The Graves Model. A slightly different view of organizational development.

I first came into contact with the "Graves Model" in 2014, during my training in systemic coaching, and was immediately fascinated by it. By its simplicity and simultaneous complexity, but especially because it takes a completely different view of life than the common personality models. Not that these are wrong, also the assignment of a person to a certain character type has its justification and I like to fall back on it in my work. However, this model looks at people from a different angle. Instead of types, it is based on developmental stages that a person goes through in the course of his or her life. What at first glance sounds like classic developmental psychology goes much further. For Clare W. Graves' research did not stop with the adult human being, but really began there....

How it all began

Clare W. Graves had taught psychological models at the university for many years, and he could not answer the persistently recurring question about which model was now the right one. This gave him no peace of mind, so he developed questions that could be used to inquire about various concepts of adulthood. He then confronted these people with their statements and asked them to either defend or modify their concepts. He repeated this procedure over several cycles.

Graves quickly discovered two types: those who express themselves first and those who are more inclined to serve the group. Further, he discovered that when people modified their concepts, it was always a change from "individuality" to "collective" or vice versa. This cyclical aspect is still the basic foundation of the model today.

The "Graves Model" briefly explained

Up to now eight levels, distributed on two octaves, of the model are known. Further levels will appear step by step with the further development of mankind. For the sake of a simpler overview, each level is assigned a color and each level has its own values, characteristics, rules, dominant themes, and so on. So you could say, each level has its own character with light but also shadow sides. The levels, as already mentioned, cycle back and forth between an "I" and a "we" dominance.

The "Graves Model" in a corporate context

A change from one level to the next, i.e. a further development, is indicated when the dark sides outweigh the light sides. The values and rules of the stage then suddenly seem somehow outdated and restrictive. The best example of this is the change of stage during puberty. The family offers a lot of protection and security, but at a certain age they suddenly seem very restrictive. A change to the next level as well as its integration is indicated. There, passion, courage, freedom, but also impulsiveness, moodiness and aggression are waiting, which at some point get out of hand, perhaps make you lonely, and again herald the change to the next level.

And what does all this have to do with companies?

By thinking in developmental stages, the model works not only for people, but for all systems. That means also for organizations, teams and entire nations. It thus creates the possibility of finally making something tangible in the corporate context that was previously very difficult to describe: the corporate culture.

Furthermore, the model clarifies an essential aspect, which is often and willingly neglected. Development is a process. It works step by step or, in the sense of the model, stage by stage. Skipping a step means that this knowledge has not been integrated and thus cannot be activated even when it would be important for the success of the company. As a company, we are currently in the transition from the first to the second octave. Situational thinking and action is required. However, it is often neglected that the transition to the second octave is only successful if the stages of the first octave have been integrated without disruption. By trouble-free, I mean that all stages have been completely gone through and the positive aspects have been incorporated into the instrument catalog, the values, the guidelines, the behavior and thus into the culture of the company.