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Joy in the Present
      

1983

Networking Alternation

an alternation network of 384 pathways of organizational transformation
interpreted for networks in the light of the Chinese Book of Changes

- / -

Printed in: Transnational Associations, 35, 1983, 4, pp 172-181; 5, pp 245-258. Also distributed together as a separate publication. Subsequently incorporated into Policy Alternation for Development (1984), pp 175-202 and incorporated in a modified form into the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential.

A generalized version was subsequently produced on the methodology as Transformation Metaphors: derived experimentally from the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ching) for sustainable dialogue, vision, conferencing, policy, network, community and lifestyle (1997) that provides access to the generalized results of the exercise itself. The modified originally commentary is currently presented in three parts:

What follows is the original unabridged 1983 text of the commentary, but without the results of the interpretative exercise on networking, currently integrated into the general exercise. Figures referenced here are located in Commentary B above (to which they are linked)

Introduction

This exercise is concerned with change and with the development of better ways of responding to its possibilities in various forms of socially organized activity. The exercise has only been applied to networks but, as will be seen, it could just as well be applied to groups, organizations, meetings or intentional communities, in each of which very similar challenges are faced.

1. Networks Networks and networking have become extremely fashionable over the past decade, even within the intergovernmental community, as a means of circumventing weaknesses perceived in conventional styles of organization. But in practice networks themselves have failed to live up to the hopes placed in them, despite their positive image and the appearance of enthusiastic publications in support of that image (1,2). An example of such unbridled optimism is the following : "Just as bureaucracy is less than the sum of its parts, a network is many times greater than the sum of its parts. This is a source of power never before tapped in history : multiple self-sufficient social movements linked for a whole array of goals whose accomplishment would transform every aspect of contemporary life... most people don't see them -- or think they are conspiracies" (2, p. 236). The kinds of criticism that can be made are that :

  1. in some cases "network"is merely used as a substitute for what previously functioned with limited effectiveness under the name of "club" or "group";
  2. networking tends to function by filtering out conflict and opposition and thus is ill-equipped to interrelate a diversity of perspectives, many of which may involve fundamental disagreements (sometimes manageable by hierarchies in an "objectionable" manner);
  3. the informal strengths of networks have been transformed into weaknesses through rejection of any form of compensatory self-discipline; networks tend to become "flabby" and subject to a variety of "networking diseases". (3)
  4. networks tend to function as temporary vehicles for enthusiasm and are frequently abandoned as soon as unpleasant realities have to be faced;
  5. the networking philosophy is often geared to that of "positive thinking "which negates the possibility of criticism and especially self-criticism, thus hindering collective learning for the development of the network.

The question is then whether there are any clues to ways of "tensing" networks to correct such tendencies (4). What can be done to prevent the energy from draining out of networks? One approach has been discussed under the heading of "tensegrity organization" as a hybrid "marriage" between networks and hierarchies (5).

A related approach is to assume that networks fail to contain problems because they are effectively out-manoevered by the dynamics of such problems. As in the martial arts, a network must swiftly re-order its conceptual and organizational resources to keep up with shape-shifting and hydra-like transformations of the problematique. The network may need to alternate between several modes of action and conception in order to respond effectively (6, 7). If this is the case how can we come to recognize the pattern of transformation pathways of which the network needs to be aware ?

2. Groups and organizations: Clearly groups and organizations also need to be aware of the transformational pathways they may have to use to be able to contain problems effectively. Like networks, which are anyway a more loosely ordered form of organization, they may need to alternate between several modes of action or conception.

3. Meetings : Conferences have been usefully perceived as temporary organizations. In many ways they also resemble networks. They too tend to fail to live up to the expectations placed in them, especially with respect to response to the world problématique. As with networks, the significance tends to leak out of them, leaving the problems unaffected. There is little collective awareness of the transformational and organizational dynamics of the problématique (8).

4. Intentional communities : The past decades have seen many attempts to establish intentional communities. Many have broken up because of inability to order their dynamics satisfactorily. Such "alternative" communities combine many of the features of networks, groups, organizations and meetings. As such they are faced with many of the same difficulties.

Chinese insights

It is debatable whether Western-style organization has reached the limits of its ability to improve its "effectiveness". Even if this is not the case, it is possible that new insights can be derived from non-Western approaches, as is indicated by the current Western concern with the art of Japanese management. These would have the merit of breaking out of the currently criticized constraints of "euro-centric" modes of thought (9,10, 11 ) that have been largely responsible for networking as it is presently known.

