“What invisible tensions in your team, if eased, could shift results by 20% or more?” Learning How Coherence Actually Feels… and How We Can See ItWe’ve become obsessed with measuring everything that moves, and much that doesn’t: profit, efficiency, performance, pace, engagement, satisfaction indices. But although we all sense it, we barely understand, and rarely measure, the system’s pulse – the ‘mystical’ essence that makes all these things work. We talk about alignment: lining up all our resources in service of a goal. It’s tidy, rational, mechanical. A nicely orchestrated processing machine, beautifully compliant and delivery-efficient. But alignment is two-dimensional -- a cognitive arrangement of parts along a line. And we’ve entered the white water, where change happens too fast for linearity, top-down instruction and fixed horizons. In the age of living systems, aligning resources is not enough. Tomorrow’s organisations are not machines, optimised for rational, linear environments. They’re dynamic ecosystems — pulsing, adaptive, relational. And living, human systems demand something beyond alignment: they need coherence.  Coherence is the invisible rhythm of living, thriving systemsWhere optimisation arranges, coherence animates. It’s what allows teams to move together without instruction — like a murmuration of starlings, or a rugby team in perfect flow. Coherence doesn’t demand agreement. It evokes attunement — the shared sense of what’s right now and what’s next. It’s the rhythm that turns structure into movement. When coherence is strong, teams experience ease, flow and trust. When it’s weak, friction emerges: decisions stall, meetings repeat, fatigue creeps in, and energy leaks into politics or avoidance. These are not process problems. They’re rhythm fractures. Peeling back the layers
Before a system can change, it must learn to see itself clearly. The Coherence Map: making the invisible visibleCoherence mapping isn’t mystical. It’s a tool to support pattern recognition. Like an organisational ECG, coherence mapping tracks the rhythm of trust, clarity, and momentum. It gives leaders and teams a living compass — one that can guide action even in uncertainty. Why this matters nowLinear planning once gave us a sense of control. But in today’s uncertain, interconnected world, predictability is an illusion. What organisations need is not more control — but more coherence. Coherence gives teams the ability to sense what’s needed next, together, in real time. It builds trust, sharpens clarity, and restores vitality. That’s why coherence is becoming the new strategic advantage  The good news? A micro-practice for restoring rhythmI offer you this small micro-practice:
In your next team meeting, notice the moment the rhythm falters. When conversation spirals or someone’s energy drops, pause. Invite one slow, collective breath. In that pause, coherence has a chance to re-enter the room. You’ll feel it when everyone subtly relaxes and focus returns — that’s the pulse of the system re-aligning. Small moments like this are how teams begin to move from alignment to coherence. We conduct a short interview with Dr Ryk Croukamp, collaborator, business partner, Mentor on Call, and believer in the infinite potential of human beings, to ascertain the key ingredient required to lead teams through traumatic times. Turns out it boils down to a very simple, yet often personally challenging, principle. Ryk offers training in the powerful, empirically informed 'Change Cycle' model he developed to help individuals and leaders alike make sense of, and effectively process, traumatic change and upheaval. He has recently repackaged this training into tiers that fit the budget and needs of individuals as well as different size groups. Contact Ryk directly, quoting SOLFEGGIO, for preferential pricing on this exceptional training which has the potential to change lives. With his rich experience consulting to corporates globally in organisation design and people-change management over several decades, Ryk is available at executive level as Mentor on Call with Solfeggio, as well as for freelance engagements in his field of expertise. Contact us to enquire further about securing Ryk's services. In June 2020, Solfeggio established CIMBIOSYS in conjunction with our business partner, CustomAline. Cimbiosys is a collaborative project that brings together a global network of thought leaders, domain specialists and experienced consultants aspiring to the co-creation of organisational ecosystems that serve the interests of all participants. Our initial venture was to hold a series of 5 online leadership conversations with 14 panelists and a limited audience of 20 executives from around the globe. View the highlights - and a glimpse of some of the exceptional content shared - on our YouTube channel, and keep your eye on www.cimbiosys.com for our next thought-provoking series... there's more to come!
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