Publications

Otto’s Books, recent Articles and Blog Posts, and more selected Publications.

Books

The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications

by Otto Scharmer, 2018


A useful pocket guide for practitioners that distills all of the research and materials found in Otto Scharmer’s seminal texts Theory U and Leading from the Emerging Future.


A short handbook that focuses on the core principles of Theory U, the key movements that makes the process of Theory U, and social applications, to be used as an introduction to work in the field of Presencing.

Book figures and images for download

SAMPLE CHAPTER
BUY

Ihnterested in Bulk Orders & Custom Editions? Please contact: Leslie Crandell | lcrandell@bkpub.com | +1 (510) 817-2264

“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Otto Scharmer

Praise for the Book

“This book provides a new language and teaches us new ways to integrate the insights of the psychology of mindfulness with the sociology of groups and the forces of the political and economic system. It is an incredible tour de force.”
Edgar Schein 
Professor Emeritus at MIT Sloan School of Management & Author
“A great and timely book. As more and more people become part of the global movement around deep systemic change — from social entrepreneurs to innovators working within large established organizations to diverse network builders — a new field of knowledge is gradually taking shape.”
Peter Senge
Senior Lecturer at MIT & Co-Founder of Academy for Systems Change
“My life and work have changed in no small part since meeting Otto and Theory U through MIT over a decade ago in the founding of the United in Diversity Forum. We have seen an amazing impact of the ‘U’ based leadership work in Indonesia and China, particularly in terms of how business, government and civil society collaborate to bridge the environmental, social, and spiritual divides.”
Cherie Nursalim
Co-Chair of SDSN-SEA & Chair of United In Diversity Foundation
“I’ve experienced firsthand the profound impact of Otto’s transformative work — on our company as a whole, our teams, and individual employees. Now we can all participate more readily in the possibilities for systems change in the world.”
Eileen Fisher
Founder & Chairwoman of Eileen Fisher Inc.

Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges

C. Otto Scharmer

2nd Edition, 2016

READ MORE

Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges

C. Otto Scharmer 

2nd Edition, 2016

In this ground-breaking book, Otto Scharmer invites us to see the world in new ways. What we pay attention to, and how we pay attention – both individually and collectively – is key to what we create. What often prevents us from “attending” is what Scharmer calls our “blind spot,” the inner place from which each of us operates. Learning to become aware of our blind spot is critical to bringing forth the profound systemic changes so needed in business and society today.

By moving through the “U” process we learn to connect to our essential Self, see our own blind spot and pay attention in a way that allows us to experience the opening of our minds, our hearts, and our wills. This wholistic opening constitutes a shift in awareness that allows us to learn from the future as it emerges, and to realize that future in the world.

BUY NOW

Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego-System to Eco-System Economics

C. Otto Scharmer and

Katrin Kaufer

2013

READ MORE

Leading from the Emerging Future:

From Ego-System to Eco-System Economics

C. Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer

2nd Edition, 2013 

We have entered an age of disruption. Financial collapse, climate change, resource depletion, and a growing gap between rich and poor are but a few of the signs. Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer ask, why do we collectively create results nobody wants? Meeting the challenges of this century requires updating our economic logic and operating system from an obsolete “ego-system” focused entirely on the well-being of oneself to an eco-system awareness that emphasizes the well-being of the whole.

Filled with real-world examples, this thought-provoking guide presents proven practices for building a new economy that is more resilient, intentional, inclusive, and aware.

BUY NOW

Presence:

An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society

Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer,

Joseph Jaworski, Betty Sue Flowers

2004

Organizational learning pioneers Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty S. Flowers explored the nature of transformational change – how it arises, and the fresh possibilities it offers a world dangerously out of balance. By encouraging deeper levels of learning, we create an awareness of the larger whole, leading to actions that can help to shape its evolution and our future.

Drawing on the wisdom and experience of 150 scientists, social leaders, and entrepreneurs, including Brian Arthur, Rupert Sheldrake, Buckminster Fuller, Lao Tzu and Carl Jung, Presence revolutionary and original work goes on to define the capabilities that underlie our ability to see, sense and realize new possibilities in ourselves, in institutions and organizations, and in society itself.

BUY NOW

Presence:

An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society

Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, andBetty Sue Flowers

2004

READ MORE

Presence:

An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society

Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer,

Joseph Jaworski, Betty Sue Flowers

2004

Organizational learning pioneers Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty S. Flowers explored the nature of transformational change – how it arises, and the fresh possibilities it offers a world dangerously out of balance. By encouraging deeper levels of learning, we create an awareness of the larger whole, leading to actions that can help to shape its evolution and our future.

Drawing on the wisdom and experience of 150 scientists, social leaders, and entrepreneurs, including Brian Arthur, Rupert Sheldrake, Buckminster Fuller, Lao Tzu and Carl Jung, Presence revolutionary and original work goes on to define the capabilities that underlie our ability to see, sense and realize new possibilities in ourselves, in institutions and organizations, and in society itself.

BUY NOW

Articles and Blog Posts

JASC Commentary from the Field: Tribute to Ed Schein
In Memory of Ed Schein: From Accessing Your Ignorance to Accessing Your Love

Edgar H. Schein, Sloan Fellow professor of management emeritus at MIT, passed away on January 26, 2023, at the age of 94. Ed had an enormous impact on organizational development (OD), on Theory U, and on Otto Scharmer’s life. Schein is one of the most important founding fathers of OD. In this piece Otto Scharmer outlines the most important principles Ed embodied in his work that have shaped his own. The piece ends with a call for collective action on addressing the challenges facing our planet in Ed’s own words.

Field of the Future Blog
Protect the Flame: But Where the Danger is, the Saving Power Also Grows
Transforming our Economies from Ego to Eco

As part of the Earth4All project, collaborators have submitted deep-dive papers to delve further into the issues and solutions needed to transform our economic system and provide an equitable future for all on a finite planet. This paper explores how to transform the 21st-century economic system to become more just and sustainable. Otto Scharmer argues for the need to create a learning infrastructure to make this transformation possible.

Protect the Flame: Circles of Radical Presence in Times of Collapse

Otto Scharmer asks in this article: When systems collapse, what are we left with? The response: “We are left with each other. We are left with our relationships. With how we relate to Mother Nature, how we relate to each other, and how we relate to our emerging Selves.”

Selected Publications