For example, the above challenge can be usefully clarified by an exercise in adapting the insights of The Book of Changes, otherwise known as the I Ching (12). This has been a major influence on Chinese thinking for 3,000 years, providing a common source for both Confucian and Taoist philosophy. As noted by R G H Siu : "For centuries, the I Ching has served as a principal guide in China on how to govern a country, organize an enterprise, deal with people, conduct oneself under difficult conditions, and contemplate the future. It has been studied carefully by philosophers like Confucius and men of the world like Mao Tse-tung" (13). For this reason the popularity of its (ab)use as an oracle should not be confused with the philosophy and insight embodied in its structure.

With the benediction of C G Jung (12), it has achieved wide popularity in the West over the past decades, inspiring many who have attempted to develop the practice of networking. Part of the merit of the book, as its title indicates, is that it purports to indicate complete patterns of changes, one of which has 384 pathways between 64 conditions that are recognizable both in an individual and in society. These insights have hitherto been interpreted in terms of the needs of the individual (of whatever degree of influence in society). Although basically they are addressed to the condition of any social entity, they have not been applied to organizations as such. Thus even though R G H Siu, cited above as one of the commentators on the I Ching, has managerial interests in addition to his research role as a biochemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), his commentary is addressed to the individual.

It is interesting to note that not only did MIT publish his commentary, it also published a study by Siu on the nature of "ch'i" (14). This is the psychic energy that an individual can accumulate according to neo-taoist philosophy. It may also be useful to conceive of it as the kind of "energy" which leaks out of networks or meetings when they fail to enter appropriately into the dynamics of change and development.

Interpretative exercise

The structure of the I Ching is based on 64 conditions (dynamic situations, perspectives, challenges, phases, or modes of action or conception) with which an entity may be faced. The underlying scheme is based on sets of 2 or 8 more fundamental conditions. The series could be expanded geometrically to 128, 256, 512 or more conditions. But as Siu notes : "The originators of the I Ching judiciously stopped at the practical limit of sixty-four. This number constitutes a classification sufficiently fine so as to provide useful types of situations, against which specific cases can be matched. Yet the subdivisions are not so numerous as to be too cumbersome for a single scheme" (13, p. 3). For each of the 64 conditions there are six possible sub-conditions (behavioural responses) on which statements are also provided.

The text of The Book of Changes is often written in a notoriously subtle and poetic style. This in no way precludes an interpretation of its significance for organizations or, more specifically, for networks. Such an interpretation has therefore been undertaken as an exercise [presented elsewhere]. By making the interpretation specific to networks, there is clearly a loss of generality, but this is compensated by a reduction in ambiguity. Subsequent evaluation will show whether this constitutes an unfortunate degree of distortion of the original insights.

The interpretation given is as faithful to the texts of the Richard Wilhelm translation (12) as seemed feasible. Some of the condition names have been adapted from those suggested by Siu (13). Hopefully this exercise will encourage others to produce a more helpful interpretation.

No extraneous insights have been introduced. In elaborating each statement the basic constraint was that it should be briefly formulated with respect to a "network"and that any terms used should be credible in a networking context. It is debatable whether the texts should instead have been focused on a "group" or "organization". or even a "conference"; although this might have made them of more general interest. A somewhat similar procedure has been used in an exercise in generating a "Universal Declaration of Rights of Human Organization" from the articles of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (15).

The formulation of the statements here can be criticized because the orientation is not always consistent. In some cases they are formulated as injunctions as to what the network "should" do. In other cases they are formulated in terms of explanations as to the probable consequences of the network acting in a certain manner. Or else they are expressed in terms of what the network "could" or "might" do. The original texts place the burden of choosing between such interpretations on the reader.

It is important to recognize that the original text permits a complex of interpretations, encouraged by the nature of the Chinese language. For each condition the central meaning is underdefined, although clearly delimited by a complex of connotations based on terms that "alternate" subtly in meaning between emphasis on : abstract or concrete; operator or operand; noun or verb; action or actor; problem or opportunity. Any word can often be beneficially replaced by a synonym or an alternative grammatical form. Quite distinct conditions may acquire apparent similarity as a result of the specificity of the words finally chosen - a choice that amounts to a "frozen" distortion of the connotation dynamics by which the underlying meaning is embodied (see insert on "Resonance hybrids"). The (undeterministic) significance in fact emerges through alternation of attention between the possible (deterministic) interpretations - in sympathy with the theme of this paper (see also ref. 7).

