Leadership Maturity Framework introduction
in this program
- what is LMF?
- action logic
- expanding perspectives
- what does it feel like at each stage?
we admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits: empathy, self-awareness, and social intelligence. but the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior.
Graydon Carter
developmental researchers from Piaget onwards have recognized that children pass through distinct stages of development. children, for example, use sounds before uttering words. if all goes well, words are followed by sentences, and finally, the ability to form arguments. as part of this process, they develop abilities that fundamentally expand their relationship to the world.
when we talk about adult human development, we need to distinguish between horizontal development and vertical development. horizontal development — which refers to integration or expansion within a particular stage of development — happens throughout the person’s lifetime through schooling, training, self-directed growth programs and simple exposure to life. vertical development — moving from earlier through later stages of development — is much rarer, and currently less well understood.
[vertical development] refers to how we learn to see the world through new eyes, how we change our interpretations of experience and how we transform our views of reality. it describes increases in what we are aware of, or what we can pay attention to, and therefore what we can influence and integrate.
Susanne Cook-Greuter
in her Leadership Maturity Framework (LMF) Susanne Cook-Greuter builds on the ego developmental theory of Jane Loevinger. the LMF describes nine adult developmental levels, or ways of meaning-making, and shows how humans can mature throughout their lifetime.
studies show that the stage of meaning-making is often more powerful in explaining individual differences in behavior than personality traits and intelligence combined. we consider each stage to be a constellation of developmental tasks that individuals need to master on their journey towards maturity.
Susanne Cook-Greuter
Cook-Greuter defines ego as an organizing process that turns our experience into a coherent story. as the ego evolves it tells new stories about itself and the world. from this perspective ego is not something we can or should get rid of- as many spiritual seekers mistakenly believe- but rather a necessary function that we can rehabilitate or integrate into greater maturity. as we will also later see in the work of Ken Wilber, he agrees with a stage-like consciousness development where earlier stages see reality in more simple, black and white ways, and later stages have broader perspectives and dynamics that are increasingly open to paradox, ambiguity, and disidentification. later stages can also express and hold greater complexity. there is no arrival point in maturing and later stages unfold through greater detail and differentiation. ego evolves through reworking the same basic human issues at each successive stage of growth. in a paradoxical way, we come home to ourselves.
we shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time
from T.S Elliot: Four Quartets
action logic
what is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.
Abraham Maslow
a person’s ego stage is defined as the perspective-taking capacity from which they routinely operate. it is not necessarily the highest stage the person can access, and it does not mean that the person may not show traits from earlier stages. the ego organizes experiences from all aspects of life into the coherent story of who i am now. stages of maturity specifically address the processes of meaning-making and how these lead to action. the stages therefore are named as “action logics,” or the master trait accounting for individual differences. initially Cook-Greuter named the stages after the result or outcome of the action logic. she later named them according to the logic itself.
| stage | result of action logic | action logic |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | unitive | unitive |
| 7 | alchemist | construct-aware |
| 6 | strategist | self-actualizing |
| 5 | individualist/pluralist | self-questioning |
| 4 | achiever | self-determining |
| 3 | expert/technician | skill-centric |
| 2 | diplomat | group-centric |
| 1 | opportunist | self-centric |
the method
so, how can you discern where you or another functions? Cook-Greuter’s work is scientific, and based on large samples of sentence completion tests. these tests present the test taker with sentence stems which they complete. a stem sentence is the first couple of words that would allow a person to describe their experience. “my mother….” is a good example. the person will complete the sentence by describing their mother, a mother, or motherhood. let’s look at another example: “i perceive feedback...” here are summaries of the ways in which the sample group responded. each row gives the kind of expression that we might get from people at that stage of maturity.
