by David Martí
In this article, I share some of my experiences and learnings since the publication of the Spanish version (2016) of the book ‘Reinventing Organizations’ by Frederic Laloux.
Since then, I have spoken publicly about the message of the book, supported some organizations in their evolutionary processes, engaged in conversations with people, and learned from other initiatives—predating Laloux’s book—that have naturally crossed my path and also captured my interest.
I believe that all of them stem from a shared purpose: to contribute to the evolution of humanity and its sustainability, based on the understanding and acceptance of our diversity as human beings, and a deep respect for this fact.
Among these other approaches, I would like to highlight the following:
- the Nonviolent Communication (NVC) methodology by Marshall Rosenberg. His book, “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life,’ was published in 1999;
- the 1996 book ‘Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change’ by Don Beck and Chris Cowan,
- and the article by Clare Graves ‘Human Nature Prepares for a Momentous Leap,’ published in The Futurist magazine in 1974.
Tracing this line into the past has helped me reflect on the question I’ve been asked most often over these years: “How does this evolutionary process actually happen?”
With no intention of establishing any kind of theory, I write this chronicle from lived experiences and from my own perspective—between Barcelona, the city where I was born and where I go almost every day, and La Costa del Montseny, a village of 60 inhabitants where I live with my family. I trust that some of these experiences may be of interest to the reader.
Books
When I discovered Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux in 2015, I set out to find a publisher willing to release it in Spanish. “This book offers scientific proof—for those who need it before exploring and changing—that it is possible to evolve toward organizational models that promote greater well-being for people, while also ensuring the economic sustainability of organizations. For me, it also clarifies, details, and fuels my professional dreams,” I wrote at the time in the brief foreword to the Spanish edition (2016).
The book introduces the real cases of 12 organizations—named Teal—that the author discovered which function in a similar way. These workplaces operate with self-management, wholeness, and evolutionary purpose. They reject traditional hierarchies, encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work, and adapt organically rather than through top-down control.
Over the years, most people who have engaged me in conversations about the organizations presented in the book have focused on aspects such as “teams without hierarchy,” “people with flexible schedules,” or “companies that have defined their purpose.” However, I’ve heard very few comments about the economic efficiency of this new organizational approach. The book does mention this point, though without going into detail, as it does with many other topics. For me, it has been important to keep this aspect in mind constantly, because economic viability has often been used as an excuse by some leaders to avoid undertaking this organizational evolution.
Reinventing Organizations, as defined by Frederic Laloux, describes a new paradigm of organizational evolution beyond hierarchical or profit-driven models. These “Teal Organizations” are characterized by self-management, a deeper sense of purpose, and wholeness—bringing one’s full self to work. They align with more complex human values and adapt organically to change. Laloux’s work builds on developmental theory, including Spiral Dynamics, and offers a vision of how organizations can evolve to meet today’s social and ecological challenges. Find more information here.
The real-life stories of the organizations featured in the book provided me concrete proof of what had previously been just an intuition or a dream: the healing and well-being of people do not come at the expense of an organization’s economy—quite the opposite. These are two sides of the same coin, two driving forces that, if we choose, can coexist and reinforce one another.
A year later (2017), I titled the foreword to the Spanish version of ‘Reinventing Organizations: An Illustrated Invitation to Join the Conversation on Next-Stage Organizations’ with the phrase: “Find your tribe.” It was an invitation—just as Laloux does in the final chapter of the same guide—to cultivate conversations among people who had felt drawn to the nature of the organizations we had come to know thanks to the book.
And what had happened to me in that first year of conversations? After my conversation partners had moved beyond their initial surprise (“Wait, is this really possible?”), the dialogue often shifted toward the question: “How is it done?”
Laloux’s answer is: Everything begins with the conviction of the organization’s owners and governing bodies. And in the first video of the 130-part series (“Insights for the Journey”) he created after the book’s publication, he speaks directly to leaders who want to spark the evolution of their organizations, sharing his belief that It’s a Personal Journey. Fittingly, this is the title of the first video in the series.
