Chapter 8: The Quest for Doing it Right<\/h1>\n\nThe 60-Second Read<\/span>
\nThe Triangulation of Public Value<\/strong><\/div>\n\nIn Chapter 8, by conducting a structural review using the \u201cFive Whys,\u201d they drill past surface labor shortages to expose the \u201cPharmacy of Control\u201d\u2014a bureaucratic web that profits from managing dependency rather than restoring personal agency. Backed by a powerful Harvard framework of Public Value, Professor Torn challenges the group to anchor their economic design in the pursuit of Public Value<\/em>. True societal transformation requires more than providing a material baseline for survival; it demands the engineering of a mutual social contract rooted in dignity, autonomy, and right relationships. But as the students prepare to scale their blueprint, a new threat emerges: the corporate and union grapevines have mobilized, stoked by the hidden whispers of Loki. The team must now transition from academic theory to active change management as they prepare to confront entrenched institutional gatekeepers.<\/p>\nThe Insight:<\/strong> True systemic change cannot be achieved by merely treating surface symptoms or forcing isolated fixes. To break the cycles of institutional dependency, an architecture must account for the full spectrum of stakeholders\u2014aligning the material baselines of public policy with the deeper, psychological demands of human dignity and mutual responsibility.<\/p>\nThe Action:<\/strong> When managing complex structural transitions, do not treat opposing stakeholders as static enemies. Identify their core vulnerabilities\u2014whether it is a manufacturer\u2019s margin or a union\u2019s protectionism\u2014and utilize precise, human-centered design to rewrite the problem into a shared value proposition.<\/p>\nThe Task:<\/strong> Map the institutional gatekeepers in your own ecosystem. Identify where protective boundaries or defensive habits create unnecessary friction, and outline a multi-criteria strategy that respects their operational needs while driving systemic progress.<\/p>\nThemes: Systemic Problems, Public Value Frameworks, and Strategic Change Management.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1453\/2026\/04\/TheGroup_Gemini_Generated_Image_gk6tz5gk6tz5gk6t-300x164.jpg\")
The Group. Gemini Generated Image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nChapter 8: The Quest for Doing it Right<\/strong><\/p>\nThe five students piled onto the bus in a jubilant mood. Loki was quiet. His usual barbs had been demoted to ping-pong ball sharpness.<\/p>\n
They picked up Daniel Q. Walker. He no longer looked down but acknowledged each one of them. This was a major step forward.<\/p>\n
As the bus pulled away from the curb, Gerard said, \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Loki? Cat got your tongue this morning? We got three homeless people hired.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s three in an ocean,\u201d Loki muttered. \u201cAnd is it God\u2019s work or man\u2019s work? You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing until you get right with God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group ignored him.<\/p>\n
When they entered the Vault, Professor Torn was there, and so was Nick, the manager from the factory. Nick acknowledged each of them and Daniel as they walked through.<\/p>\n
As they settled into their chairs, Torn said, \u201cNick asked to observe, and we welcome him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Nick,\u201d everyone said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis group amazed me,\u201d Nick said. \u201cIt made me want to see how this works.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll see it in some depth today,\u201d Torn said. \u201cIt\u2019s time to review the entire process and see if we\u2019re on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torn looked at the group. \u201cThis may seem basic since it\u2019s in the back of everyone\u2019s mind all the time, but let\u2019s look at the Five Whys of why homeless employment is a problem and what it can solve. Why 1\u2014let\u2019s call it The Surface Metric: Why are manufacturing lines sitting dark?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tane replied, \u201cBecause entry-level transient workers have an incredibly high turnover rate. The homeless are good candidates to stop that because they are very motivated to be reliable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmen to that,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
