Ventana Organizational Advisory Services

Ventana is an advisory, training and research project which implements the Academy’s learning field inquiry model within social benefit organizations.

The Academy sees and supports the emergence of a new culture in many organizations: one in which human relationships are of paramount importance. The social value that these organizations seek to create in the world derives first from the living embodiment of social values within the organization itself. A healthy and creative culture of relationship within the organization directly increases the capacity of that organization to fulfill its mission. We believe that an organization is shaped by the quality of its relationships and that its mission cannot outpace them in a way that is sustainable. The fulfillment of an organizational vision depends on people who can both reach for the vision and find their way to each other: individuals who can be the change that they strive to bring into the world.

Much of the Academy’s early work focused on supporting organizations such as these with a leading edge social mission. As facilitators, consultants and colleagues our approach has been to encourage the emergence of learning communities from within these organizations. These vibrant relational communities foster creativity, inquiry, and critical reflection.

What we have learned over many years is that a culture of learning community within an organization can truly liberate the impulses that live within that organization and create the conditions for deep expression of the organizational purpose.

As the Academy expands we recognize the critical importance of this work on behalf of organizations. We have created Ventana, as a way directly to expand the Academy’s work with for-profit, and not-for-profit social benefit organizations (who we serve). We are committed to developing this work and to contributing to the body of knowledge that emerges as we, and others, bring new patterns into the world that support connection, interdependency and sustainability.

The approach and methods of Ventana grow from the basic learning models of the Academy, and continue to develop from our learning. We specialize in helping people attend to the relationships within an organization, recognize the quality of the container in which these relationships take place, and align the organization’s practices with the values that it espouses. Ultimately, this work serves to assure the successful expression of the mission of the social benefit organization in the larger world.

Given the amount of time that we spend at work, many of our most important relationships exist within an organizational context. When we are free to live and work in a way that attends to our interconnection and supports our learning and growth, a natural impulse toward real learning community arises. We recognize the experience when we are thriving in this way, yet it is often very difficult to describe the actual relational conditions that exist in such an environment. To help address this, through Ventana we are developing assessment tools to enable individuals and organizations to discern both their prevailing conditions and the conditions that would help strengthen their capacity to flourish.

For information about Ventana and its programs, please contact the Academy at learn[at]aloveoflearning.org or call the Academy at (505) 995-1860.