I firstly describe the meaning of integrity, sustainability and collaborative organizing and how these are interrelated. Then I introduce two thought systems of separateness and interconnectedness and describe how, derived from this, interconnected leadership can provide an answer in terms of global collaboration.

Meaning of integrity
The actual meaning of integrity is whole, undamaged and pure. It is also related to virtues like honesty, trustworthiness, reliability and using one’s moral compass. This is the individual dimension. The collective dimension of integrity relates to social interaction, implicit rules, role models, explicit procedures and controls, community, ecology and in fact the world at large. All of this is based on individual and shared values, principles and mental models. In other words our personal and collective paradigm. Acting with integrity requires being in touch with wisdom and essence (spirit of the law) thus going beyond knowledge and compliance. Integrity manifests itself in the taking of responsibility, openness, transparency and dialogue.

Meaning of sustainability
I notice many different interpretations of sustainability. It varies from Ecological Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, triple bottom-line (People, Planet, Profit) to ‘good for the whole’ and simply another word for enduring effects.

Some broadly adopted definitions of sustainable development are:
•  "Sustainable development is meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." Brundtland- Report of the World Commission on      Environment and Development (1987)

•  “Sustainability is the possibility that human and other forms of life will flourish on the earth forever” John Ehrenfeld, International Society for Industrial Ecology

•  "Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential and to improve their quality of life in ways that simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth's life     support systems." Forum for the Future

A product, process, enterprise, organization, economy, ecology or humanity is unsustainable in the long term when it functions at the expense of something (i.e. planet, climate) or someone (i.e. burn out, poverty, illness, child labor). In the end, the negative side effects (i.e. externalization of negative impact and costs) will put growth on halt. Sustainable businesses take full responsibility for all effects of their decisions and actions and consciously choose for open dialogue with (representatives) of all stakeholders. Adequate feedback mechanisms within the (sub) system where a business operates, allow for becoming aware of unintended side effects. It begins however with the willingness to see truth and leave a state of denial behind.

Collaborative organizing
Collaborative organizing is a process of aiming at what is valuable for all, connecting all people involved, moving forward towards goals in a positive way by doing what is necessary and gratefully enjoying sustainable results. The deepest intention / aim is to do good for all stakeholders.
Three aspects provide the foundation for healthy growth and fulfilling collaboration:
1. The process of connecting which generates commitment and facilitates the taking of responsibility
2. The connection and alignment of personal goals and ambitions with the groups’ mission, vision and goals that intrinsically matter (i.e. are good for the whole)
3. The actual realization and manifestation of these goals through collaboration.

This approach of collaborative organizing makes people happy and grateful for the results, for the experienced process and for their participation in it.

Connection between sustainability, integrity and collaborative organizing
Sustainability can be a result of collaborative organizing, because the deepest intention of this process is to do good for the whole, to do good for all stakeholders. This ensures that, in the long term, an organization will not function at the expense of something or someone and therefore is sustainable.
Organizations acting with integrity in the original meaning of the word, will feel connected and committed to sustainability because the underlying intention / principle is the same i.e. leaving whole, undamaged. The last similarity is taking responsibility. Taking responsibility for the effects of your own discernment and choices. The effects on yourself, on your colleagues, on the organization, on the community and on the world.
This means that integrity is imperative for sustainability. Sustainability cannot do without integrity. Integrity on a micro level could do without sustainability. Therefore we can see sustainability as an integral application of integrity. Collaborative organizing is a way to achieve this.

Underlying source
The underlying source for acting with integrity, sustainability and collaborative organizing is a thought system of oneness / interconnectedness instead of ego and separateness. The thought system determines the level of purity of intention behind the goals and ambitions at an individual, organizational, regional, national or worldwide level. So it is the quality of the deepest (often unconscious) intention that determines the end-results. This finds its source in the underlying thought system or paradigm. The effective answer to all crises therefore requires a paradigm / mind shift to interconnectedness. I see interconnected leadership and collaboration as the next necessary step.

Interconnected leadership for global collaboration
When we take Jungian psychology as a starting point we know that the real Self resides beyond persona and shadow layers of one’s personality.

