Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges is a dense and thought provoking read. It took me an entire summer to tackle this thick-as-a-brick book as every ten pages or so I caught myself staring at the floor deep in thought.
Author Otto Scharmer developed a transformational leadership process that applies to individuals, teams, institution, corporations, community initiatives and global challenges. He begins by describing the great divides of our time: cultural, social, economic, ecological and spiritual. Despite decades attempting to bridge these gaps, society cannot solve issues when we have blind spots due to our voices of judgement, our voices of cynicism and our voices of fear. Scharmer says unless we shift to a new way of solving problems, we are collectively colluding in creating a future nobody wants.
Our blind spots come from our limited levels of attention (seeing and listening). Many leaders cannot recognize the limited habits of attention in our organizations, never mind have the courage and skill to improve them. Sadly, in some cases people prefer to stay at surface levels of leadership rather than dig deep for real transformation in self, others or the problems we are paid to solve. It takes courage because our blind spots of judgement, cynicism and fear and our limited ability to see and hear differently originate from our interiority – who we are at our core.
Scharmer describes how our habits of listening, seeing and conversation limit our ability to collaborate and co-create something better.
In receiving information, we often only notice the familiar; we hear or see only that which confirms what we already know. This is called downloading. At this stage, our conversations are surface-level, small talk, telling people what they want to hear or only what we want them to know. To improve listening, we need to switch off our voice of judgement and develop an open mind.
Advancing our attention through an open mind, we will start to recognize something different. We notice the unfamiliar. We might appreciate the novelty and may learn something new but sadly we often either ignore disconfirming ideas or debate what disagree with or dislike. We talk tough and defend our positions. In this state we need to shift our voice of cynicism to developing an open heart.
When we open our heart, we listen empathetically, feeling with another. In non-profit work, many believe they operate from empathy and authentic care, but even with the best of intentions, empathy may be from the outside looking in (or down) rather than seeing from inside the other’s experience. Scharmer describes empathic listening where we actually see what others are experiencing through their own eyes or worldview and not through our own worldview. Here we may find ourselves in productive dialogue but that is not enough.
Scharmer encourages us to go even deeper where we shift from a voice of fear to developing an open will: we become willing to immerse ourselves in real connection with others and notice the best in multiple ideas. We have mutual sharing and mutual shifting to something better.
At this deepest level of the Theory U model we move beyond our mind and heart to a place of “Presencing” (being present and sensing). We attend to ourselves and others, while listening for our “Source” and for the best future as it wants to emerge. Scharmer calls this generative listening.
Each participant does this deep work and joins in co-creativity and co-generation that emerges from the collective but includes inspiration from another field or source. We acknowledge we are all interconnected to each other and something bigger. Some of us might have had glimpses of that when we are “in the flow” and something magical happens seemingly out of no where. Theory U provides a map where this can happen by intention and design, not by accident.
From this place of presencing and co-sensing we co-generate prototypes for solutions – prototypes no one could have conceived without this unique way of being together. The co-creation is essential. If this is to be a worthwhile process, we need to move from ideating to action where we are performing at a macro level with deep connections for profound change.
The processes to get here are not merely external tactics: these are internal transformations. So, it all comes back to us, who we are at our core and how we believe we are called forth to be in the world. In my opinion, regardless of a person’s belief system, that work is spiritual.
As someone who believes that leadership begins with inner work, higher purpose and deep listening, this book resonated with me and gives me hope – especially if these ideas and practises can become contagious.
This review only scratches the surface of a challenging book. It is not only challenging in its thought-provoking content, but once we read it and understand its power, we cannot un-know it and it is our responsibility and challenge to do something with it. While written in 2007 the book was ahead of its time then and possibly even more needful today than ever. (Kathy MacFarlane, MA Leadership)
I wrote this book review for Hilborn Charity E-News and it was originally published July 8, 2025.
https://hilborn-charityenews.ca/articles/books-theory-u-leading-from-the-future-as-it-emerges