The intangibles: Bill Torbert, systems change and baseball.

I learned of Bill Torbert’s death today through a nice collection of links and tributes at Benjamin Taylor’s blog. I met Bill several times at the Shambhala Institute on Authentic Leadership where we were both on faculty in the late ‘aughts. Being on the faculty at that Institute was a mixed blessing. While one got to hang out with some true lions in the field, and make some unique memories, we never got to take each other’s sessions. Bill taught with Mary Stacey at those sessions and I was constantly intruiged by their module. He was also a friend and loving champion of Peter Frost’s, Caitlin’s father. After Peter died in 2004 and we made that connection he shared some very sweet memories of their times together at Academy of Management conferences over the years. Most of Bill’s research is freely available at ResearchGate.

Bill had an erring eye for the kinds of intangible resources that built capacity, like reflection, inquiry and relationality. In that vein thinking about systems change from the perspective of weaving relations and resilience inside a system is important. Here are some resources about the work of the Collective Change Lab who focus on just that work.

I was out at a play Friday night, a terrific local production of Tom Stoppard’s clever and funny Rough Crossing, and so I didn’t see the final score in the first game of the World Series. I knew the game was tied 2-2 for a while, but when the break came in the play I was told that the Jays had won 11-4. Later, watching the highlights, it was amazing to see the atmosphere in Toronto. Sport culture is such an abiding interest, and there is nothing more elevating as a communal experience than witnessing your underdog team beat the Champions in the most important game of the past 32 years.

Last night I was performing in a coffee house fundraiser on our island while the Blue Jays suffered a loss in Game 2. The chemistry and camaraderie and feedback loops across time and space are plainly visible with this team. They aren’t as talented as the Dodgers but they are exhibiting the power of those intangibles.