A Centennial Tribute to Gregory Bateson 1904-1980:
and his influence on the fields of
Organisational Development and Action-
Research.
Peter Hawkins
Chairman Bath Consultancy Group
July 2004
Draft for publication in the Journal of Action Research edited by Peter reason
and Hilary Bradbury.
Comments to
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Abstract.
�The most important task today is, perhaps, to think in a new way.��Gregory
Bateson
This article describes the life and writing of Gregory Bateson, who�s centennial
is being
celebrated in 2004 and who Fritjof Capra has described as �One of the most influential
thinkers of our time�. The article then describes the influence of Bateson�s
work on the fields
of Organisation Development and Action Research, with particular reference to:
Organizational Culture, Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management; Systemic
Thinking and the importance of an environmental perspective. The paper ends
by showing
how Bateson was setting out a new paradigm for our times that transcends the
differently
blinkered approaches of science and religion.
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