This article and its associated presentation of the same name outlines the activities of Cranmore Foundation and describes a five-part process through which professionals and the business community can translate the world’s wisdom traditions into practical and contemporary design principles. The foundation seeks to inspire and create sustainable solutions for the business community and society at large.

1. Cranmore Foundation
Living Wisdom
New inspiration from wisdom traditions
This article outlines the activities of Cranmore Foundation and describes a five-part
process through which professionals and the business community can translate the
world’s wisdom traditions into practical and contemporary design principles. The
foundation seeks to inspire and create sustainable solutions for the business
community and society at large.
New thinking for better business solutions
The current economic, ecological and cultural problems challenging our globalised
world indicate the urgent need to reassess the long-term viability of our existing
paradigm. These ‘wicked problems’1 require fundamentally new thinking in our
approaches to governance, finance, ecology, education and culture. It is widely
recognised that our value system is in crisis and that collective reflection is essential
to our search for answers. Recent trends in business thinking have, to some extent,
taken up this need for reassessment.
For example, the Harvard Business Review reports Michael Porter and Mark Kramer
as calling for the creation of new corporate social values.2 Integration of aesthetics
and spirituality in leadership and management techniques is advocated by business
schools like French INSEAD and the Dutch leadership institute De Baak. Further,
Gilbert Lenssen and Ted Roosevelt Malloch at the EABIS Colloquium3 advocate a
‘practical wisdom project.’4 These developments are part of a wider trend that
recognises the need for leadership to broaden its scope to become multi-
dimensional and cross-disciplinary by embracing aesthetics, the arts and
spirituality.
This new approach to business leadership has enormous potential to influence the
way in which global problems are addressed. Corporations make up over half of
the world’s one hundred largest economic bodies.5 Corporations are therefore well
positioned to play a role in responding to today’s challenges – not only by crafting
business policies and strategies aimed at creating long-term social value, but also
by their ability to craft new and agile solutions. In this regard corporations may be
better positioned than nation states in their ability to develop new solutions. As
such, the next generation of business leaders will be defined by a broad strategic
vision that extends far beyond the immediate demands for short-term profitability.
1
Wicked Problems - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem
2
Creating Shared Value – Harvard Business Review - http://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value/ar/1
3
EABIS Colloquium - http://www.eabis.org/events/annual-colloquia/2011-colloquium.html
4
The Practical Wisdom Project - http://www.eabis.org/projects/project-detail-view.html?uid=16
5
Table – Institute of Policy Studies - http://www.corporations.org/system/top100.html

2. Cranmore Foundation proposes that the development away from a narrow, profit-
only view of business towards a business model that creates shared value6 and
social wellbeing would be supported through the use of wisdom traditions.
Wisdom traditions describe vital universal principles governing all aspects of reality
applicable at any scale and in any situation. These principles underlie the structure
and dynamics of individual and corporate existence. The foundation’s assertion is
that these universal principles can be ‘unlocked’ and reformulated as ‘design
principles’ for practical application in business and society. The use of wisdom
tradition design principles may help create a new quality of solution that provides
genuine sustainability.
Wisdom traditions as a source
Cranmore Foundation uses the term ‘wisdom traditions’ to refer to repositories of
human knowledge that provide deep insight into human existence and the
universe at large. Although commonly viewed within silos of formal religious
structures7, the universal nature of all wisdom traditions makes them relevant and
useful tools for personal and organisational development by all persons, regardless
of existing religious, cultural or other affiliations.
The practical dimension to many wisdom traditions is well illustrated by the
provision of comprehensive practices for use in such domains as: health and
healing; architecture and the built environment; and leadership and governance.
However, when viewed from a modern perspective, these traditions appear to have
a historic and cultural bias which until now has kept them outside of mainstream
solutions. The activities of the foundation are specifically aimed at unlocking the
underlying universal knowledge of wisdom traditions in such a way that it becomes
available for the creation of next generation corporations, better educational
systems and more sustainable economies.