Torn nodded. \u201cWhy 2\u2014The Immediate Friction: Why do they stop showing up or fail to report shift changes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison replied, \u201cBecause they lack active cell phone plans and stable transportation to receive schedules or reach the plant. We fixed that by using students at the business school to handle the coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy 3\u2014The Infrastructure Gap: Why don\u2019t they have reliable phones or transit?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaac replied, \u201cBecause they lack a permanent physical address to secure steady banking, cell contracts, or local structural stability. We fixed the permanent address problem by having the business school students create a designated legal proxy for a physical mailbox. This provides the workers with a legally compliant, static street address to put on their tax and payroll forms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy 4\u2014The Administrative Barrier: Why can\u2019t they just use local shelters as a permanent address to clear corporate HR and IRS guidelines?\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison answered, \u201cWell, they mostly live on the street, not in shelters. But standard shelters are designed as short-term \u2018hospital-type palaces\u2019 for temporary survival, not as legally compliant corporate mailboxes or long-term operational anchors. There\u2019s a hole in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy 5\u2014The Root Systemic Fault,\u201d Torn pressed. \u201cWhy has the city left them on the street or built temporary survival shelters instead of legal, high-stability residential workshops?\u201d<\/p>\n
The students looked at each other, not sure how to reply.<\/p>\n
Zaid finally spoke up: \u201cThat\u2019s a hard question with roots in a lot of things we\u2019ve discussed. There\u2019s a kind of \u2018Pharmacy of Control\u2019 that includes the city, the state, the federal government, the aid organizations, and the \u2018Not In My Backyard\u2019 people. It somehow benefits from managing the problem as a dependency or political issue, rather than investing in human-centered, scalable partnerships that restore personal agency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick looked at them. \u201cI kind of get what you\u2019re doing. But I deal mostly with plugging capacitors onto circuit boards and shipping products on time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torn said, \u201cWe believe that we\u2019re all responsible for solving problems. What you and Nathan did is incredibly important in this process. You opened your doors, took the risk, and everyone benefited. So by being here, you\u2019re learning just how vital this foundation is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman-Centered Design? We touched on this already. Have we achieved this?\u201d Torn asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started at a high level and asked what we could do,\u201d Chaac said. \u201cLoki rubbed our noses in the reality of the street. So we started there. I would say that while we aimed for the stars conceptually, we brought it down to a deeply human level.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree,\u201d Torn said. \u201cHow about Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis? Did we check that box?\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison replied, \u201cEverywhere we turned, there was a multitude of new criteria. There was the high-level problem, the person on the street, and the decision-makers in government and business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tane added, \u201cAnd we probably misdiagnosed the role of those stakeholders initially, thinking of them as opponents. Thanks to Nick, we realized we are all on the same side\u2014we just have different considerations. That was a huge wake-up call. Thank you, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n
They all applauded Nick.<\/p>\n
Tane continued, \u201cAnd the primary stakeholder, the person on the street\u2014Daniel. He made us see the many practical aspects of the problem from his direct experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
They all applauded Daniel. He smiled and gracefully bowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cStakeholders. Check,\u201d Torn said. \u201cNow, \u2018Triangulation\u2019\u2014proving a theory is sound from every possible angle of reality. And this may be a shock, but we must apply Grounded Theory to the spiritual and psychological side of this research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our new challenge,\u201d Madison admitted. \u201cWe haven\u2019t dealt with many of the other stakeholders yet, and I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ve even identified them all. We need to talk to the city. And this directly impacts scalability, which we haven\u2019t fully looked at.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another critical stakeholder we\u2019ll get to: the unions. We\u2019ll save that for the end,\u201d Torn said.<\/p>\n
The group looked around at each other in surprise.<\/p>\n
