Welcome to the Don Beck Spiral Dynamics Integral Foundation
SDi Foundation, for short
We are the home of global activity for Spiral Dynamics. Our purpose is to extend and grow the activities of this model by being a hub for practitioners, a community for those who have trained, a resource for those who want to know more and a centre for training and application.
We invite you to look around and engage with all these elements as they develop.
The Foundation exists because of the generous sharing of Dr Don Edward Beck’s IP and source materials by his family and this is gratefully recognised in its naming. We note though that Don always acknowledged his debt to Prof. Clare W. Graves and described himself as a “First Generation Gravesian”. We in turn are Second Generation Gravesians, training the third generation.
For newbies. What is Spiral Dynamics?
Please use the button below to link in to some introductory materials. These are based on the brilliant and ground-breaking original concepts from Clare W. Graves and the developments since then by Dr Beck and others.
There is a lot of material in the public domain and some of it is low quality or just plain wrong. Please consider the contents here as authentic sources that will give you a sound platform from which to start.
For the more experienced. What's here for you?
This section is for those who may have attended trainings in the past, or have had an ongoing interest in Spiral Dynamics. Please use the button to connect with more information about the activities and events we are generating, certified trainings that you might now take to deepen your knowledge, and opportunities for community involvement.
For Practitioners. Developing Practice and Application
If you are applying the SD model and applications as part of your work, whether under the umbrella of other labels, or explicitly acknowledged, this is the space for connection. Please follow the link to discover what is emerging in this space, and to become an active creator of that future.
So. What is Spiral Dynamics?
It is a model of why people think in the ways that they think based on their priorities and values.
It describes how our thinking adapts to the conditions we live in (socio-psychological Darwinism)
It operates at every level of human existence – individual, team, organisation, society, nation.
It describes both the evolutionary journey of humanity as the world became more complex and the unfolding of current events as we deal with today’s complexity and volatility.
It is descriptive of what has happened, explains why it happened and assists us in how to shape what happens next.
It is NOT a typology. The values people hold are mixes of systems in people and change with time and conditions. It is useful to describe change in stages, but the spiral is a continuum.
It was developed from ten years of research data by Prof. Clare W. Graves and taken forward by Dr. Don E. Beck and Christopher Cowan.
It is in use by Coaches, Leadership Developers, Organisational Change practitioners and Social Architects.
Our Purpose
Following the death of Don Beck in 2022 we saw the need to establish a more defined structure to take his work forward.
We had prepared by establishing a clearly defined certification pathway supported by approved trainers using a consistent theoretical base that Don approved. This has been brought under the Foundation which has been established under Dutch not-for-profit rules.
Together with his family, who have generously allowed Don’s IP to be placed within the Foundation, we can now create a hub for future activities. Our main aims are:-
- to be a central source of Spiral Dynamics expertise, training and materials
- to be a focal point for development of SD applications and practice and a support for access to trained and experienced practitioners
- to be a centre for a community of those interested in the work and its propagation
- to provide a place where projects and initiatives can be seeded, nurtured and supported
- to offer educational events and approved trainings
Stitching together our wounded world
The image here reflects Dr Don Beck’s vision and our purpose. Here are some of Don’s quotes that represent that vision.
“Do the change the world needs done.”
“No more prizes for predicting the rain. Only prizes for building the arks.”
“It’s not that we need to form new organisations. It’s simply that we have to awaken to new ways of thinking. I believe it makes no sense to spend a lot of time attacking the current realities. It is time to create the new models that have in them the complexity that makes the older systems obsolete. And to the extent that we can do that, and do that quickly, I think that we can provide what will be necessary for a major breakthrough for the future.”
“Once again it must be reiterated that beliefs and practices that developed in response to earlier, and presumably different, environmental pressures tend to persist and the result may come to be far less than efficient utilisation of an environment.”
Membership
This is firstly a public site where non-members may access public resources, learn about some basics, sign up for introductory trainings and first-level certifications. It is also a place to connect with registered practitioners.
For those who are already trained to level 1 or above, this site has additional resources. It is place to connect with others and to participate in community activities and projects. Registration also gives visibility of next-level trainings and half-price access to repeat Level 1.
Approved Trainer members will have additional access to training materials and support resources and information for use in your trainings.
If you are an approved trainer you will be provided with registration, but you can log in here.
We will build a register of practitioners such as coaches, OD specialists or social architects. Those who are approved and subscribe will be able to post their information here so that those who are seeking support can find what they need.