IAM: Organizing Big Pictures For The Transformation Age

Have you ever wondered how big-picture philosophical frameworks could revolutionize social innovation and drive meaningful change in the world? Are you curious about the integral movement’s journey over the last 20 years, and the social shifts that are now catalyzing the emergence of an entirely new era of integral leadership? In this first episode of the IAM Insider Show, Josh Leonard and Robb Smith discuss the founding and evolution of the Institute of Applied Metatheory (IAM), an international applied philosophy network dedicated to the education and application of “big picture” philosophical systems and metatheories. The conversation also reflects on the integral movement’s various phases and challenges over the years, the social shifts necessitating IAM’s emergence, and the four foundational hypotheses underpinning IAM’s work. In a world grappling with unprecedented crises, from climate change to social unrest, Robb and Josh investigate the critical necessity of an organization that unites and empowers scholar-practitioners to collaboratively develop and apply transformative, integrative metatheories. These cutting-edge frameworks hold the potential to untangle complex, interconnected issues and forge paths towards a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future for all. “Problems cannot be solved from the same stage that created them”, as the adage goes — and IAM is the latest effort to cohere an entirely new stage of problem-solving and crisis management. Discover how applying integrative metatheory to the most pressing 21st-century challenges could be the key to unlocking transformative solutions for a world that so clearly needs them. Josh and Robb go on to outline their plans to expand the IAM network through pilot initiatives and Applied Metatheory Initiative (AMI) Incubation Grants, empowering leaders to apply integrative metatheory across various issue areas. They also discuss the development of an applied Complex Integral Realism framework, the importance of educating the integral community about other integrative metatheories, and IAM’s aim to provide resources and support to maximize the impact of metatheory-driven solutions. The episode concludes with an announcement about the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) for AMI Incubation Grants. It has never been a more exciting time to be an integralist. We invite you to join us on this new adventure — your chance to be part of a movement that has the potential to revolutionize social innovation as we know it, and to explore the powerful potentials of big-picture philosophical frameworks as a way to catalyze meaningful change in the world. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:13 The Three-Stage History of the Integral Movement 12:24 Societal Changes Driving IAM 31:40 The Need For Integrative Sensemaking Software 48:50 The Four Hypotheses 1:10:00 Context: AI Meets Metatheory 1:29:21 IAM’s Plans for 2024 1:49:00 Developing a Complex Integral Realism Protocol 1:58:51 What’s Next: AMI Incubation Grants Watch the video version here: https://integrallife.com/iam-organizing-big-pictures-for-the-transformation-age/