Testimonials

We have been applying aspects of the Map of Meaning here in classes in management and leadership at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School over the last seven years. Students have found this frame an invaluable tool for orienting themselves in the face of what they see as an insurmountable range of paradoxes presented by our modern world. They ask themselves; how can I effect change ethically and meaningfully when my needs and those of the world, my values and the direction of society seem so at odds. Working with this frame has brought integration and empowerment, clarity and personal commitment to these students. It’s great to see it in its published form.

By providing a well tested, comprehensive framework and language, this work helps managers to engage in a genuine dialogue on how daily tasks can be a natural expression of what truly matters, beyond profits and growth. Grounded and deep, the authors show us how to integrate inspiration and purpose into the reality of business.

In a relaxed and peaceful environment, this workshop gave me a wonderful opportunity to look at the heart of my organisation and see where I could personally make a contribution to a deeper understanding of its spirit.

In evaluating our relationship from a profound place we realised how simple it was to actually talk about what is important to us, and how little time we do spend talking about that matters most to us. 

I experienced this model as being much more than a 'model'. It is a life process of development that keeps one focused on what it is to be truly human.

The map does not bestow wisdom from on high but releases it from within.

This work defines a territory that has been hard to grasp. For the first time we can fully understand the value of meaningfulness in our work and life. Most impressively, the Map of Meaning shows us how to increase meaningfulness. 

I loved the book and am so glad to have been exposed to the model and all the ways it can be generative – what a gift! Lips-Wiersma and Morris bring the meaning we make of life to a whole new level of understanding in their book, The Map of Meaning. They offer their Holistic Developmental Model as an analytical and practical tool for engaging different pathways of meaning making in our work and in our lives more generally. The book is overflowing with useful advice and examples of how to engage the model as a means for fostering individual and collective growth, learning and re-becoming whole.