An exercise of this kind is therefore rather like attempting to "tune" a "semantic piano" in order to distinguish meanings effectively, even though no one tuning system can satisfactorily bring out all the possible relationships between the connotations. Valuable insights into the nature of this semantic problem, given the possibilities of alternative tuning systems, can be found in the works of E. G. McClain (31, 32). An earlier experiment focussed on "tuning" interrelated cross-cultural concept sets having from 2 to 20 statements each (33).

Longer interpretations may offer greater clarity, as in those of Wilhelm (12) or Siu (13). Needless to say, as an exercise by one person, the results given here for networks call for further "tuning" and should therefore be viewed with reservation. Furthermore, it should be noted that the presentation given here does not do justice to the more sophisticated relationships embedded in the structure of the I Ching.

Transformation pathways

It is the network of 384 transformation pathways between the 64 conditions into which an entity can supposedly get "trapped" that is perhaps the most interesting feature of this exercise.

In the following pages [elsewhere] each of the 64 numbered conditions is briefly described, accompanied in each case by descriptions of 6 possible transformation pathways from that condition. These may also be understood as the possible "levels" of skill with which that condition can be faced. The number following each transformation possibility indicates the new condition with which the network is then purportedly faced. It should be emphasized however that these are merely the high probability transformation pathways.

Another set of pathways given here is that of the actual sequence of the numbered conditions. The "a causal" reason for each such transformation is given in italics at the end of each condition on the basis of one of the classic commentaries on the sequence (12). Read separately, the Italic text constitutes an interesting a causal cycle, with many links of immediately comprehensible relevance to current world conditions (e.g. progress-decline-community (35 to 37), adversity-basic need-revolution (47 to 49), or liberation-deficiency-aid (40 to 42).

If in a particular condition the network engages in lower probability multiple transformations the result is not apparent here, although The Book of Changes does employ a binary coding system from which this can be determined without ambiguity. Leibniz is reported to have been influenced in the 17th century by the binary code of the I Ching, which could therefore be said to have influenced the design of modem computers. The striking relationship to the genetic coding system has also been explored (34).

The range of possible transformation pathways encoded in this way is of great value in the light of contemporary efforts to grasp the nature of change in relation to human and social development.

Contrasting exercises

As a work of political philosophy, it is useful to contrast interpretations of the I Ching with an early Western equivalent, namely Machiavelli's The Prince (16). Both provide recommendations to rulers, but the I Ching also adapts its recommendations to the initiatives of the ruled. The Prince has been severely criticized (often inappropriately, given the instabilities of its historical context), because of the distinctly undemocratic values of the princes for whom it was designed, in contrast, built into the I Ching is the progressive discovery of "superior values", however these are to be understood by the user.

As with Machiavelli's adice, the networking precepts from the I Ching could prove as valuable to the "ill-intentioned" as to the "well-intentioned". It would be interesting to compare the precepts given here with those in the network operations manuals of intelligence services and revolutionary groups, given their respective understanding of "superior values". It is worth noting that another set of 394 Chinese precepts, in Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War, has received considerable attention in modern military academies (17). It is based on the principle that it is the supreme art of war to subdue the enemy without fighting. Contemporary students of organizational life have also benefited from an adaptation of Machiavelli's insights by Antony Jay to the management of corporations (18).

Organization sociologists do not appear to have had the ambition (or the presumption) to attempt such a transformation map. Although in 1958 March and Simon published a study, now a classic, tracing parts of what might have become such a map (19). This does not appear to have been followed up. Literature reviews have since resulted in the production of "inventories" of concepts for organization effectiveness, as in that of J. L. Price (20) with 31 propositions, or more recently in that of D H and B L Smith with approximately 400 concrete suggestions, especially for voluntary associations (21).

Of special interest is the exercise of Edward de Bono who has produced an Atlas of Management Thinking (see insert).