Torn stood by the window for a moment, looking out toward the distant skyline where the corporate towers met the older brick of the industrial district.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we need to look at our final objective, which is our first objective, and the spiritual side of this as well,\u201d Torn said, turning back to face them. \u201cCreating public value. This is the capstone and Grounded Theory. It\u2019s why we\u2019re here. It\u2019s why our community institutions exist, and it is preparatory for talking to public leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked to the center of the room, his voice dropping into a lower, more deliberate register. \u201cAccording to established governance frameworks\u2014designed with the intent of enabling security, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness\u2014public leadership must ensure a society\u2019s ability to provide for basic material needs. Water, food, economic opportunity, and security. Guaranteeing those minimums is what allows a person to step out of a desperate, daily scramble for survival and finally live a dignified, autonomous life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel applauded. Then Nick did.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut material comfort is only the first half of the equation,\u201d Tane noted. \u201cFrom a social psychology point of view, public value is fundamentally about right relationships. Relationships are the framework of how individuals relate to one another. This is reflected in the collective institutions we build to manage our interdependence, which is entirely unavoidable. None of us are in this alone. We depend on each other for everything: the work that provides our living, our homes, our education. It\u2019s all interrelated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison added, \u201cIt defines what we can reasonably expect and demand from our fellow citizens, and what they can demand from us. This is the absolute bedrock of fairness and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gerard leaned forward. \u201cSo, from a physics point of view, economic security isn\u2019t the final goal. It\u2019s just the scaffolding\u2014the pipes everything flows through.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrecisely, Gerard,\u201d Torn said. \u201cWe secure individual rights only at the price of accepting our agreed-upon responsibilities to one another. That mutual contract is the rock on which our security against chaos is built. Living up to those duties is where true human dignity and autonomy come from. It is only when we act justly toward others that we can legitimately feel steadfast in the defense of our own rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Torn looked at each of the five students, letting the weight of the doctoral mission sink in. \u201cThe desire for well-being, dignity, and autonomy is deeply embedded in the human spirit. Your challenge as architects isn\u2019t just to build an efficient pipeline. It is to design a society where every citizen can secure their own material needs, achieve the dignity that comes from their own success, and discover the ultimate autonomy that only comes from acting justly toward their fellow human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet for a moment as that sank in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wonder why Loki isn\u2019t preaching this from his negative pulpit?\u201d Chaac asked mockingly.<\/p>\n
Everyone laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a good point,\u201d Madison said. \u201cIsn\u2019t human dignity and autonomy the essence of a true transformational mission? Getting us past the guilt and things that drag us down? And isn\u2019t acting justly toward others the core of what historical wisdom demands of us?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gerard looked at her in amazement. \u201cOver and over, you\u2019re bringing us back to these systemic spiritual foundations. Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison laughed. \u201cI told you, I\u2019ve been thoroughly educated by my parents, church, and history. I just reject the selective injustice side of what people choose to practice. That\u2019s the anti-blueprint message.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tane said, \u201cIn all the creation traditions we\u2019ve looked at, you know the Adam and Eve ouster from the Garden, the \u2018End of the Nursery\u2019 is seen as the beginning of Sacred Work. For the Maya and Inca, humans weren\u2019t just \u2018punished\u2019 residents; they were Time-Keepers and Stewards of the Earth. That\u2019s a massive shift from the \u2018punished interpretation. It\u2019s the responsibility the Bible teaches. Our individual growth maintains the integrity of the world. Human maturity is a systemic necessity: if we fail to fulfill our developmental \u2018job,\u2019 the sun, which symbolizies the very order and movement of the universe, metaphorically ceases to move.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it in a nutshell,\u201d Zaid said. \u201cOur quest is always for a higher purpose, doing it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group puzzled over that for a moment. Then Torn breached a new topic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dean tells me the unions got wind of what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Torn announced. \u201cThey have \u2018concerns.