The premise upon which Cranmore operates is that the knowledge found in
wisdom traditions introduces a different quality of thinking which supports the
creation of sustainable, harmonious systems. Such systems have a ‘least harm—
most good’ quality that fosters the wellbeing of all its relationships. When systems
are harmoniously aligned to universal laws, they are also in accord with deeper
forces that support them, resulting in a noticeable unexpected ease of operation.
This synergy grants an ‘effortless effort’ and an enhanced quality to activities
throughout their execution.
6
Porter, Kramer (Harvard Business Review) - http://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value/ar/1
7
For example, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism or Shintoism
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3. Unlocking wisdom
There are several reasons why wisdom traditions today may seem impractical and
esoteric. These are as follows:
1. The use of religious, spiritual, allegorical and mythical language can seem
far from the practical reality of business life.
2. The real knowledge contained in the traditions was often hidden from view
on purpose and only available to initiates or those in power.
3. People interested in and associated with wisdom traditions are most often
not active in the domain of business.
Notwithstanding these obstacles, there are sensible reasons to utilise wisdom
traditions in modern life. These ancient teachings describe fundamental truths
about the nature of life and the dynamics of success and sustainability in any and
all situations – including the competitive realities of business life.
For example, wisdom practices such as ‘mindfulness’ have much to offer the
business world. Texts like Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ have been widely read by the
business community. More often than not such texts are interesting reading and
offer a measure of advice and insight, but in their original format are not easily
accessible as manuals for practical action. The result is that their use in the realities
of modern life are often lost to the casual reader.
Cranmore Foundation aims to go deeper into the texts to research a potential vital
connection between wisdom texts and modern business practices. This means
making them available, accessible, and easily understood to all audiences, even to
those who may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the original cultural context.
The work of the foundation results in practical design principles for business and
society that contain the essence of knowledge found in wisdom traditions.
Applying wisdom principles leads to success in the dealings of daily life. To achieve
this we need more than a translation of the text or a study of the culture from
which they originate. Those involved in the process need to empathetically
understand the deeper structure of the wisdom to carefully rephrase it into useful
modern terms.
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4. To unlock these universal principles for reformulation into design principles—
without losing their essence—requires a specific process we call ‘deep reading’.
Deep reading entails five areas of effort and talent in a five part collaborative
process described below.
Connecting inspiration and application: a five part process
Connecting wisdom and reality
The aim of the process is to create a connection between the knowledge inherent
in wisdom traditions and a practical application of that knowledge in day-to-day
life. This requires an iterative step-by-step process of identifying, translating,
reformulating and realising the principles contained wisdom traditions for practical
application in the daily activities of society and business. Each step in this process is
essential and adds its own value.
culture bearers
scholars
rhapsodic thinkers
designers
business people
Culture-bearers: expressing and sharing living wisdom
The knowledge in wisdom traditions may have a different character than what is
customarily referred to as knowledge in western terms. Not only is it the result of
millennia of experience, application and refinement, but its source often lies in the
direct inner experience of highly evolved spiritual individuals. It may be knowledge
that is not easily acquired through empiric observation, logic or research, but
through inner reflection and realisation.
To reach its goal, the project explicitly creates a space for other epistemologies that
are found at the heart of wisdom traditions, considering them to be vital to the
quality of the work. The conceptual depth and richness of this type of knowledge
requires the same living experience to decode it. Immersion in the living experience
of this knowledge is different from an external observation of the processes that
provide it. It is for this reason that reference to living knowledge is essential,
because translations into modern contexts for practical application may require an
expression of that knowledge in a form not seen before. Collaboration with
‘culture-bearers’ or people who have developed spiritual practices would therefore
add dimension to this research, enhancing the quality and authenticity of the
project’s results.
