Tipu Ake Lifecycle: A journey
A Case study compiled by Ross Milne Management
Tutor , The Auckland University of Technology .
Living and working on the Asia-Pacific rim means having
access to many new and exciting ideas from the cultures
that have lived in this region for many thousands of
years. New Zealand is part of the South Pacific. Before
the Europeans came to New Zealand, the indigenous peoples-Maori-lived
and traded as iwi-the groups descended from each of
the great canoes that carried the people to these islands.
This case study is about sharing a model of leadership
that has come from one of these communities of descendants.
It is an action-focused model that can be used by any
organisation, project, group, team, family or even individual
that needs to make new things happen.
Tipu Ake's genesis was brought about by the threatened
closure in 1996 of a small rural school in an isolated
area of the Whirinaki State Forest. The board of Te
Whaiti school and the local community (unemployed for
a generation since native timber milling was discontinued)
set about a process of transformation that began with
self-reflection. They used the imagery of their magnificent
podocarp forest to help explain the organic, cyclical
nature of their unique process. Five years later the
school's environment has changed dramatically, attracting
excellent reports from the Education Review Office.
The school's turnaround drew the attention of Peter
Goldsbury, one of the school's past pupils and an experienced
project manager. Peter, who delivers short courses in
'Managing Projects and Innovation in your Organisation'
at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), recognised
that the transformation process that the school had
devised to heal itself seemed to overcome the limitations
of the conventional, linear style of management thinking.
Over a period of several months Peter, the school board,
the kaumatua or elders of the community, AUT staff and
participants in project management workshops adapted
this process into a model for managing innovation in
business. The model was named Tipu Ake ki te Ora (growing
from within ever upwards towards wellbeing).
Management models developed in one cultural paradigm
often do not fit in others. Certainly, the conventional
models with which Peter Goldsbury was familiar would
not, perhaps, have served Te Whaiti well. This can best
be described in Peter's own words:
I returned to Te Whaiti on a research assignment to
try to help them capture their unique natural processes
to share as a new organisational leadership model and
was amazed by the wisdom and positiveness shared by
elders, the community and the school. I began to understand
why the concept of compound interest did not fit easily
with them-their maths was different. I saw the significance
of a popular quiz question during my time at Te Whaiti
School.
Question: 'What's a one and a one?' Answer: not two,
but 'Eleven!'
In the Tipu Ake lifecycle, however, there may be a model
of universal applicability. At a meeting in August 2001,
Peter spoke of his involvement in developing the model,
saying that he felt 'immensely privileged to be chosen
to help put [it] together, a task almost a lifetime
in learning'. He presented his own understanding of
Tipu Ake ki te Ora, how its strength came from them
rediscovering their wairua [internal spirit]; that it
is through collective wisdom that society achieves global
wellbeing.
These people force us to think right outside the square.
They have visions of wellness, concepts of shared leadership,
teamwork, collective sensing and wisdom that demonstrate
that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.
Far from just 'catching the knowledge wave' they offer
those who would listen the opportunity for Aotearoa
[New Zealand] to 'grow it'-to take a unique leading
place in the world. The life of Peter Blake and Team
New Zealand's success repeats the same challenge.
But Peter has found that the path to collective wisdom
is not a straightforward one.
It has been a rewarding passion, but not an easy journey
for me as a pakeha [New Zealander of European descent]
to translate but a little of their holistic and organic
thinking into a model understandable by organisations
in a linear world preoccupied with facts, with individuals
and dollars.
What is Tipu Ake? The following diagram is a business
model perspective of the Tipu Ake lifecycle. It is a
behavioural model that reflects the complexity and interrelatedness
of the world. The differences between the Tipu Ake lifecycle
and other business models are considerable.
Most contemporary business models take a linear path
towards the achievement of objectives. Tipu Ake is cyclical
and acknowledges the significance of returning to the
'undercurrents', the negative resistance that can be
channelled into a re-germination process that ultimately
strengthens the organisation.
The model consists of seven layers. Growing out of
the 'undercurrent' requires shared leadership to nurture
the 'seed'. The seed takes root through the commitment
of the team to support its growth. Action requires organisational
processes to strengthen its growth. Beyond these processes,
sensing builds the individual perception into a collective
view; that is, the foundation for collective wisdom
of the group, achieved through teamwork and the sharing
of leadership. 'Pest control' (alias risk management)
is the process used to react to the destructive effect
of 'pests' that frustrate upward growth. More importantly,
the 'birds' represent the proactive processes that germinate
new ideas and capitalise on opportunities.
But Tipu Ake is more than these words. Its value for
all is best expressed in the following statement:
In the knowledge-sharing tradition of Toi, the Tipu
Ake lifecycle is in the public domain gifted to the
world's children © 2001 Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi. In
return a koha (gift you can afford based on its value
to you) is appreciated, to help further voluntary education
and community development for the wellbeing of children
in the valley and beyond.
This is an invitation to learn about the Tipu Ake lifecycle
and then use it to contribute to global wellbeing-and
to thank Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi for sharing it.
REFERENCES
R. Wynyard 2001, 'Whirinaki Bush Wisdom'
K. Laugesen 2001, 'Growing the future'
P Goldsbury 2002, 'Tipu Ake: A Leadership Model for
Innovative Organisations' p. 2
(All available on the Tipu Ake Website)
WEB LINKS
For more details about the Tipu Ake lifecycle, its
applications in different organisations and its on-going
development, visit the website: www.tipuake.org.nz
The school at which the concept first took fruit also
has a web presence. www.tewhaiti.school.nz
ACTIVITIES FOR DISCUSSION, ANALYSIS AND FURTHER
RESEARCH
1 The case study is as much about a personal journey
to understanding as it is about Tipu Ake. Yet the
journey is Tipu Ake. Discuss this statement and in
the process relate it to your own experience of learning.
2 Consider Tipu Ake in relation to Geert Hofstede's
research on organisations and culture. Is yours a
culture that is likely to embrace Tipu Ake?
3 The full name is Tipu Ake ki te Ora 'growing from
within ever upwards towards wellbeing'. As described
in the case 'it is gifted to the world, dedicated
to the wellbeing of all its future children'. Explore
other Pacific Rim cultures and see if you can find
any other examples of a process that you can compare
to Tipu Ake.
4 All Tipu Ake intellectual property and copyright
is assigned to the place of its origin, Te Whaiti
Nui-a-Toi from where it can never be sold or stolen.
Discuss the ownership of indigenous wisdom passed
down orally for thousands of years and the implications
for those who may now write it down, publish it or
try to exploit it.
A version of this case study is published in "Management
- A Pacific Rim Focus " by Bartol, Tein, Mathews
and Martin. McGraw Hill Australia. ISBN 0-07-471189-X
Editors wishing to publish this
story please contact Peter Goldsbury pgoldsbury@stratex.co.nz.
It must be footnoted with the following copyright
statement:
Tipu Ake Lifecycle -
A leadership model for innovative organisations.
(c) 2001/2 Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi, see www.tipuake.org.nz
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