Atlas of Management Thinking

Edward de Bono,founder of the Centre for the Study of Thinking and director of the world's largest curriculum programme for direct teaching of thinking in schools, is renowned for his promotion of "lateral thinking", especially in management situations. He has recently produced an atlas "written specifically for the right side of the brain - the intuitive side". For him an "atlas is a visual reference system, and although thinking is an abstract subject I believe we can create perceptual maps for its use". The problem is that we do not have adequate right-brain images for complex management situations. Hence the tendency to try to treat them through fragmented verbal descriptions lodged in the left brain. What de Bono does is to provide 200 images, each describing one such situation (e.g. confrontation, self-created problems, tolerance, etc). Each image is accompanied by a verbal commentary.

He suggests that the atlas references provide a shorthand notation for such complex situations, enabling people to be much more direct in labelling perceived opportunities and traps. "The clarity with which we see a situation is the basis for any subsequent decision or action". Such thinking is very different from much of that of the academic or scientific world.

De Bono has coined the term "operacy"(to be contrasted with numeracy and literacy) as the much neglected skill of getting things done, solving problems, discovering opportunities, conceiving ventures, and organizing projects."It is the more successful organizations that sense the need to develop further thinking skills because they attribute their success to their thinking. The less successful ones see no need because they blame their failure on circumstances". The I Ching may also be considered as an atlas of right-brain perceptions of complex situations for which an appropriate notation has been developed. Although it has the Special merit of using a right-brain context to order the relationships between such situations. Like de Bono's atlas it also makes deliberate use of combinations of memorable "images" to "create a visual meta-language for situations". The resemblances call for further study.

This identifies 200 functions or "complex situations" which bear a striking resemblance to those derived from the I Ching. The Western managerial sciences have given rise to many treatises on problem solving in organizations. One of the originators of systems science. Russel Ackoff, has condensed his understanding of the art of problem solving into 34 "fables" (22). Semi-humorous insights have also emerged in the form of numerous "laws" (Parson, Peter, etc), culminating in their synthesis in John Gall's 32 "axioms" in Systemantics (23). Another semi-humorous approach, inspired by the holds and positions in the martial arts, is that of Thierry Gaudin who has identified 21 institutional "katas" (24). It is appropriate to note that the control of "ch'i". mentioned earlier, is basic to the Eastern martial arts.

Western efforts to provide (world) systems models of the interrelationships between socio-political conditions to societies (as opposed to socio-economic conditions) have been modest and of limited success, compared to the preferences for lengthy textual discourses of which Machiavelli's is an early form. For a recent general review, see J M Richardson Jr (35) reporting in a special issue on "Models" as tools for shaping reality, as well as reference 36.

It is therefore surprising to note that in the East a number of societies have produced religiously-inspired board games with squares denoting value-based psycho-social conditions, linked by a variety of transformation pathways, in a manner similar to systems flow charts. Precepts (possibly embodied in chants) are associated with the definition of each condition and the developmental challenge it constitutes. Examples are : a Tibetan game (72 conditions) with a Bhutanese version (64 + 13 conditions) and a Nepalese version (25); a Korean game (169 conditions) and a Hindu equivalent (72 conditions), supposedly the prototype of Western "snakes and ladders" (26). It has been argued that the similarity between such games provides "the most perfect existing evidence of the underlying foundation of mythic concepts upon which so much of the fabric of our culture is built" (27).

Directly relevant to networking itself is the effort of Network Research (Denver) to produce a basic set of 5 rules of The Networking Game (28). These reflect the practical recommendations which have emerged from Western insights into the art of at least one form of networking. Academic work on social networks tends to be concerned with descriptive analysis rather than with any attempt to empower such networks to act more effectively. Intergovernmental bodies, such as the United Nations University, with a declared commitment to a network mode of action, have not yet elaborated any such set of guidelines.

Alternation

The vital point that emerges from this Chinese perspective is that it is not sufficient to conceive of organizational conditions in isolation, as is the prevalent tendency among Western networkers. The processes of change in which a network is embedded, or to which it responds, require that the network consider itself in a state of transience within a set of potential conditions. It courts disaster if it attempts to "stick" to one condition such as "peace". If the dynamics of problem networks are not being contained by present strategies, as would appear to be the case, then organizational self-satisfaction is a recipe for the disaster-prone or the ineffectual, it creates a false sense of security. Any condition may be right temporarily, none is right permanently.

The situation is somewhat analogous to many team ball games where a player tries to retain the ball it will be taken from him by the opposing side, or else the team is penalized. Furthermore networks opposing the "team"of world problems find themselves like novices having to deal with an opponent which handles the ball with a dynamism such as that of the Haarlem Globetrotters or a shell-game con-artist, The focus shifts continually and is often where it is least to be expected in order to take advantage of weaknesses.