\u2019 So, they are our next major stakeholder, and we are going to meet with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, with unions, we have to keep in mind their main mandate is keeping work locked up and secure for their members,\u201d Tane said. \u201cIt can be very hard for them to look outside their box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did they hear about this already?\u201d Chaac asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably the union grapevine. Someone saw an outside placement on an assembly line and assumed they were displacing an active slot,\u201d Nick reasoned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr Loki told them,\u201d Madison said, an angry glare flashing in her eyes. She slammed her notebook shut. \u201cLoki! He was on the bus telling us to treat them as an adversary. I bet my inheritance he\u2019s over at the union hall right now whispering in the leadership\u2019s ear, stoking their tribal fears to create maximum entropy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you prove it?\u201d Gerard asked.<\/p>\n
Madison bit her lip, looking at Torn, then deflated slightly. \u201cNo. Not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we back off the accusation and focus entirely on getting union support,\u201d Torn said firmly, packing his briefcase. \u201cThe opposition wants a war of ideology. We aren\u2019t going to give them one. In fact, it may be to our benefit that this has surfaced early so we can address this immediately. You\u2019re going to use every single tool we\u2019ve talked about, deploy everything we\u2019ve learned\u2014and everything you know about breaking through barriers to change\u2014to negotiate an understanding. We want their support, not animosity. So grab Dorian Cole\u2019s book Unleash Movements that Matter: Break through barriers to change<\/em> and see if there is anything that can help. The meeting with the union representatives is two days from now. We need to ace this test.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nOur answer is God. God\u2019s answer is us. Together we make the world better.<\/p>\n
Author\u2019s Website with life and spiritual resources: Dorian Scott Cole .com<\/a><\/p>\nRecent website articles<\/h3>\n\n- Theology of Catastrophe: a dissertaton style paper on why catastrophes happen.<\/a><\/li>\n
- Ekklesia: a new format for a Jesus Gathering.<\/a><\/li>\n
- Systematic Theology for the 21st Century<\/a><\/li>\n
- Major Decision Matrix<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Open and Relational Theology<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Open and Relational Theology & Social Psychology Chapter 8: The Quest for Doing it Right The 60-Second Read The Triangulation of Public Value In Chapter 8, by conducting a structural review using the \u201cFive Whys,\u201d they drill past surface labor shortages to expose the \u201cPharmacy of Control\u201d\u2014a bureaucratic web that profits from managing dependency rather […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4612,"featured_media":4130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2609,2612,2606],"class_list":["post-4187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-public-value-frameworks","tag-strategic-change-management","tag-systemic-problems"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nThe Triangulation of Public Value<\/strong><\/div>\n
In Chapter 8, by conducting a structural review using the \u201cFive Whys,\u201d they drill past surface labor shortages to expose the \u201cPharmacy of Control\u201d\u2014a bureaucratic web that profits from managing dependency rather than restoring personal agency. Backed by a powerful Harvard framework of Public Value, Professor Torn challenges the group to anchor their economic design in the pursuit of Public Value<\/em>. True societal transformation requires more than providing a material baseline for survival; it demands the engineering of a mutual social contract rooted in dignity, autonomy, and right relationships. But as the students prepare to scale their blueprint, a new threat emerges: the corporate and union grapevines have mobilized, stoked by the hidden whispers of Loki. The team must now transition from academic theory to active change management as they prepare to confront entrenched institutional gatekeepers.<\/p>\n The Insight:<\/strong> True systemic change cannot be achieved by merely treating surface symptoms or forcing isolated fixes. To break the cycles of institutional dependency, an architecture must account for the full spectrum of stakeholders\u2014aligning the material baselines of public policy with the deeper, psychological demands of human dignity and mutual responsibility.<\/p>\n The Action:<\/strong> When managing complex structural transitions, do not treat opposing stakeholders as static enemies. Identify their core vulnerabilities\u2014whether it is a manufacturer\u2019s margin or a union\u2019s protectionism\u2014and utilize precise, human-centered design to rewrite the problem into a shared value proposition.<\/p>\n The Task:<\/strong> Map the institutional gatekeepers in your own ecosystem. Identify where protective boundaries or defensive habits create unnecessary friction, and outline a multi-criteria strategy that respects their operational needs while driving systemic progress.