CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
6.11 Prospects for Co - Presencing Processes
According to Scharmer (2009a) presencing is the ability to shift the place of perception to the source of an emerging future and to bring that future into being. Presencing is a new form of
168 learning based on sensing and enacting the future rather than learning by re-enacting the patterns of the past in terms of the Kolb type of learning cycle (Scharmer, 2000).
6.11.1 Discussion on Co – Presencing Processes
All the stakeholders within the Msunduzi waste management system would like to bring into being futures that are closely aligned to the objectives of the Waste Act from universal access to source separation collection services, to the treatment of organic waste and the creation of a recycling industry. Despite the stakeholders belonging to different organisations they would collectively like to ensure that the future Msunduzi waste management system is characterised by integrated waste management services with a focus on environmental protection and mitigating against climate change. It is strange that the stakeholders tend to have a common outlook for the future but differ significantly on approaches to address the current challenges. It is likely that conflicts of interest play a partial role in causing the divisions that currently exist between the stakeholders. It is also likely that the widespread use by all the stakeholders of traditional learning cycles which focus on re-enacting patterns of the past contribute to the maintenance of the status quo.
The leadership of the WMU and the LSU have predictably and rather ominously identified nothing that they would need to leave behind in order to enable them to work more
effectively with other stakeholders. This is in stark contrast to honesty of the NGO and technical expert sectors which have identified serious issues relating to their attitudes to the MM that they would need to leave behind if they wish to collaborate successfully with the MM.
The business sector is quick to point out that they require the MM to become transparent and accountable in order for relationships to improve between the two parties but are silent on what their members would need to let go of in order to realise the highest future potential of the Msunduzi waste management system.
The political sector has had enough of the current leadership of the WMU and the LSU and believes that the highest future potential of the system is only likely to be attained if the current leadership of the WMU is replaced, unsurprisingly they do not identify any matters they would need to let go of in order to work with other stakeholders..
169 6.11.2 Conclusions on Co – Presencing Processes
During the research process it has become clear that core players within the Msunduzi waste management system collectively have very limited or no past experiences with some of the challenges that they are now expected to face in realising the objectives of the Waste Act.
Amongst the issues that the stakeholders have identified that will require presencing type approaches to learning include cleaner production technologies to prevent waste, source separation collection services to enable recycling, the operation of material recovery and waste treatment facilities and the building of high capacity municipal waste management institutions to meet the challenges of providing integrated waste management services.
Stakeholders within the Msunduzi waste management system would collectively like to bring into being futures that are very well aligned to the objectives of the Waste Act. The MM has legal obligations to achieve the objectives of the Waste Act within the Msunduzi waste management system and is therefore very fortunate to have access within this system to highly capable NGO‟s, technical experts, specialised waste management businesses as well as regulatory authorities who would like to work collectively to create a new waste
management system.
During the research process most of the stakeholders identified issues that they would need to leave behind in order to work effectively with the MM to create better futures. The
leadership of the WMU and the LSU as well as the political leadership of the MM have not identified any issues during the research process that they would need to leave behind in order to work with other stakeholders. This indicates institutional arrogance on their part, ie.
the belief that they know what is best for the system,this is likely to prevent the stakeholders within the system from working together to create alternate futures. This conclusion is consistent with an earlier conclusion that suggested that stakeholders within the MM are operating within the cycle of absencing which creates economies of destruction instead of the economies of creation that is associated with the cycle of presencing.
The political leadership of the MM has indicated that the leadership of the WMU and the LSU would need to be replaced in order to improve the waste management system; this position is likely to escalate the institutional arrogance, absencing and pathological
170 tendencies within the WMU and the LSU. Given this situation limited prospects exist for stakeholders within the MM to be brought together to support one another to engage in co- presencing activities.
6.11.3 Recommendations on Co – Presencing Processes
Key role players within the MM would need to participate in sensing processes designed to enable them to let go of their old self and habitual ways of seeing that prevent them from working together with other stakeholders within the Msunduzi waste management system in order to achieve the highest future possibility of the system.
The stakeholders of the Msunduzi waste management system would need to support each other in order to enable each other to access their creative potential so that each of them can do the work that they love to do and collectively bring into being the highest future
possibility of the Msunduzi waste management system.
The stakeholders of the Msunduzi waste management system would need to establish a safe collective holding space in which they can support each other to make sense and to advance the work that they are undertaking to improve the Msunduzi waste management system.
Scharmer (2009a, 410) refers to such spaces as “Circles of Presence” in which core players hold one another in the highest future intention. Specifically they would need to look at the present from the highest possible future that can emerge within their system and do all that they can to bring that future into being.