To reinforce what I considered self-evident—the possibility of leading from a different place—I used to enjoy1 showing my conversation partners videos of various orchestra conductors,2 in which anyone, with or without musical knowledge, could perceive the diversity of styles. This TED Talk by Itay Talgam, in my view, clearly and engagingly illustrates different leadership styles which I believe parallel the organizational models that Laloux describes in his book. For that reason, I also made sure that Talgam’s book, ‘The Ignorant Maestro,’ was published in Spanish (2017). Below are a few lines I wrote in its foreword:
- “There are two ways to lead: from fear or from trust.”
- “Some leaders give orders, others facilitate order.”
- “I’ve met business executives fascinated by the myth of the orchestra conductor—by the power of the baton. Convinced that without it, there would be chaos. Perhaps they haven’t realized that the baton makes no sound, and that today’s musicians—like the professionals they lead—deserve an evolved approach.”
There are four principles of Teal leadership described by Laloux that I like to keep in mind:
- Holding the space, in time of doubts through the evolutionary process, and a safe environment.
- Leading by example, embodying the new ways of doing things.
- Continuously sensing what might be the next evolutionary step for the organization.
- Listening and communicating with transparency—both internally and externally.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Discovering Laloux’s book allowed me to place Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication (NVC) into an organizational context—something I had previously only explored on a personal level.
NVC has helped me identify the hidden forms of violence embedded in our native languages: judgments, requirements, self-requirements, orders, punishments, rewards, guilt, threats, and the notion of “being in possession of reason and truth.” In my view, these are acts of communication that serve a worldview—and by extension, organizations (familial, educational, or professional)—based on vertical power structures and a desire for control.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC), developed by Marshall Rosenberg, is a communication method that fosters empathy, understanding, and authentic connection. It helps individuals express their needs and feelings clearly while listening compassionately to others. NVC is based on four steps: observing without judgment, identifying feelings, expressing needs, and making clear requests. It encourages mutual respect and helps resolve conflicts peacefully. NVC is widely used in relationships, education, organizations, and peacebuilding around the world to enhance cooperation and deepen human connection.
Today, I recognize that every time I fall back on what I call “my native language”—filled with these “hidden violences”—whether due to inattention, impulse, or habit, I’m emotionally communicating from the top of a hierarchical pyramid.
In the pursuit of a different way of doing and organizing, I’m convinced that these forms of communication are counterproductive and unconsciously sabotage any aspiration for transformation. In fact, I perceive a contradiction in trying to move away from a control-based hierarchical structure while continuing to use a language that was born from—and continues to serve—that very intention of control.
To address this sense of contradiction when people ask “How is it done?”, after Laloux’s first answer (conviction from ownership and leadership + “It’s a personal journey”), I add a second response: through NVC. We can begin by changing the way we speak—and that’s what I’ve tried to do—whether we belong to the group of leaders and owners, are members of the organization, or are people accompanying the organization on its evolutionary path.
Spiral Dynamics
In 2020, during the COVID lockdown, I came into contact for the first time with this theory developed by Don Beck and Chris Cowan.
Discovering and studying it, and later receiving training from Auke van Nimwegen and Jon Freeman, allowed me to place the Teal worldview, in my opinion, within a much more solid framework. I was surprised to find that, in my environment in Spain, many people were familiar with Frederic Laloux’s book, but few knew anything about Spiral Dynamics.
Thanks to this perspective, I’ve been able to:
Spiral Dynamics is a model of human development that explains how individuals, organizations, and societies evolve through distinct values systems in response to life conditions. It offers deep insight into motivation, leadership, and change. At ValueMatch, we apply this model through assessments and we provide training. Learn more via our free online training here or download our free e-book.
- clarify the meaning of the concept “each color includes and transcends the previous one,” which Laloux also references;
- recognize the importance of the distinct energy of each color (values system);
- identify and distinguish between the healthy and unhealthy expressions of each color;
- incorporate into my own practice what I believe can be a sustainable3 and effective evolutionary approach: dedicating priority time to healing whatever needs to be healed within each value system, each color.
In conclusion, to the question “How is it done?”, I’ve added a third answer: by reviewing the presence and the state of health of each value system that precedes Teal.