A network must continually "alternate" its stance within the network of transformation pathways in order to "keep on the ball" and "keep its act together". As with a surfer, a wind sailor, or a sailor on a rocking boat, if it fails to change its stance it will be destabilized, according to the I Ching, by one of 64 changing conditions through which it is forced to move in a turbulent environment.

The developmental goal can then be conceived as somehow lying "through"the exit of this labyrinth of traps for the unwary.  More satisfactorily,  it is perhaps "in" the art of moving through these conditions as progressively clarifying the locus of a common point of reference undefined by any of them  (cf. the Sanskrit phrase "Neti Neti", roughly translated as "not this, not that"). It is this art which is extolled in describing the use of the I Ching or of Eastern board games (13, 26). A similar notion has recently emerged from theoretical physics through the work of David Bohm (30). He stresses the nature of an underlying  "holomovement" from which particularities are successively "unfolded" by our attention, only to be "re-enfolded "once again. The significance is more readily apparent in the case of "resonance hybrids" (see insert).

The problem for a network, an organization, an intentional community, a meeting, or even an individual, is then how to "network the alternation pathways together" and how to "alternate through a transformational  network".  Hence  the ambiguous title of this paper: "networking alternation". Given that understanding of alternation seems only to be well-developed at the instinctual or sub-conscious level (e.g. walking, breathing, sex, dancing), the nature of alternation processes is explored in a separate paper on "alternation metaphors" .

Extending  the earlier  metaphor of the "semantic piano" however, the challenge for networks is then not simply to try to activate people by monotonous playing of single notes (e.g. "peace", "liberation","development"). as presently tends to be the case. It is rather to acquire a perspective enabling them to collaborate in improvising exciting, rippling tunes with such notes (each of which is an I Ching condition) in order to bring out all the musical possibilities of alternation as explored in harmony, counterpoint, discord and rhythm (37). In this sense the true potential of networking lies in the transformational possibilities of "playing" On such instruments. Such an approach could perhaps provide the "requisite variety" by which the world problematique may be tamed, without breaking the spirit it embodies.

A related challenge is then how to represent or map these transformation pathways in a memorable manner so that the range of possibilities becomes clear. In The Book of Changes a mnemonic system for the 64 conditions is given on the basis of 8 natural features of which people have both an instinctive and a poetic understanding (The features include : mountain, lake, wind, thunder, light, ravine, earth and sky. Note the arguments in favour of some such topographically based mnemonic system given in an earlier paper : The territory construed as a map (38).). This contributes significantly to dissemination of understanding about relationships between such conditions in contrast to the restriction of interest in such matters in the West to scientific elites. The Eastern board games mentioned above are deliberately used for educational purposes, whereas very few in the West have access to the Computer simulation exercises with an equivalent orientation.

Resonance hybrids: an illustration of alternation

Some chemical molecules cannot be satisfactorily described by a single configuration of bonded atoms. The theory of resonance is molecules by a dynamic combination of several alternative structures, rather than by any one of them alone. The molecule is then conceived as "resonating". among the several conceivable/describable structures and is said to be a "resonance hybrid" of them. The classic example is the benzene molecule with 6 carbon atoms. This is one of the basic components of many larger molecules essential to life. Its cyclic form only became credible when Kekulé showed that it oscillated between structures A and B. Linus Pauling later showed that it in fact alternates between all five forms below (and as such requires less energy than for any one of them).

This concept could be used in designing/describing/operating organizations, especially fragile coalitions. It may be the key to the "marriage" between networks and hierarchies in tensegrity organizations (5). It could also be used to interrelate alternative definitions (or theories, paradigms, policies, etc.), where none of them is completely satisfactory taken in static isolation. The "undefinable" significance then emerges through the alternation process. The conditions of The Book of Changes can be conceived as constituting a resonance hybrid, whether collectively or individually.

Challenge of representation

The first part of this paper called attention to the advantages of perceiving change in terms of a network of transformation pathways between 64 conditions of organization derived from the Chinese Book of Changes or I Ching. The challenge for any organization is then to learn how to "alternate" through such a network rather than get trapped in any particular condition. To facilitate the response to this challenge, ways must be found to map this set of transformation pathways so that it becomes comprehensible as a whole that can be consciously negotiated. This part of the paper discusses some mapping possibilities.