The outer persona layer comprises characteristics that we are proud of and like to show. Our successes, impressive results etc. The traits we accept from ourselves, value in others and hope will result in acceptance of us by others. This masks however who we really are, our Self. The deepest layer of our personality, without conditioning, where we feel whole, complete and interconnected. I will call this our ‘Interconnected-Self’. 

Integrity comes from this ‘Interconnected-Self’. Between our core and our persona we find many layers of conditioning, one of which is called our shadow. This layer represents what we want to hide, our failures, our mistakes, the reasons that fuel our fear to be rejected. The source of blaming and shaming. Persona and shadow together can be seen as our ‘separate-self’.

An interconnected leader has developed full discernment from which part of his/her personality thoughts and impulses come from: our separate-self or Interconnected-Self. Being, doing, living, leading from our Interconnected-Self allows for interconnected collaboration and deployment of  full integrity. The verification point here is whether an action is expected to be good for the whole and life affirming. Working from this Interconnected Self can therefore be seen as a basis for the global collaboration which is needed to provide solutions for the crises we face.

Living from your Interconnected-Self invokes a process of purification of shadow and persona. This results in leading oneself and others in an authentic, serving and interconnected way.

Commitment to a continuous process of personal development usually results in developing full discernment from which part of our personality thoughts and impulses come from: our separate-self or our Interconnected-Self. We always have a split second to act on an impulse or not.

Example of interconnected leadership
The World Day of Interconnectedness Initiative is an example of interconnected leadership and collaborative organizing on a global scale. It emerged without formal consent from any organization or leader, without funding, purely based on passionate people collaborating towards a shared vision. The process of collaborative organizing has been put into practice. The shared intention was to feed a global mind shift from I-llness to WE-llness. Moving towards a world that works for all life. With an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet. A shared dream, good for the whole. People from Asia Pacific to Europe and from USA to Canada made it happen. On 09.09.09 the work culminated in 48 different events with participants in 84 countries.

In the current economic crisis not many organizations show continued interest for and focus on maintaining and developing integrity or invest in sustainability or personal development. It is simply not a priority. They seem too busy moving the furniture while the house is on fire….

Yet, I do wish and hope that working and living sustainably together from an awareness that all is interconnected, will increasingly dominate the world’s agenda. Businesses included. I do not expect this to happen overnight. But when individual people who are awake and aware show interconnected leadership and organize themselves collaboratively, we will witness results faster than anyone can ever imagine. A collaborative interconnected grass-roots movement is unstoppable.

For more information about this interconnectedness movement, please visit http://www.interconnectedness101010.org. When this initiative resonates with you we kindly invite you to become a sponsor and contribute in a way that best meets your possibilities and preference.
For questions and feedback, please email Leo Sonneveld lsonneveld@human-treasures.nl

About Leo Sonneveld

Leo Sonneveld (1959) from the Netherlands is married and has two adult sons. He holds a Master degree in Business Administration and has more than 30 years of business experience in the Financial Industry, Government , Trade and Industry,  Education, Business Consultancy and Healthcare.  In 1999 he founded Consultancy firm Human Treasures®  working as (Executive) coach, consultant and facilitator with the mission to ignite a shift from Human Resource Management to Human Treasures Leadership.  His CSR work includes Awakening the Dreamer Changing the Dream / Be The Change programs which he introduced in the Netherlands in December 2006. This provided him with the inspiration to initiate and organize the first World Day of Interconnectedness on 9 September 2009, an initiative to feed a  shift from Illness to Wellness which, based on its success, will be repeated on 10.10.10, 11.11.11 and 12.12.12. He is chairman of the Interconnectedness Foundation. Its  purpose is to stimulate an environmentally sustainable, (spiritually) fulfilling and socially just human presence worldwide, mainly by increasing and connecting the awareness of interconnectedness.
On a personal level he enjoyed a wide variety of personal- and spiritual development programs. His purpose for 2012 is that we, the people, enjoy a world that works for all life with Peace and Prosperity Permanently. His key value is integrity.