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5. Scholars: deep reflection on authentic reformulation
Over the course of history, various teachers, prophets, and holy persons have
utilised various teaching methodologies according to the cultural, social and
economic needs of their respective communities at a given point in time. This does
not detract from the universality of the message. Rather, it is illustrative of the
adaptability and timelessness of basic truths and principles by which all can live.
In recent decades, many ancient texts have become widely available and new
material and sources have surfaced thanks to scholarship, the ubiquity of culture-
bearers and the digital revolution. To unlock the depth and richness of the
universal principles found in wisdom traditions, a careful study of these resources is
necessary. The contribution of scholars knowledgeable in these various traditions is
essential. Scholarly reflections on the history, cultural origin, and subtle nuances of
core concepts of these traditions are invaluable to the work. It assists in giving
context to, and deepening our understanding of, the living experience and helps
ensure that the crafting of design principles is authentic to the underlying universal
principles and not divergent from the original cultures that gave voice to them.
Rhapsodic thinkers: visualising how knowledge might be useful to business
As noted above, the phrasing and wording of the original principle is often specific
to the culture and tradition it developed in. To create universal applicability it
needs to be understandable for those outside the original culture and tradition.
The original concepts need to be translated carefully so that the essence, structure
and dynamics characterising their meaning are maintained. An authentic
translation is especially useful when other people have easy access to that
knowledge in a way that allows them to create new ways of working. Such a
translation needs a deep empathetic understanding of the original concept that
also combines with an ability to think in terms of new domains of practical
application. We describe such thinkers as having ‘rhapsodic minds’ and their
contribution is essential to the process.
Designers: phrasing the knowledge into design principles
It is often the case that principles like those found in wisdom traditions may appear
too abstract for immediate use in specific situations. For instance, Vedic thinking
extols the virtue of tapasya, a Sanskrit word that can be translated as ‘the fire of
austerity’. How does tapasya apply in business? If we take austerity as frugality –
we have a simple interpretation. But a deep reading of tapasya gives a richer
understanding of the principle that applies not only in finance but also in product
design. A deep reading interpretation of tapasya tells us that the universal principle
behind tapasya is “an economy of effort in the pursuit of integrity and purity of
standards”. A contemporary example of this principle in action is Steve Jobs drive
(austerity and hard work) in eliminating extraneous elements that resulted in
elegant, simple, yet highly functional design.
The universal principles found in wisdom traditions need to be reformulated in
appropriate terms for different domains. These include organisational
management, change management, human resource management, financial
procedures, new regulations and policies or new models of education. This
reformulation requires the contribution of people that are aware of the needs in
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6. these fields and are capable of creating conceptual reformulations that are
inspiring, without compromising the depth of the original knowledge and its
processes. Designers enrich the five part process by engineering the use of
principles, values and ideas appropriate to the needs of specific domains.
Business people: creating the opportunity for application
The success of the process lies in the creation of vital solutions for society and
business. It depends on the active contribution and work of people in these
domains. This means taking up these new operational principles and finding ways
to integrate them into existing products, services and systems. An effective
integration would deliver a new quality in systems that would deliver improved
outputs that do less harm to those involved – immediate stakeholders, extended
stakeholders and large scale environments symbolised as an ideal by the universe at
large.
The quality of the process
The process of combining the characteristics of living knowledge with real life
application poses new challenges for its contributors. It means doing what they
usually do, but for a different reason and for a different result. It requires a deep
familiarity with the concepts as understood in their own area of expertise, while
also being able to effectively communicate the same in another domain: it
combines the sensitivity of artists with the acuity and analysis of professionals.
In summary
Cranmore Foundation recognises that the knowledge in wisdom traditions offers us
a resource for the creation of truly and deeply sustainable solutions. The
foundation sees the process described above as an opportunity to create a new
class of business – the next generation corporation. Through its work the
foundation aims to create awareness and a sense of urgency for the need of this
type of effort. It aims to connect business and wisdom traditions to develop
modern practical applications of ancient, yet timeless knowledge. We invite
interested parties to join the effort.
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