Quite by accident a group of Dutch businessmen and one woman discovered a fundamental answer to the crisis in modern governance: the permanent group.
The permanent group is the missing link
between individuals and society;
between conflicting parties;
between people on both sides of borders;
between people from different cultures.
Our societies and organizations have a level of fragmentation that is so high that they start to disintegrate.
There no longer is a relevant connection between micro and macro, between boardroom and work floor, between different departments of the same organization, let alone between strangers, different believe systems or enemies.
We need to reconnect human beings. But reconnection takes more than technology, more than knowledge about the problem. What is needed is a setting that is safe enough for people to really relate to one another. A setting in which you can give and receive true feedback without judgement.
Take a small group of dedicated people. Forge the mutual relations from coal dust to diamonds. There you have the power to change the world. That is the principle of the permanent group. Relation = Result. It is the relation that defines the result. No more games to play. Just a group of people taking each other so seriously that the self-evident qualities of each individual come to the surface to become a necessary ingredient of the final result. In the permanent group opposing visions lead to dialogue and the creation of synthesis. With every real synthesis there is a release of energy: synergy 1+1=3. The synergy is the ongoing source to tackle problems, lead companies, change the world as we know it. Conflicts within the permanent group always precede the agenda. Feelings are facts and by taking feelings seriously the group creates a clear vision of the actual problems that need to be dealt with. By taking each other group member seriously, each group member finally takes himself seriously. Individually each person is limited in effectiveness by his or her blind spots. Within the permanent group blind spots are easily spotted and the effectiveness of the group manifold surpasses the sum total of the individuals effectiveness.
You want to know how to create a permanent group? Read the book, or better: do it.