| hold feedback as a natural part of living systems; necessary for learning and change; see it as not fundamentally different from praise, radical acceptance and compassion for one’s own and others’ humanity. | construct-aware |
| invite feedback for self-actualization; conflict seen as an inevitable part of viable/multiple relationships, can own one’s own contribution to others’ experience. | self-actualizing |
| welcome feedback as necessary to uncover hidden aspects of their own behavior, acknowledge own conditioning, interested in diverse perspectives. | self-questioning |
| welcome feedback especially if it helps them to achieve their goals and to improve. committed to change behavior and belief in ability to control it. | self-determining |
| take it personally, defend own position; dismiss feedback from those who are not seen as experts in the same field. | skill-centric |
| view feedback as disapproval or as a reminder of norms, discomfort at being “shown up”, inclined to save face, internal dialogue about intent. | group-centric |
| experience feedback as an attack, provocation; can quickly shift blame or be singularly dismissive, inclination to counterattack or retaliate. | self-centric |
this can be done with almost any concept, so that we can differentiate the different stages of interpreting and meaning making. no stage is more correct than another, and the stages build on one another. Cook-Greuter subjected more than 4000 people in her study to thirty-six of these stem sentences.
it's all about perspective
whereas Loevinger saw the later stages vaguely bundled together as an integrated stage still increasing from self-determining (similar to Maslow, and partly because when they were conducting their research there were so few people at later stages to study), Cook-Greuter’s research focused on differentiating the later stages. she indicated that the arc of maturing reaches a midpoint and then begins to decline. In later maturity the ego is less and less in the driver seat, and we begin to recognize it as an aspect of awareness. in the first four stages, ego is building an identity, and in the last four identity itself becomes questioned as a construct of culture and conditioning.
with each new stage more is allowed and understood. later stages also have fewer boundaries, and at the unitive stage opposites are experienced as the same (two sides of the same coin). love and hate are both feeling. pain and comfort are both sensations, etc.
the numbers at each stage in the table below indicate where the person is in terms of the number of perspectives that they can hold. at the self-centric stage, the person can barely hold their own perspective (first person perspective) and that of another (second person perspective). it is only at the group-centric stage where a third person perspective becomes possible. the person can now more readily reflect and see the world from their perspective, another’s, and an objective or data-based perspective.
expanding perspectives
viewpoints evolve from simple to complex, static to dynamic, ego-centric to socio-centric to world-centric to cosmo-centric. vertical development is unidirectional with each stage building on and transforming what came before (Wilber’s phrase “transcend and include” summarizes this type of growth). the person’s center of gravity is the stage that is most prevalent in their expression.
| perspectives | expanding inclusion | additional skills | action logic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | “what’s in this for me?” |
|
self-centric |
| 2nd person | perspective of other, family, culture, religion |
|
group-centric |
| 3rd person | logic of belief system |
|
skill-centric |
| expanding into inclusion of time and emotion |
|
self-determining | |
| 4th person |
|
|
self-questioning |
| expanding into underlying “structure of operation/reality” |
|
self-actualizing | |
| 5th - 6th person |
|
|
construct aware |
developmental moves
the growing person experiences their growth in the following sequence. each stage repeats this process:
consolidation: becoming well at home in the current stage
integration, clean-up: person is working at integrating hidden or disowned aspects
of
self (shadow-work)
transition: process of moving from one stage into the next
transformation: radical shift in consciousness and perspective into next stage
each consecutive stage
- is reached by journeying through earlier stages
- remains part of individual's capacity
- includes and transcend earlier stage, transforming the perspective
- qualitatively different and more integrated way of perception
- offers a more detailed map of reality
each consecutive stage makes conscious or visible what was previously invisible. each consecutive stage becomes less defensive and shows greater autonomy, flexibility, and freedom of choice, showing greater tolerance for difference and ambiguity.
later stages are not necessarily happier or better adjusted. in fact, those at later stages may well experience increased awareness of suffering, and decreased motivation to adjust to the trappings of conventional society. however, later stages allow for richer and more intense experience, suffering with less resistance, and less identification with choosing one experience over another (in other words, greater openness).
what does it feel like at each stage?
what is the person’s experience at each stage, and what are the questions that may point us to ascertaining our stage of maturity?
self-centric stage
feel isolated, not knowing how to relate with others more effectively. experience the world as threatening, “against me”. low trust and hyper-vigilance. at this stage the person does not understand the connection between their behavior and its consequences, and therefore do not feel responsible for trouble. a good question to ask yourself is whether you find it difficult to obey rules and norms. this ability is what begins the transition to the next stage.
if we are not actually trying to make a connection with reality – properly, generously, and gently – then every move we might make in our life is wrong.