<\/p>\n Themes: Systemic Problems, Public Value Frameworks, and Strategic Change Management.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n Chapter 8: The Quest for Doing it Right<\/strong><\/p>\n The five students piled onto the bus in a jubilant mood. Loki was quiet. His usual barbs had been demoted to ping-pong ball sharpness.<\/p>\n They picked up Daniel Q. Walker. He no longer looked down but acknowledged each one of them. This was a major step forward.<\/p>\n As the bus pulled away from the curb, Gerard said, \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Loki? Cat got your tongue this morning? We got three homeless people hired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s three in an ocean,\u201d Loki muttered. \u201cAnd is it God\u2019s work or man\u2019s work? You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing until you get right with God.\u201d<\/p>\n The group ignored him.<\/p>\n When they entered the Vault, Professor Torn was there, and so was Nick, the manager from the factory. Nick acknowledged each of them and Daniel as they walked through.<\/p>\n As they settled into their chairs, Torn said, \u201cNick asked to observe, and we welcome him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Nick,\u201d everyone said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis group amazed me,\u201d Nick said. \u201cIt made me want to see how this works.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see it in some depth today,\u201d Torn said. \u201cIt\u2019s time to review the entire process and see if we\u2019re on track.\u201d<\/p>\n Torn looked at the group. \u201cThis may seem basic since it\u2019s in the back of everyone\u2019s mind all the time, but let\u2019s look at the Five Whys of why homeless employment is a problem and what it can solve. Why 1\u2014let\u2019s call it The Surface Metric: Why are manufacturing lines sitting dark?\u201d<\/p>\n Tane replied, \u201cBecause entry-level transient workers have an incredibly high turnover rate. The homeless are good candidates to stop that because they are very motivated to be reliable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmen to that,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n Torn nodded. \u201cWhy 2\u2014The Immediate Friction: Why do they stop showing up or fail to report shift changes?\u201d<\/p>\n Madison replied, \u201cBecause they lack active cell phone plans and stable transportation to receive schedules or reach the plant. We fixed that by using students at the business school to handle the coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy 3\u2014The Infrastructure Gap: Why don\u2019t they have reliable phones or transit?\u201d<\/p>\n Chaac replied, \u201cBecause they lack a permanent physical address to secure steady banking, cell contracts, or local structural stability. We fixed the permanent address problem by having the business school students create a designated legal proxy for a physical mailbox. This provides the workers with a legally compliant, static street address to put on their tax and payroll forms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy 4\u2014The Administrative Barrier: Why can\u2019t they just use local shelters as a permanent address to clear corporate HR and IRS guidelines?\u201d<\/p>\n Madison answered, \u201cWell, they mostly live on the street, not in shelters. But standard shelters are designed as short-term \u2018hospital-type palaces\u2019 for temporary survival, not as legally compliant corporate mailboxes or long-term operational anchors. There\u2019s a hole in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy 5\u2014The Root Systemic Fault,\u201d Torn pressed. \u201cWhy has the city left them on the street or built temporary survival shelters instead of legal, high-stability residential workshops?\u201d<\/p>\n The students looked at each other, not sure how to reply.<\/p>\n Zaid finally spoke up: \u201cThat\u2019s a hard question with roots in a lot of things we\u2019ve discussed. There\u2019s a kind of \u2018Pharmacy of Control\u2019 that includes the city, the state, the federal government, the aid organizations, and the \u2018Not In My Backyard\u2019 people. It somehow benefits from managing the problem as a dependency or political issue, rather than investing in human-centered, scalable partnerships that restore personal agency.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick looked at them. \u201cI kind of get what you\u2019re doing. But I deal mostly with plugging capacitors onto circuit boards and shipping products on time.\u201d<\/p>\n Torn said, \u201cWe believe that we\u2019re all responsible for solving problems. What you and Nathan did is incredibly important in this process. You opened your doors, took the risk, and everyone benefited. So by being here, you\u2019re learning just how vital this foundation is.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cHuman-Centered Design? We touched on this already. Have we achieved this?