Elaboration of a circular sequence

Helmut Wilhelm reports (39) that in the Sung period (960-1127) of Confucianism the scholar Shao Yung produced a tabular representation of the I Ching elements. This "table" was also represented as a circle which he reproduces. It was Shao Yung's scheme which so excited Leibniz in the course of his reflections on the binary system (41).

In this traditional representation the transformation pathways are implicit except for the circular sequence itself. It is however possible to render them explicit by simple adding them to the representation. One way of doing this results in a diagram such as Figure 1. The only lines added are for the six "high probability" transformation pathways associated with the six sub-conditions of each of the 64 conditions, as described in the text accompanying this paper [elsewhere; Conditions 1 to 34 were described in the first part of this paper (Transnational Associations, 1983, 4, pp. 176-181). The description of Conditions 35 to 64 accompanied this part (see pages 253-268)].

Before commenting further on Figure 1 some basic points must be made about the traditional circular sequence. It is made up of 64 distinct "hexagrams". The hexagram is the traditional Chinese way of representing a change condition by a binary code of 6 broken or unbroken lines (which can be considered identical to the binary bit-code used in modern computers). But there are at least two fundamental points about any such code, as pointed out in the case of computers by Xavier Sallantin (40) :

  • there must be agreement as to what represents "broken" (or "on"), as opposed to "unbroken" (or "off"), or else the code may be mis-read as its own "negative";
  • there must be agreement as to how the hexagram (or computer bit sequence) should be read, whether up-to-down (or right-to-left) or down-to-up (or left-to-right), or else the code may be mis-read in an "inverted" form. The traditional circular sequence does not distinguish between these two possibilities.

The second point as applied to Figure 1 means that in relating the 64 condition names to their traditional hexagram representations a decision has to be taken as to the direction in which a hexagram is to be read. In Figure 1 the decision has been made to read the hexagrams with the "top"of each towards the centre and the numbered conditions have been allocated accordingly. This means that there is an alternative interpretation. Figure 2, in which the bottom of each is towards the centre.   Note   that   the   order   of   the numbered conditions is then quite different. The pattern of transformation pathways  remains the  same,  although  the sub-conditions to which they relate are now different. The 3 transformation pathways for each hexagram that were originally indicated inside the circle in Figure 1 are indicated by the lines outside the circle in Figure 2.

Interpretation problems

The diagrams give rise to three problems :

a) Either Figure 1 or Figure 2 can thus be considered as a very compact map of the 384 high probability transformation pathways. But the existence of two different and seemingly conflicting maps is obviously cause for reflection. b) Also of concern is their non-evident relation to the numbered sequence of conditions, which itself constitutes a single transformation cycle. This lack of relationship is especially evident when lines are traced between the conditions in that traditional sequence, as in the case of Figure 3 (using the Figure 1 order) or Figure 4 (using the Figure 2 order). c) In addition, other than the striking elegance of the pattern, it is not obvious why either the order of Figure 1 or 2 should be the basis for an appropriate map

With regard to the first problem, the existence of two interpretations can be explained as due to the manner in which the I Ching perspective is grounded on alternation between perspectives rather than being tied arbitrarily to one perspective. If two interpretations are possible there is necessarily an alternation between them according to the Chinese perspective. What then could the alternation between such contrasting interpretations signify?

From the significance traditionally attached to the top and bottom of the I Ching hexagrams, it could be argued that in the case of organizations the two contrasting interpretations could relate to an inward global worldview alternating with an outward local worldview. The top-in perspective (Figure 1 ) would then correspond to a map of consciously interrelated contrasting perspectives on the wholeness in which they are embedded, signalled to some extent by the process whereby leaders of a group "put their heads together" and "share their views". The "enemy" is recognized as being within the group ("he is us").

The alternative top-out perspective would then correspond to a map of unexplicated solidarity in response to the challenges of the immediately perceived external environment, signalled to some extent by the process whereby group members "stand back-to-back" to face an external "enemy" as he manifests differently to each. To survive the group must to some extent alternate between these contextual and particular worldviews, rather as an individual alternates between right and left-brain perspectives. Lama Govinda notes that hexagrams are traditonally read from bottom-to-top to represent the sub-conditions of individual life, in contrast to the top-to-bottom direction for more fundamental or universal transformations (42, p. 136).