Chögyam Trungpa
group-centric stage
belonging to a group and dependent on group’s approval to feel safe. concerned with how others see them, and experiencing simple feeling states like sad, happy, or nervous. put great emphasis on self-presentation and give value to status symbols, material possessions and prestige. questions you can ask yourself:
- do you strive to be like the people in your community, and consider your community to be better than others?
- what do you do when you feel the need to disagree with another?
- do you believe that leaders need control rather than participation?
skill-centric stage
often feel like they’ve got it figured out, knowing all the answers. feel righteous around their knowledge and will correct others. high moral standards and concerned with fulfilling their duties. the super-ego is very powerful at this stage and self-criticism or criticism is taken very personally.
- do you feel that you must have the answers?
- do you need someone to be an expert in order to respect them?
- what is your relationship with emotions in your life?
- how comfortable are you with qualitative data?
self-determining stage
feel confident and successful. seek mutuality to understand and perform. positive and practical work ethic. feel guilt when not meeting standards, and willing to accept responsibility for more than just oneself. typically free from feelings of inferiority and happy to receive behavioral feedback.
- do you believe yourself to be self-aware and to have a grasp of your emotions?
- do you feel powerful in the world and in control of your life?
- what is your relationship with self-improvement?
systems of maturation like Buddhism teach that it is only through unflinchingly facing our afflictions and opening unreservedly to our feelings that we can come to experience an empowerment that is other than this trembling self [ego].
Ken Jones
self-questioning stage
feel different from others, or see things in a different way. reality is much more perception, context and interpretation, and objectivity becomes questioned. often question their own and others’ assumptions. because of deepening feeling life, person may at times experience existential depression.
- do you feel different from the community you grew up in?
- what were the experiences that you feel changed your life?
- do you find conventional people boring?
self-actualizing
a sense of increased complexity, and also simplicity. confidence and competency at own abilities. passionate about what they do. linking theory and principles with practice and dynamic interaction. desire to understand others and their perspectives.
- do you believe that you understand your lens on life, as well as those of others?
- are you comfortable with reading systems?
- do you see reactivity as a threat to understanding?
- is process equal to or even more important than outcome?
good decisions come from experience. experience comes from bad decisions.
Mark Twain
construct-aware stage
meaning is read into increasingly complex thought structures and systems. see through the limits of human map making, and even meaning-making. fear that almost nobody understands them or their complex thought and fear they are culpable of hubris.
- do you believe you have a deep sense of feeling and empathy with others?
- what are the role symbols and metaphors play in your life?
- do you feel for people from all walks of life?
- do you have a regular spiritual practice?
the real voyage of discovery consists of not seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
Marcel Proust
where are most of us functioning?
adapted from Vertical Development Academy
Cook-Greuter’s research has been done with more than 4000 people, typically from managerial positions in companies. we can clearly see from her and other research into developmental stages that, although there are an equal number of conventional and post-conventional stages, the later stages are not that well represented in the population. roughly seventy-five percent of people make up the conventional stages, so the likelihood of meeting people at the later stages is still quite low. however, it is also clear that there is a gradual maturing on the species level, such that the center of gravity of mankind is slowly but surely rising, and the percentage of the population at post-conventional stages is slowly increasing. some theorists, like Ken Wilber, postulate that we can expect radical changes when we reach a “tipping point”, meaning when there are enough people at postconventional stages of maturity to create sufficient momentum to establish new norms for our relationships with each other and our world.
even though everyone is invited to develop into the higher reaches of human potential, it is also an individual’s right to stop growth at any stage of development and therefore embrace it as a more-or-less permanent station of life.
Ken Wilber
