Integral Research to Innovation: Overview on Full Path-Architecture

Photo Credit: Trans-4-m

Why Integral Research and Innovation?

The Integral Worlds approach puts emphasis on a holistic way of research and social innovation that is built on the dynamics of the symbolic four worlds of South, East, North and West. It helps to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each world, and what lessons each one can learn from the other.

Each of the four worlds both metaphorically and in reality reflects more concretely a certain part of the world. Thus, the south is more concretely linked with Africa, the East with Asia, the North with Europe, and the west with America. In reality, the four worlds are metaphorically present in every society, in every organization and in each person.

There is in each society, each organization and each person, a southern relational spirit of nature and community, an eastern holistic spirit of culture and spirituality, a northern spirit of reason and, finally, a western spirit of enterprise, structure and continuity. One of the four worlds usually predominates in a particular society, organization or individual.