I was enjoying a warm bath, giving free flow to my thoughts, when the following insight came to my mind. Now, I would like to share it with you as Food-for-thought on Easter.

A psychological approach to agreement and disagreement

Audio Version

I love the video of the German management coach Vera F. Birkenbihl on communication problems. You find the German video at the end of this blog. In a nutshell, Vera explains that similar experiences determine whether or not we are in agreement and feel comfortable with a person. If we have made similar experiences, we are likely to have an overlapping perspective, and thus, same or similar opinions in certain areas. We are in agreement. On the contrary, we are unlikely to share any perspective or opinion with people who have made totally different experiences than us. We are in disagreement. The key is to acknowledge these different perspectives and opinions and to not fight over being right. In the best case we are able to build communication bridges. In any other case “Let’s agree to disagree!” is the best solution.

Let’s take it further…

I followed my stream of thoughts and the result is the following add-on to this beautiful insight.

As stated above: Let’s either share perspectives, build bridges or agree to disagree!

Let’s say we all come from the same source. We all have the same creator. In physics there is actually some proof that this is what probably happened. Given that, we, and all the bits and pieces that make us a whole person, come from the same source. In that case, each one of us would also be a manifestation of the source consciousness. Since we are individual parts of source, everyone represents a different part of that source consciousness. Some parts seem to be more closely related than others.
Now, here comes the important part: Since we are bits and pieces of one source and each of us represents a different part of source consciousness, we also have the ability to realign as one!

Think of it as a big beautiful jigsaw puzzle. The picture of the puzzle represents source. The puzzle pieces represent each one of us. All the pieces are distributed on a table which represents earth, our universe and the countless universes in existence. There is chaos on the table. It’s puzzling. We are in a blurred condition. The only thing there is this image that gives us an idea what the total picture will look like. So we start searching for the pieces that fit together. Imagine every one of us searching for the specific pieces that perfectly meld with us. The parts that have just connected with us are now also looking for their fits and so on and on. All out of a sudden there is a bridge between the pieces that seemed far away. There is a bridge between the differences. Eventually, the picture aligns, becomes clear, becomes whole and finally shines its entire beauty!

What is the significance of that insight? How is this relevant for our relationships, for our world and in particular for businesses?

Of course this theory builds a strong case for tolerance, but there is more to it!

I present you here a three-step-alignment approach inspired by this theory:

Now it is your turn to play around and apply these three steps to any of your concerns. You might be surprised how universally applicable they are.

I personally love to apply this approach when I work with my clients on organizational structure.
The frame of the jigsaw puzzle is the organization itself. The puzzle pieces are all members of the organization, the assets and infrastructure. In organizational structure we need to align the pieces to create the best framework to deliver the best service efficiently. Following the three-step alignment approach has delivered very beneficial insights.
For instance, have you ever thought why cooperation is really so much more powerful than competition?
Are there any two puzzle pieces that are exactly the same? No. Would a puzzle still be a “real” puzzle if you had two pieces that were exactly the same? Probably not.
Competition between people or departments within an organization is a self-centered perspective that does not serve the higher purpose of an organization. Cooperation instead strengthens and nourishes the individual, the organization and delivers value.

In a nutshell,…

Why is it absolutely okay if others have different opinions and don’t agree with us?
We are all manifestation of source consciousness. Each and every one of us is part of the big jigsaw puzzle. This article presents a three-step approach to alignment: Developing strength cores, building a strength grid and achieving total alignment. This process is intense. It needs our full dedication and the elevation of our collective consciousness. The rewards for these strong efforts will be new creation, innovation, growth, sustainability, success and much more.