Observing Change in the Present Moment: Lessons from Zen Leaders and Teachers

Zen philosophy concerns the nature of reality, which is constant change. Yet, no research exists concerning the application of Zen to leadership in a modern, secular organization. In this exploratory study, seven sources authored by Zen leaders were analyzed for content related to leadership and change. The leadership findings were framed in terms of Bass and Riggio’s transformational leadership model. While the approach of Zen leaders largely aligns with transformational leadership, several discrepancies were revealed. References to change most commonly involved the concepts Self/No-Self, Perception, Permanence/Impermanence, Attachment/Non-Attachment, Time, Knowledge, Calmness/Excitement, Concentration/Observation, Independence/Interdependence, Leadership, and Movement. Future research is recommended to examine Zen in the context of servant and spiritual leadership models, and to interview Zen leaders concerning application of Zen philosophy in their practice of leadership. OBSERVING CHANGE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT 3 Observing Change in the Present Moment: Lessons from Zen Leaders and Teachers This paper is the first step in an emerging area of research interest: how Zen philosophies might inform leadership in higher education. The topic has some inherent dilemmas. First, the scholarship of leadership tends toward models and definitions, while Zen teachers exhort practitioners to avoid forming specific views. Second, Zen teachers or leaders de-emphasize themselves, so their roles are often hidden. Meanwhile, most traditional leadership models still focus on the leader. There are also vocabulary challenges. Mindfulness is a popular topic these days. But while all variations of Zen involve mindfulness, there are many mindfulness practices that have little to do with Zen. Zen implies an entire approach to life of which mindfulness is just one component. Entries in scholarly encyclopedias concerning Zen fail to provide a concise definition. Cooper (2014) and others categorize it as a religion, but note there is no formulated doctrine or system by which to describe it intellectually. Zen has several sects, and has been combined with other religions and philosophies—Taoism and Confucianism in China, and Christianity in the United States. Across the diversity of practice, however, there seems to be agreement that the point of Zen practice is to discover an “awareness of reality through an alteration of perception that includes the derailment of cognitive linear thought, which engenders access of our capacity for prajna (quick knowing, intuition, intimate knowing)” (Cooper 2014). Common practices to develop this awareness include sitting meditation (zazen), koan study, dialogues with a teacher, and “moment-to-moment mindfulness during all daily activities” (Cooper 2014). Zen may offer leaders unique strategies for approaching change and engaging an organization in the change process in a less stressful, less disruptive way. Zen teachers describe how clinging to specific concepts and mental models can imprison our minds, reducing our OBSERVING CHANGE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT 4 ability to be fully awake and engaged with whatever the present reality brings (Suzuki 2011). As the world changes and ceases to match our expectations, we feel disturbed and unsettled. Such stress can be seen in any modern organization undergoing a major transition: indeed, every modern organization is constantly undergoing change. A Zen perspective involves observing the constantly arising changes all around us during each present moment and making peace with that reality. What lessons can we learn from Zen leaders and teachers attempting to help people develop present-moment awareness and grapple with the state of constant change? This paper will explore the writings of three Zen leaders from different centuries of practice: Dogen (13 century), a reformer who reinvigorated Zen in Japan at multiple temples after studying in China; Shunryu Suzuki (20 century), who created a thriving Zen community in San Francisco in the 1960s and introduced a new approach to “American Buddhism,” and Angel Kyodo Williams (21 century), a Zen priest who leads community conversations surrounding race, love, and liberation. None of these leaders were writing about organizational change per se, but their words and behaviors still provide indications to how a Zen leader might approach leading an organization through change.