Local Books | Mind Body Spirit

The Collective Spark shows how to think together with others and to help others to think together with you. The chapters are written from a rich store of knowledge, experience and understanding that illuminates the hidden complexities occurring whenever people meet to collaborate, plan, review, innovate, learn, teach, consult or facilitate. From their various professions and work areas, the authors delve beneath the surface of visible interactions to reveal the knowledge and wisdom that exists in intuitive and unconscious processes. The result is a profound and informative book that is in engaging, accessible and readable, to inform every day practice in groups, teams, committees, organisations and communities.

Martin is an author and artist who has a passion for understanding human behaviour in groups, organizations and communities. He is currently enjoying semi-retirement and is a member of the board of Mindful Margaret River. His work history includes engineering, directing a bi-cultural adventure therapy program in New Zealand and organizational consulting and coaching, as well as lecturing at a number of different universities in social work, group dynamics, psychodynamics, psychotherapy and experiential learning. Martin has worked as a university lecturer, an organizational consultant and presenter/facilitator in over twenty different countries around the world and his writing and editorial work have been widely published in international journals. His publications include a book on group dynamics and experiential learning. Martin and his wife Françoise live in Burnside WA and spend significant parts of our winter at their second home in France. 

Putting together a collection of clever people does not guarantee the creation of a clever team, group or committee. That’s because there are many layers to thinking-together that are in addition to the processes involved in thinking as individuals. Almost everybody is familiar with the mind-numbing experience of being in boring and unproductive meetings even when the individuals involved are intelligent and well intentioned. So much time, intelligence and goodwill is wasted.

On the other hand, humanity has achieved amazing advances in medicine, literature, the arts and many other fields through collaboration. That is through thinking together. How then can we understand this apparent contradiction?

The Collective Spark explores the complex dynamics that underpin the capacity of groups, teams, boards, committees and other collectives to think together and identifies some principles that can be used to guide an increase in liveliness, productivity and effectiveness of people who gather to decide things and to get things done. Some diagnostic principles are also offered for identifying and ameliorating destructive and deadening collective dynamics. These principles are applicable across a very wide range of settings such as communities, commerce, not-for-profit, government at all levels, mental health and education.

A common theme articulated the international panel of contributing authors and editors is that human interconnectivity and ‘social capital’ underpin the capacity of humans to work together to reduce frustration and conflict and to enhance our capacity to live and work together.