Discovering Clare Graves
Once I had discovered Spiral Dynamics, I quickly sought out its original source: Clare Graves, a psychology professor at Union College in New York and mentor to both Cowan and Beck, and his identification and description of value systems. I feel moved every time I reread his article “Human Nature Prepares for a Momentous Leap.” It was published in 1974! I believe that Laloux’s book, originally published in English in 2014, serves as concrete evidence of what Clare Graves had predicted 40 years earlier was on the verge of emerging:
“For many people the prospect of the future is dimmed by what they see as a moral breakdown of our society at both the public and private level. My research, over more than 20 years as a psychologist interested in human values, indicates that something is indeed happening to human values, but it is not so much a collapse in the fiber of man as a sign of human health and intelligence. My research indicates that man is learning that values and ways of living which were good for him at one period in his development are no longer good because of the changed condition of his existence. He is recognizing that the old values are no longer appropriate, but he has not yet understood the new. Man… is at the threshold of being human. He is truly becoming a human being. He is no longer just another of nature’s species. And we, in our times, in our ethical and general behavior, are just approaching this threshold, the line between animalism and humanism.”
Reading this excerpt allows me to add yet another answer to the original question: “How is it done?” By accepting my ignorance.
I acknowledge that the old values systems no longer help me find solutions to the problems we face today as a society, and I accept that it is still too early to fully understand and integrate the new ones.
Knowing the Starting Point
While I’ve accepted my ignorance in many aspects of this evolutionary journey—how it is done, what my environment will be like, what is about to emerge—thanks to the lens of Spiral Dynamics, I’ve become increasingly interested in understanding the starting point, which can be deciphered. From which values system is this evolutionary process trying to begin?
I realize that, in general, much more time is spent explaining where we want to evolve to and convincing skeptics of the value of the movement, than identifying the starting point—something crucial to truly understand the actual distance and assess whether the journey is realistic: whether it will be short or long, whether we have the necessary tools, etc. Because of this, at some point in the process, energy tends to fade, and the risk of failure arises.
From the perspective of Spiral Dynamics’ color framework—or the color system of Ken Wilber as used by Frederic Laloux—identifying the predominant values system of a person or organization can be fairly easy and obvious if you’ve spent some time engaging with them. In other cases, tools like the values-based questionnaires developed by ValueMatch can provide a clear starting snapshot.
At the same time—and to me, this is almost more important than identifying dominant values—we also gain insight into which value systems are most rejected by the person or group. I believe it’s crucial to understand these rejections, because I’ve often found through conversations that they can be linked to past experiences that left emotional wounds. For example, individuals who reject the Red values system may do so because they were previously exposed to people and situations where others, in their attempt to satisfy needs for self-expression, voice, and identity, did so in impulsive, dominant, opportunistic, immoral, or sexist ways, without consideration for others.
Until these wounds are acknowledged and healed, they can unconsciously obstruct evolutionary processes—almost as if they’re asking to be seen and cared for before allowing for a smoother transition.
In line with what I’ve just written, I add a new answer to the original question “How is it done?”: by knowing the starting point. Every color includes and transcends the previous ones, and all are equally important in this evolutionary journey.
A First Example
A total of 169 people have completed these questionnaires in Spanish. Mostly, they are business consultants, leaders of small organizations, and independent professionals.
The average of all these results reveals the following key traits:
- a deep rejection of the Red system, mentioned before;
- a desire to evolve from the Green system toward Teal. More specifically, a desire to evolve from an attitude centered on process as an end in itself, from an egalitarian view of the human being, and from a relational quality rooted in empathy, toward a values system that allows for greater individual responsibility and personal freedom.
Faced with this initial picture—and speaking in very simplified terms—I believe that this desired evolution toward Teal is very difficult to achieve unless we first focus on what lies behind the rejection of Red.
Often, people with a strong aversion to the Red system feel drawn to and “take refuge” in the Green system. But this Green system will not be able to evolve into Teal—yet another values system centered on the individual, like Red and Orange—unless the people within it heal their relationship with Red.
I believe it is important to accompany them through a process in which they can come to realize that:
- in general, their rejection is not of the Red system itself, but of the unhealthy expressions of the Red system;
- in the past, they have been exposed to—or “have suffered from”—these unhealthy expressions;
- these past wounds may be reopened every time a new manifestation of Red appears;
- a healthy expression of Red is necessary for Green to remain healthy. Red provides the action, independence, and creative energy for Green egalitarian values to be effectively implemented. In other words, in a Green organization, a Red voice could be welcomed—if it is expressed through Nonviolent Communication (NVC)—to set limits. For example, to prevent the inertia of repeatedly reopening debates on decisions that have already been made, Red sets boundaries to the pitfalls of Green.