With regard to the second problem, using Figure 3 or 4, inspection will show that the continuing alternation between "global inwardness" and "local outwardness" forces every second hexagram in the numbered sequence into its opposite form (e.g. 3 in Figure 1 becomes 4 in Figure 2; 5 becomes 6; etc) and back again. Only the hexagrams 1, 2, 27, 28, 29,30, 61 and 62 are not "driven"through the numbered sequence by this alternation process (which here acts in a manner reminiscent of the effects of current alternation in the coil windings of an electric motor). The map is a map of alternation dynamics and cannot be appropriately understood as a conventional map of static structural elements.

With regard to the third problem, the "logic" of the circular representation is that every condition denoted by a hexagram is conterbalanced by its "opposite" across the circle. In effect the broken lines are converted into unbroken lines and vice versa (thus partially containing the variations in significance of broken and unbroken lines noted above). In addition to the six high probability transformations from (and to| each condition, there is therefore a seventh transformation through the numbered sequence (by inversion of the code reading direction) and an eighth transformation into its opposite (through "negative" code bits of a hexagram acquiring a "positive" connotation and vice versa).

Given the striking relationship already noted by Schönberger between the I Ching 64-hexagram code and the genetic 64-codon code (35), the fundamental nature of the circular representation may also be illustrated by using it to map the 20 amino acids basic to biological organization. In Figure 1 these are denoted completely by the set of (long) transformation lines linking quarters of the circle. For example, according to Schonberger, asparagine is denoted by (the transformation between) the hexagram pair 34-43, the more complex amino acid threonin is denoted by (the symmetrically balanced transformation lines) 11-5: 26-9,and the "stop"codes amber and ochre are denoted by the individual hexagrams 56 and 33 respectively. In the Figure 2 map the hexagrams denoting each amino acid, rather than being equidistant, are brought together side-by-side, as is illustrated around the circumference of Figure 4. Whether this suggests that certain well-defined transformation processes are as essential for the life of an organization or network as those 20 amino acids are for biological organization, is a question for further investigation.

Transformation cycles

A striking feature of Figure 1 (or 2) is the manner in which the transformation pathways of different types differentiate the circle so clearly into :

(a) 2 halves of 32 (b) 4 quarters of 16 (c) 8 groups of 8 (d)  16 groups of 4 (e) 32 groups of 2 (f)   64 groups of 1

In the light of current interest in the distinct functions of right and left brain perspectives, group (a) can be considered an interesting representation of the limited number of pathways linking such halves and the manner in which the halves are each separately integrated. In the light of Jungian investigation of the four basic psychological functions (sensation, feeling, intellect, intuition), group (b) can be considered an interesting representation of the transformation pathways by which these are linked and separately integrated as semi-independent functions. The 4 masculine and 4 feminine archetypal versions of these functions distinguished by Jungian psychoanalysts can in turn perhaps he usefully represented by group (c).

The question that now emerges is whether it is possible to elaborate some kind of typology of transformation "cycles" for organizations or networks. Such a typology would clarify the different kinds of way that, for example, the two functional halves, or the four functional quarters are interlinked. For it is highly probable that organizations or networks can "survive" by using the simplest possible transformation cycles that enable them to renew themselves, but that richer and more effective networking is only possible when more complex transformation pathway cycles are used. It is therefore to be expected that some organizations only manage a 4-transformation cycle linking four functional quarters but are quite incapable of handling the subtler functional transformations between an 8-condition cycle, or one with an even larger number of transformations. Many organizations probably get stuck in cyclic "traps" because they cannot enrich the transformative cycles on which they depend.

In addition to what has been termed the "high probability"transformations, based on the modification of a single line in a hexagram denoting a network condition, some other transformations of lower probability are shown in Figure 5. These too may form part of transformation cycles.

Circular representation : inner structure

A different approach to circular representation forms part of the conclusion of an extensive study by the renowned Buddhist scholar Lama Anagarika Govinda in a recent book entitled : The Inner Structure of the I Ching : The Book of Transformations (42). My attention was drawn to this book (after the first part of this paper had gone to print) by Zentatsu Baker Roshi, Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center, who contributed the preface. He pointed out the resemblance between Figures 1 and 2 and diagrams in Lama Govinda's book. I wish to express my gratitude to him for this information and to the Zen center for furnishing me a copy across the Atlantic at miraculous speed.. His preference for "transformation" in the title is to be compared with the conventional translation as "change".

The special interest of