\u201d Torn asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started at a high level and asked what we could do,\u201d Chaac said. \u201cLoki rubbed our noses in the reality of the street. So we started there. I would say that while we aimed for the stars conceptually, we brought it down to a deeply human level.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI agree,\u201d Torn said. \u201cHow about Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis? Did we check that box?\u201d<\/p>\n Madison replied, \u201cEverywhere we turned, there was a multitude of new criteria. There was the high-level problem, the person on the street, and the decision-makers in government and business.\u201d<\/p>\n Tane added, \u201cAnd we probably misdiagnosed the role of those stakeholders initially, thinking of them as opponents. Thanks to Nick, we realized we are all on the same side\u2014we just have different considerations. That was a huge wake-up call. Thank you, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n They all applauded Nick.<\/p>\n Tane continued, \u201cAnd the primary stakeholder, the person on the street\u2014Daniel. He made us see the many practical aspects of the problem from his direct experience.\u201d<\/p>\n They all applauded Daniel. He smiled and gracefully bowed.<\/p>\n \u201cStakeholders. Check,\u201d Torn said. \u201cNow, \u2018Triangulation\u2019\u2014proving a theory is sound from every possible angle of reality. And this may be a shock, but we must apply Grounded Theory to the spiritual and psychological side of this research.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is our new challenge,\u201d Madison admitted. \u201cWe haven\u2019t dealt with many of the other stakeholders yet, and I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ve even identified them all. We need to talk to the city. And this directly impacts scalability, which we haven\u2019t fully looked at.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s another critical stakeholder we\u2019ll get to: the unions. We\u2019ll save that for the end,\u201d Torn said.<\/p>\n The group looked around at each other in surprise.<\/p>\n Torn stood by the window for a moment, looking out toward the distant skyline where the corporate towers met the older brick of the industrial district.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we need to look at our final objective, which is our first objective, and the spiritual side of this as well,\u201d Torn said, turning back to face them. \u201cCreating public value. This is the capstone and Grounded Theory. It\u2019s why we\u2019re here. It\u2019s why our community institutions exist, and it is preparatory for talking to public leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n He walked to the center of the room, his voice dropping into a lower, more deliberate register. \u201cAccording to established governance frameworks\u2014designed with the intent of enabling security, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness\u2014public leadership must ensure a society\u2019s ability to provide for basic material needs. Water, food, economic opportunity, and security. Guaranteeing those minimums is what allows a person to step out of a desperate, daily scramble for survival and finally live a dignified, autonomous life.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel applauded. Then Nick did.<\/p>\n \u201cBut material comfort is only the first half of the equation,\u201d Tane noted. \u201cFrom a social psychology point of view, public value is fundamentally about right relationships. Relationships are the framework of how individuals relate to one another. This is reflected in the collective institutions we build to manage our interdependence, which is entirely unavoidable. None of us are in this alone. We depend on each other for everything: the work that provides our living, our homes, our education. It\u2019s all interrelated.\u201d<\/p>\n Madison added, \u201cIt defines what we can reasonably expect and demand from our fellow citizens, and what they can demand from us. This is the absolute bedrock of fairness and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Gerard leaned forward. \u201cSo, from a physics point of view, economic security isn\u2019t the final goal. It\u2019s just the scaffolding\u2014the pipes everything flows through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrecisely, Gerard,\u201d Torn said. \u201cWe secure individual rights only at the price of accepting our agreed-upon responsibilities to one another. That mutual contract is the rock on which our security against chaos is built. Living up to those duties is where true human dignity and autonomy come from. It is only when we act justly toward others that we can legitimately feel steadfast in the defense of our own rights.\u201d<\/p>\n Torn looked at each of the five students, letting the weight of the doctoral mission sink in. \u201cThe desire for well-being, dignity, and autonomy is deeply embedded in the human spirit. Your challenge as architects isn\u2019t just to build an efficient pipeline. It is to design a society where every citizen can secure their own material needs, achieve the dignity that comes from their own success, and discover the ultimate autonomy that only comes from acting justly toward their fellow human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n The room went quiet for a moment as that sank in.