In fact, I’ve always sensed that “Teal-born” organizations were able to emerge thanks to a healthy Red energy in their founders who, I believe, from the beginning—whether consciously and rationally, or more intuitively—set a clear boundary: “In this company, we will try to do things this way.”
NVC in Service of Spiral Dynamics
Marshall Rosenberg identified a set of needs common to all human beings. He viewed needs not from a negative connotation of lack, but as the driving force behind our actions—the energy that moves us in the pursuit of a more fulfilling and satisfying life.
He also understood that needs are universal, that all human beings share the same needs, and that we can group them into categories. It is very helpful for me—this is my approach—to categorize them according to the different values systems of Spiral Dynamics:
- set of survival needs – Beige system
- set of security needs – Purple system
- set of identity needs – Red system
- set of order needs – Blue system (Amber for Laloux readers)
- set of achievement needs – Orange system
- set of relational interdependence needs – Green system
- set of freedom needs – Yellow system (Teal for Laloux readers)
- set of recreational needs, and love
In the case at hand, the Red system, this set of identity needs, could unfold as follows:
- need for affirmation of my voice
- need for self-esteem
- need to be in coherence with my values
- need to trust myself
- need for self-expression
For individuals with a strong rejection of the Red system, I’ve opened conversations where we were able to identify, on one hand, the needs that are also present in all of us, characteristic of this values system, and separate them from the strategies that, in the past, certain people may have chosen to fulfill them. As I wrote before, people, “in their attempt to satisfy needs for self-expression, voice, and identity, did so in impulsive, dominant, opportunistic, immoral, or sexist ways, without consideration for others.”
Once this separation was made, my conversation partners realized that there is nothing harmful in fulfilling identity needs, such as affirmation of our voice, self-esteem, coherence with our values, self-trust, and self-expression. They recognized that the wounds they suffered were not inherent to the Red system itself, but rather how, through their hierarchical mother tongue, people communicated and acted towards them to fulfill these needs. They did so without considering our own needs, which also include those from the Red values system.
Most people who, through questionnaires, expressed rejection of the Red values system, do not actually reject it in its entirety. What they reject is a particular way of expressing it. Through the practice of NVC, they begin to change and accept their relationship with Red, heal wounds, and free themselves from blocks that prevent them from continuing to evolve through the different systems.
I’ve been able to extrapolate this same process in other conversations where people expressed rejections towards other values systems.
So, to the question “How is it done?” I add another answer:
- by identifying rejections of values systems;
- by recognizing the harmful expressions of the system;
- by realizing that harmful expressions and needs are different concepts.
Ken Wilber
In my conversations with readers of Laloux’s book in Spanish, I have rarely encountered people who were aware that Wilber is the author of the preface to the original version of the book. I mention him now, and the Four Quadrants model, because the initiatives I have come across that aim to evolve towards Teal have started by acting in the two Right Quadrants (Exterior Individual perspective: Outer Biology and Behaviors, and Exterior Collective perspective: Structures and Networks), without taking into account the Left Quadrants (Interior Individual perspective: Inner Experience, and Interior Collective perspective: Social and Cultural Experience). In other words, they have not considered the title of the first video in Laloux’s series that I mentioned earlier (“It’s a Personal Journey”), nor the old phrase from management consultant and author Peter Drucker: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Integral Theory, developed by Ken Wilber, is a comprehensive framework that seeks to integrate the insights of science, philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and systems thinking. It maps reality through four core perspectives: individual and collective, interior and exterior. These are known as the Four Quadrants. Integral Theory also incorporates developmental stages, states of consciousness, and multiple intelligences, offering a holistic view of personal and societal evolution. It’s widely used in leadership, education, coaching, and organizational transformation.
I believe that, frequently, we begin attempts at evolutionary processes without addressing Wilber’s Left Quadrants; we overlook the importance of changing our own mindset and caring for the culture of our organizations. We forgot, or we were not conscious of the interdependence of the Four Quadrants.
