the client/designer,6 people with rich experience with constellations, and 4 people with no experience. Other than myself, no one had a professional background in design. It is important to point out here, that the work was hidden, which means that the issue was discussed in private between me and the facilitator. Again we worked in a set of short constellations, one after another. In the first constellation 2 elements were set: representative for myself as a designer and representative for Genius Loci. The intention was to explore this relationship.The second constellation explored the relationship between the Genius Loci, the new program and the location. The representatives were chosen and set.The third constellation explored the dynamics between different program elements. The process took approximately 4 hours and was filmed. Consetlations’ benefits for design process The most indicative information was given by the representative of genius loci. He clearly stated that the proposed program is too big and too ambitious for the location. Only when a new (less loaded) program was introduced it was approved by the him. Later every element of a new program was constellated. Representatives took place autopoietically, spontaneously. It was interesting how their positions were aligned to real location and sides of the world, which they didn’t know. A representative of a sitting area needed some protection behind her back to feel good (in reality a parking lot was behind).
3.4. Case study 3 - Systemic approach as an intuitive analysis tool in a student design workshop for open mining area in Hannover, Germany About the project This Hannover workshop was a part of EMILA summer school program that offers possibilities for Landscape Architecture students and teachers to meet and exchange knowledge on an international level. The workshop had no link with systemic but was organised as a platform where students and landscape architects could test and push the boarders of the discipline into possibly jet unknown directions. The organizers of a design workshop opened this space for us by encouraging us to present our first site impressions in a form of a performance, instead of a drawings. Because of my personal fascination with systemic approach, I tend to take every opportunity that opens up to explore possible applications of systemic during design process. Following my first sponateneous impulses I proposed to my work group to do our performance in a form of a constellation. Since this term meant nothing to them I did my best to motivate them into idea of ‘representing’ the elements of our project’s area system, without using systemic terminology but our architectural professional language. About the format and process First we as a group identified the core elements that represent the design area, following our intuition and fascinations collected on field trips during two days. Six of us, each felt more inclined towards certain element. We detected: the ground (lime), the industry, the residents, the water lily (representing flora), the lizard (reprezenting fauna) and the edge (refering to the mining pit edges as a consequence of mining process). Then each participant found a peacefull spot to find/receive the sentances that describe best what he/she represents. We than shared our sentances and helped each other to choose the most vibrant and true ones.
In a joined work we decided on the format of our performance. My intention guided the group towards represenative quality instead of acting our roles out. We agreed on three stages in a performance: First, each representative would find its place on the stage. From that position each one would say the sentances, without discovering who she/he represents. If a movement would come, he /she should follow the movement. When all representatives would say their sentances, the second round would begin. Again every representative would say its words and do the movement but at the same time trying to experience the relationship with another element for what it is. Finally, in the third stage, there was more of a performance, where each one of us just repeated at the same time our core words, resulting in cachophony and ending it all suddently with silence. Consetlations’ benefits for design process Even though this is definatelly not a scholary research example so the results can be questionalble, I wanted to incoorporate it into this text because of two simple facts: This performance of more ‘representing’ than ‘acting’ made an impressive impact on the audience (students and teachers’ workshop participants) who said it gave them a very authentic and realiostic feeling of the project area. Secondly, the information about the design area that we as representatives/actors collected during our performance with our ‘representative perception’ for ourselves proved to be very valuable when we later in the design process started to analyse the design area in a way ‘normal landscape architects’do (reading maps and drawing). Results from a standard analysis and information we got during ‘representative’performance indicated the same problems. One approach was intuitive and other very analythical. Still they blended perfectlly together and complemented eachother. This solid base enabled our work group to understand the site’s problems and potentials in a rather short period of time and to move quicker and more efficient into next fase of creating development strategy which was the final goal of this one week design workshop.
4. CONCLUSION - Analysis of the cases and potential for future use in landscape architecture design process
I have started this research with the hypothesis that the systemic theory and technique can be used as an extra tool in the landscape architecture design process. I was guided by the idea that if systemic approach works successfully with social systems, that this could also be possible when working with landscape or city systems. In the first chapter I have focused on the systems theory and its connection to architectural theory. I have found that the transfer of systems theory from living and social systems to architecture has already happened with Schumacher’s writings. According to him architecture is an autopoietic system of communications. He also introduces the idea of designing fields instead of spaces. It is also evident that offices who use parametrics as a design tool, often rely on systems theory for theoretical support. Still what is of major importance here is to distinguish that in those cases, systems theory is more of an framework they use to structure their ideas and design tools, where as in my case systemic constellation technique is a tool to help a designer to dive deeper and connect to deeper levels of knowledge and consciousness that he/she can than include into design. In the second chapter I have researched if there is a relevant overlap between guiding systemic principles of belonging -order - balance and basic design principles. In architecture, we also talk about the sense of belonging, about the quality of visual balance and about ordering principles like rhythm or symmetry. We do design with belonging, order and balance. Still, the awareness is lacking that only when all three principles are applied, integral design solutions are created. Theory is only useful if it can be practically applied. Therefore, in the third chapter I have described workshops of three case studies. They indicated that this kind of work can deliver useful additional value to the design process. In all cases the constellations revealed valuable additional information to the client/ designer that could be implemented in the design.
I will now try to summarize the shown benefits of systemic constellations from three case studies: 1.It can reveal the complete dynamics operating between the designer and the system he/she is entitled to change by design. (Case study 1 and 2). When working with constellations from this early design phase (e.g. signing of the contract) we can discover hidden dynamics between a designer and a Genius Loci (Spirit of a place) and other important elements. 2.As a tool for an intuitive site analysis to help determinate core problems/potentials of the location (case study 3). It can be used parallel to a standard analysis tool usually used in design process. In this way the designer has the complete picture of the system he is about to make an impact into. 3.When in a design process direct contact with important stakeholders isn’t possible, by doing a constellation they can be heard through a person representing them, just like at the end of case study 2 and in case study 3. 4. In a more advanced design phases (program plan in case study 2 or vision level of case study 1) systemic constellations can be used to test weather the new design propsal fits the site (Genius Loci) and future users. Also constellation process can show direction how design should be optimized. The results are a confirmation that there is a potential for using this technique during the different stages of design process. But it also requires more complex and deeper follow up research to draw more precise conclusions about how and when to use it.
Want to join me on a research journey on linking systemic constellations and landscape architecture, architecture, urban design (and other design related disciplines)? Please contact me: danijela.kirin@gmail.com +31644225663
Reference list
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