<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder why Loki isn\u2019t preaching this from his negative pulpit?\u201d Chaac asked mockingly.<\/p>\n Everyone laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a good point,\u201d Madison said. \u201cIsn\u2019t human dignity and autonomy the essence of a true transformational mission? Getting us past the guilt and things that drag us down? And isn\u2019t acting justly toward others the core of what historical wisdom demands of us?\u201d<\/p>\n Gerard looked at her in amazement. \u201cOver and over, you\u2019re bringing us back to these systemic spiritual foundations. Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Madison laughed. \u201cI told you, I\u2019ve been thoroughly educated by my parents, church, and history. I just reject the selective injustice side of what people choose to practice. That\u2019s the anti-blueprint message.\u201d<\/p>\n Tane said, \u201cIn all the creation traditions we\u2019ve looked at, you know the Adam and Eve ouster from the Garden, the \u2018End of the Nursery\u2019 is seen as the beginning of Sacred Work. For the Maya and Inca, humans weren\u2019t just \u2018punished\u2019 residents; they were Time-Keepers and Stewards of the Earth. That\u2019s a massive shift from the \u2018punished interpretation. It\u2019s the responsibility the Bible teaches. Our individual growth maintains the integrity of the world. Human maturity is a systemic necessity: if we fail to fulfill our developmental \u2018job,\u2019 the sun, which symbolizies the very order and movement of the universe, metaphorically ceases to move.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it in a nutshell,\u201d Zaid said. \u201cOur quest is always for a higher purpose, doing it right.\u201d<\/p>\n The group puzzled over that for a moment. Then Torn breached a new topic.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Dean tells me the unions got wind of what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Torn announced. \u201cThey have \u2018concerns.\u2019 So, they are our next major stakeholder, and we are going to meet with them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, with unions, we have to keep in mind their main mandate is keeping work locked up and secure for their members,\u201d Tane said. \u201cIt can be very hard for them to look outside their box.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did they hear about this already?\u201d Chaac asked.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably the union grapevine. Someone saw an outside placement on an assembly line and assumed they were displacing an active slot,\u201d Nick reasoned.<\/p>\n \u201cOr Loki told them,\u201d Madison said, an angry glare flashing in her eyes. She slammed her notebook shut. \u201cLoki! He was on the bus telling us to treat them as an adversary. I bet my inheritance he\u2019s over at the union hall right now whispering in the leadership\u2019s ear, stoking their tribal fears to create maximum entropy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you prove it?\u201d Gerard asked.<\/p>\n Madison bit her lip, looking at Torn, then deflated slightly. \u201cNo. Not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen we back off the accusation and focus entirely on getting union support,\u201d Torn said firmly, packing his briefcase. \u201cThe opposition wants a war of ideology. We aren\u2019t going to give them one. In fact, it may be to our benefit that this has surfaced early so we can address this immediately. You\u2019re going to use every single tool we\u2019ve talked about, deploy everything we\u2019ve learned\u2014and everything you know about breaking through barriers to change\u2014to negotiate an understanding. We want their support, not animosity. So grab Dorian Cole\u2019s book Unleash Movements that Matter: Break through barriers to change<\/em> and see if there is anything that can help. The meeting with the union representatives is two days from now. We need to ace this test.\u201d<\/p>\n Our answer is God. God\u2019s answer is us. Together we make the world better.<\/p>\n Author\u2019s Website with life and spiritual resources: Dorian Scott Cole .com<\/a><\/p>\n Open and Relational Theology & Social Psychology Chapter 8: The Quest for Doing it Right The 60-Second Read The Triangulation of Public Value In Chapter 8, by conducting a structural review using the \u201cFive Whys,\u201d they drill past surface labor shortages to expose the \u201cPharmacy of Control\u201d\u2014a bureaucratic web that profits from managing dependency rather […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4612,"featured_media":4130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2609,2612,2606],"class_list":["post-4187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-public-value-frameworks","tag-strategic-change-management","tag-systemic-problems"],"yoast_head":"\n
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