Therefore, to the question “How is it done?” I add: by attending to the Four Quadrants (Inner Experience, Outer Behavior, Shared Values, and Structures and Networks) of Ken Wilber.
So far
So far in this article, considering “How is it done?” I have written the following:
- it all starts with the conviction of the ownership and governing bodies of each organization;
- It’s a Personal Journey;
- with Nonviolent Communication (NVC);
- reviewing the degree of presence and the state of health of each values system;
- accepting my ignorance;
- knowing the starting point;
- once the starting point is identified:
- identifying the rejections of the values systems
- recognizing the harmful expressions of this value system
- realizing that harmful expressions and needs are different concepts
- attending to the Four Quadrants (Inner Experience, Outer Behavior, Shared Values, and Structures and Networks) of Ken Wilber.
These are the approaches with which I naturally feel comfortable and that I embrace.
Over the years, they have allowed me to create and sustain relationships of deep connection and trust, grounded in respect for each person’s life moment—as well as my own. And at the same time, to explore, day by day, spaces of autonomy, responsibility, and freedom. “Reaching Teal” by including and transcending the healthiest expressions of previous systems. I feel it’s been, and still is, a fun, intense and truly valuable journey.
To these approaches, I want to add those of a real case that I have had—and continue to have—the privilege of experiencing from within.4 A process led by Joan Planes (1941–2025) for evolving the governance of an organization.
A Real Case, Like in the Book
I hope a detailed case study beyond my very brief summary here will be written soon.
Joan Planes was a Catalan entrepreneur. Born in Estamariu, a small town in the Catalan Pyrenees near Andorra, he founded and led for many years, until his passing, a company headed today by his son Eloi. It is publicly listed, part of the exclusive IBEX 35 (the benchmark stock market index in Spain), and is a global leader in the pool and wellness sector: Fluidra.
As president of the Fundació Fluidra (FF) and with the goal of helping both a private symphony orchestra and an opera company be as sustainable as any other enterprise, Joan Planes proposed the creation of a new legal entity, the Fundació Òpera Catalunya (FOC), together with which three other organizations would share equal co-responsibility and ownership. These three would be:
- the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès5 (OSV), an organization already sponsored by the FF and based in Sabadell (a city of 200,000 inhabitants a few kilometers north of Barcelona),
- the Associació Amics de l’Òpera de Sabadell, an opera company,
- and the Fundació Banc Sabadell, the main sponsor of both musical initiatives.
From the perspective of Spiral Dynamics, what Joan Planes did with the creation of the new legal framework—the Fundació Òpera Catalunya—was to change the life conditions of the participating entities. Opera management was transferred to the orchestra, which in turn carried out a capital increase so that the new foundation would hold 33% of its shares. In addition, for the first time in over 30 years thanks to this new legal framework, the Banc Sabadell Foundation engaged with both the opera company and the orchestra with the kind of closeness typical of a shared project.
Corporate sponsors had become partners.
Meanwhile, the Fluidra Foundation has presided over the project from a position of deep listening to the needs of each involved party, posing many questions related to management, strategic planning, finance, continuous improvement, and resource optimization. All this, of a quality and focus rarely seen in cultural organizations.
This change in life conditions—the new legal and conversational framework—has enabled a significant improvement in management and financial results. At the same time, stakeholders have changed their perception of the project’s quality, with a substantial increase in the number of concerts, audience attendance, and public subsidies.
Today, this model is a benchmark in Spain and has allowed the budget to double, from 4 million to over 8 million euros, without a significant increase in contributions from its former sponsors.
I collaborated with Joan Planes for almost 10 years. From our frequent conversations,6 I identify some “ingredients” that, in my view, he used to imagine, create, and lead this new entity:
- intuition;
- a will to do, give, and receive;
- perseverance;
- connection with a purpose;
- very long-term vision;
- short-term action;
- the ability to listen and respect the appropriate rhythm of specific processes (one of our frequent debates fluctuated between “we are going too slow” and “we shouldn’t rush, things need their time to mature”);
- the creation of an ever-expanding network of conversations (Joan Planes wrote in his memoirs that for him, an organization was nothing more than a network of conversations);
- the ability enabled by his experience from his rural roots to his success as an entrepreneur, to converse with people from different values systems and unite them in a common cause7;
- presence and passion.
