How can Spiral Dynamics and ValueMatch support leadership development? This article describes how Martin Malley has integrated both into leadership development programs with clients in the United States for the past five years.
Martin Malley, the owner and principal of Shrinking Borders, was first exposed to Spiral Dynamics while participating in a leadership development program nearly 20 years ago. He found that the framework provided a uniquely insightful lens to understand individual and organizational values. It also inspired him to think more deeply about how value systems influence behavior. Like many in his cohort, Martin found that “once you are exposed to Spiral Dynamics, you see it everywhere.”
The value that Spiral Dynamics provided in his own leadership development and worldview made Martin decide to integrate ValueMatch assessments into Shrinking Borders’ service offerings in 2014. He found that it pairs well with the Emergenetics and Emotional Intelligence (EQi 2.0) assessments which explore an individual’s inner world and processing. The ValueMatch assessments expand awareness outward, helping individuals explore how they respond to their environment and their role in the world. When considering which Spiral Dynamics assessment tool to use, Martin chose to work with ValueMatch since he found the reports to be “complete, easy to understand, and more directly helpful and comprehensive than other products on the market.”
| ValueMatch Reports are complete, easy to understand, more directly helpful, and more comprehensive than other products on the market |
The ValueMatch assessment was first introduced by Shrinking Borders to a men’s leadership development program facilitated by the Institute for Career for Advancement Needs that Martin co-leads annually. The program consists of eight days of training held over a four month period for high-achieving men from a variety of sectors. One of the training days is dedicated to teaching the group about Spiral Dynamics and implementing the ValueMatch Values assessment. In each of the five years that Martin has utilized Spiral Dynamics with this group, it has inspired gripping discussions and received enthusiastically positive feedback.
Martin recently integrated Spiral Dynamics into a new custom leadership development training program titled “How, Then, Will I Lead.” This program was attended by 22 church leaders of the Nebraska Synod ELCA who contemplated how to respond to declining church attendance and meet the needs of diverse parishioners. The ValueMatch values report, change profile, and organizational culture and structure profiles were integrated into the training. The pastors reported that the Spiral Dynamics framework helped them better understand the influence value systems have on a number of interpersonal processes ranging from tensions in Church Councils to national culture dynamics. It also spurred a discussion about whether it is the responsibility of pastors to change the culture of the church or shepherd the culture that exists. The attendants were so moved by these discussions that they hope to get together again to continue to contemplate these themes.
In the future, Martin plans to continue to integrate the ValueMatch assessments into his work with groups. He finds that when groups learn Spiral Dynamics together, they assimilate the concepts quickly through discussions about how the value systems manifest in the world around them. The framework then inspires invaluable insights about how internal values and external value systems influence behavior and perceptions of the world.
The vision of Shrinking Borders is to make the world a smaller place by expanding horizons, inspiring connections, and challenging boundaries. Martin Malley, the owner and principal, provides executive coaching, awareness travel, and leadership development services. He has worked with a variety of corporate and non-profit clients including the Opportunity Education Foundation, the Institute for Career Advancement Needs, and the Nebraska Synod ELCA.
Interview and article by Colleen Kinneen, USA
