"A Values Perspective from Space"

It is interesting to consider how Mark Shuttleworth the South African entrepreneur currently visiting the International Space Station now views this globe on which we all live.  What he no doubt sees is a blue globe hanging in the blackness of space with the stars.  What he does not see are the artificial national boundaries which are often the cause of much of the violence and conflict experienced on this very fragile and small planet on which we all live.

Values and Their Impact
In considering the possibility of the impact of "values Systems" on our globe there is no doubt that even a world without national boundaries would still experience violence and conflict, but for different reasons.  There would still be the have's and have not's who would both fight on for their own reasons.  The one group would be fighting to retain what they have and the other group to gain as much advantage for themselves as possible, often from the opposing group.

Life need not however, be purely a straight conflict between straight win and lose situations.  There are many who believe that the "art of the third win" is an important requirement for a peaceful and prosperous world into the 21st Century and beyond.

Differing Values Systems
In looking at the Values Technology originally developed by Professor Clare Graves and further refined by Dr Don Beck this has a range of eight differing and interlocking values on the spiral. These values are much like a modern Formula 1 racing car with a range of gears covering a variety of options and responses for differing life conditions.  In terms of the different Values Systems developed by Clare Graves and refined by Don Beck the eight levels are as follows:

· Beige AN: Basic Survival - Staying Alive
· Purple BO:  Tribal centred - Safety and Security
· Red CP: Power and Empire focus - Raw Power and Action
· Blue DQ: Truth Force - Stability and Structure
· Orange ER: Strategic Enterprise - Success and Autonomy
· Green FS: Social Network - Community Harmony and Equality
· Yellow GT: Systemic Process / Integral
· Turquoise HU: Holistic Organism - Global View  

The first six value systems are most commonly found today and are contained in the 1st Tier while the 2nd Tier Systems currently cover Yellow and Turquoise.  

The 2nd Tier Values are those that are able to integrate the differing Values Systems across all the boundaries.  What is required globally are leaders in the political, business and other fields who understand how to integrate the differing demands from the various values systems contained across the spectrum.  

For a more detailed explanation of these values systems refer to the GVN website at www.globalvaluesnetwork.com 

A World Divided by Values
A simplistic view of the world is either the have's vs have not's, the developed vs under-developed or a breakdown along racial or religious lines. None of these correctly reflect the true situation as most of us carry a range of values systems in us, as does every country and even organisation. 

However, it is true that generally the developed countries carry a wider range of the Blue, Orange, Green and Yellow values while those which are less developed have some of these but more of the Red, Purple and even Beige systems. Blue is generally the bridge between the two systems. Many countries reflect a wide range of these Values Systems and the necessity globally is for leaders of all types to be able to read and manage these systems at all of the local, regional and global levels. 

Much of the global research has been conducted in South Africa which has been used as a model as most of these values systems exist in that country.  Don Beck in fact has often been quoted as saying that South Africa is a microcosm of the globe as a whole.  The description "Rainbow Nation" correctly describes the range of Values Systems which exist side by side in South Africa.

A particularly interesting example is the visit of a team of Scotland Yard detectives from London to consult their colleagues in South Africa on a particularly horrific murder in London. These detectives are consulting with the Occult Investigation Unit of the South African Police Services which is the only unit of its kind in the world ( Purple and Beige ).

The Globe in the Future
Returning to Mark Shuttleworth, now orbiting the globe, how much more successful would all our communities be if we more fully understood how to manage these differing values which influence us all.

The challenge to the world is that the developed countries do not always understand how to correctly handle some of the values systems such as Red and Purple.  Equally the developing countries do not understand the Green and Yellow systems.  The challenge is to integrate and expand the understanding of these differing systems on a global basis. 

The work currently being undertaken by the GVN is focussed on providing practical solutions to these long standing global problems.  This work includes our "Values in Action" program as well as the ValuesSCAN Initiative.

Conclusion
In considering the possibilities of the more extensive use of Values Technology on a global scale in the future, we can perhaps envision a globe similar to the one Mark Shuttleworth sees, as he views the world in orbit from the International Space Station.

Globalisation has created a world where information moves instantaneously by electronic means and global companies are often larger and more influential than many governments.  This creates a real need for leaders to understand values at a deeper level while at the same time providing  opportunities for global citizens to enjoy not only a better life but also a safer and more understandable  world.   

The GVN wishes to take this opportunity of wishing Mark Shuttleworth the most rewarding  personal learning experience possible.  At the same time we hope that this article will allow people to open their minds and worldviews to a totally different perspective of this unique Spaceship Earth which carries us all on our life's journey and on which we all live together.

Alan Tonkin
CEO: Global Values Network   
25 April, 2002