A set of ingredients that aim to generate greater well-being for people while ensuring the economic sustainability of the project.
Although Joan Planes did not know anything about Spiral Dynamics, the day I shared with him a brief summary of this theory, he found everything to be obvious and natural. In my life experience, he has been the person with whom I found it easiest to share and converse about it.8
To the question “How is it done?” he answered with facts. Like the leaders of the organizations in Frederic Laloux’s book Reinventing Organizations.
If I draw a certain parallel with the conclusions of my personal experience, these facts I have just mentioned have allowed the people from the founding organizations to build, maintain, and enjoy relationships of mutual respect and trust among themselves, while at the same time preserving their identity and freedom.
Thank you, Joan, for the example and the time shared in so many conversations!9
To conclude
I’d like to revisit and expand on the initial title, in an attempt to summarize what I’ve shared throughout this article.
The message behind the title “Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Teal Organizations, and Spiral Dynamics” is that:
- NVC has been a valuable tool for me in communicating with others—using a language free of hidden violence—a shared desire to evolve toward the Teal stage;
- by understanding the Spiral Dynamics framework, I’ve become aware of how important it is for me to focus on and take time to identify the starting point of each person and organization (and my own!), as we begin to evolve—together and in harmony.
All from a place of mutual respect, and acceptance of the diversity of motivations, perspectives, and inner rhythms.
As Clare Graves said:
“Every person [and every organization] has the right to be who they are.”
– April 2025
www.mel.cat | www.conversare.ooo
Notes
- After graduating in Barcelona and years of post-graduate studies both in the USA and in the Netherlands, my first profession was as a classical orchestra musician (I played the violin and the viola) and conservatory teacher, so I’ve had a natural tendency to look for musical examples. Now I realize that as a musician, I was expected to follow the conductor’s orders, with no spaces for any conversation. As a teacher, I had a space to give as many orders as I wanted, on behalf of the established curricula. Back then, without really knowing why, in less than two years I gave up on these positions and started reinventing my professional career.
- When I share these videos from the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra (Debussy and Copland), in which you see an orchestra performing without a conductor, I always say: don’t be mistaken, there was a conductor. His name is James Ross, the one who designed the projects and who had—and still has—the gift of trust. During the concert, he was sitting in the audience, enjoying the sound of his musicians.
- If we try to evolve toward new values systems without healing what’s unresolved, we won’t achieve sustainable evolution. We’ll carry the wound with us, and sooner or later it will resurface.
- I’ve been collaborating with the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès for 20 years as an advisor to its Board of Directors and Management.
- In 2012, the orchestra, the opera chorus, and the bank created this flashmob (“We Are Sabadell”), which still holds the world record for classical music on YouTube with over 95 million views. Following this success, the bank’s trust in the orchestra’s professional management changed.
- In our conversations, we shared reflections on how we could explain that the Fundació Fluidra, which bears the subtitle Joan Planes’ Legacy, is committed to sustainability from two angles: the sustainability of physical life, through water-related projects, and the emotional sustainability of communities, through a tool that has served every social ritual throughout human history. Music. “Music is the soul of life,” Joan Planes used to say.
- The word value derives from the Latin valere, which means “to be strong.” Personal values are a manifestation of what makes each person feel strong and authentic. Trying to change others’ strengths seems to me both unrealistic and disrespectful. What we can do is identify and acknowledge them, while doing the same with our own. And most importantly, initiate a conversation about them (see conversare.ooo).
- Mid-conversation, Joan showed me a photo of a sculpture he had commissioned, now installed in the garden of his hometown house: a spiral staircase with no handrail, being climbed by the figures of a woman and a man. The woman, in front.
- During these 10 years, Joan Planes as President of the FOC held monthly meetings with what he called his advisory team: Xavier Servat (Vice President and Managing Director of the Fundació Fluidra, and Patron of the FOC), Oscar Lanuza (Managing Director of the OSV and General Director of the FOC), Jordi Cos (President and Programming Director of the OSV, and Patron of the FOC), and myself. These three people—Servat, Lanuza, and Cos—have been instrumental in making this project a reality.
