Presencing at the Edge: Navigating Uncertainty with Theory U

I recommend CARM’s 2022 album CARM II as a complementary soundtrack to this article.

This article relies heavily on my use of ChatGPT.

Presencing at the Edge: Navigating Uncertainty with Theory U

In my previous post, I explored Vanessa Machado de Oliveira’s provocative idea of hospicing modernity—holding space for the careful and compassionate release of systems that no longer serve us. In this follow-up, I turn to Otto Scharmer’s Theory U, exploring how presencing and deep listening can guide us through uncertainty toward genuine transformation.

Theory U: A Map for Transformation

Otto Scharmer, a senior lecturer at MIT and co-founder of the Presencing Institute, developed Theory U through his collaboration with renowned systems thinker Peter Senge, whose influential work The Fifth Discipline reshaped our understanding of organizational learning. Scharmer’s Theory U offers a structured yet intuitive approach to navigating profound change, emphasizing the importance of inner shifts alongside external transformation.

At its core, Theory U describes a journey: from "downloading" habitual responses (the left side), to suspending judgment and sensing deeply into current realities, then descending to a point of reflective stillness (the bottom of the U), before finally moving upward by letting new possibilities emerge, prototyping ideas, and embodying fresh approaches (the right side). For example, imagine a nonprofit organization grappling with declining community engagement. Initially, the organization might rely on familiar strategies—more events or marketing—but find little success. By embracing the U process, the team pauses and listens deeply to the community's real needs, suspending previous assumptions. At the bottom of the U, they enter a reflective space, acknowledging the limits of past approaches. From this place, they prototype community-driven initiatives co-created with local residents, fundamentally revitalizing engagement and redefining their work.

Presencing and the Power of Deep Listening

Central to Scharmer’s theory is the practice of "presencing," a combination of presence and sensing, which aligns beautifully with the idea of hospicing modernity. While Machado de Oliveira invites us to consciously let go of modernist certainties, Scharmer offers practical tools for this letting go, emphasizing deep listening, openness, and the willingness to be shaped by emergent futures. Scharmer’s latest work, Presencing: Seven Practices for Transforming Self, Society, and Business (2025), further develops these tools, outlining practices that foster collective awakening and systemic renewal.

Scharmer also makes a crucial distinction between acting from past patterns and responding from the emerging future. When we act from habit, we risk perpetuating old problems. In contrast, presencing invites a shift from ego-driven perspectives toward eco-systemic awareness, where action emerges from deep connection and collective care. This shift aligns closely with Machado de Oliveira’s critique of modernity’s impulse to control and master reality.

Embodied Transformation and Deep Knowing

The importance of deep listening also resonates strongly with Kim Hermanson’s concept of "deep knowing," an intuitive, embodied intelligence that arises when we move beyond analytical thought and enter into relationship with what is emergent and unknown. Like Scharmer, Hermanson emphasizes transformation through the liminal space—the threshold between letting go of old assumptions and sensing new potentials. This embodied form of knowing is integral to navigating uncertainty and staying open to authentic transformation.

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass further enriches this dialogue by reminding us that genuine transformation emerges from cultivating respectful, reciprocal relationships with the natural world. Kimmerer, an ecologist, Indigenous scholar, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, beautifully illustrates how Indigenous knowledge and scientific inquiry can harmoniously coexist to guide sustainable and ethical living. Through stories rooted in traditional ecological knowledge and her experiences as both a scientist and a mother, she emphasizes that deep listening to the land is crucial—not merely as a resource but as a teacher and kin. Kimmerer’s writings encourage us to recognize the inherent interconnectedness and sacredness of all life, shifting our perceptions and inviting a profound recalibration of our relationship with the environment. Her approach embodies a practice of deep listening and relational presence, guiding us toward ecological wisdom and ethical responsiveness rooted in mutual care and reciprocity.

Leadership as Presence and Healing

For those raised in cultures of control and certainty, presencing can serve as a powerful, initiatory practice. Margaret Wheatley’s influential book, Who Do We Choose To Be?, explores leadership amid systemic collapse, urging us toward integrity, compassion, and embodied wisdom in turbulent times. Similarly, Nicholas Janni’s Leader as Healer invites leaders to transcend technical competence alone, emphasizing emotional fluency, presence, and the healing of internal fragmentation as essential capacities for navigating complex uncertainty. These thinkers converge on the insight that authentic leadership today demands not only new strategies but profound internal shifts in awareness and presence.

Cultivating Curiosity and Embodied Presence

Ultimately, if hospicing modernity invites us to let go, presencing invites us to remain courageously open. Together, they chart a path through collapse and uncertainty, guiding us not with solutions, but with curiosity and embodied awareness. Cultivating curiosity allows us to embrace uncertainty as a fertile ground for insight rather than a threat. Similarly, somatic practices anchor our awareness in the wisdom of the body, enabling us to sense subtle changes, respond from presence rather than reaction, and embody transformation authentically.

By integrating curiosity and somatic embodiment, we recognize that meaningful futures are not simply engineered—they are sensed, felt deeply, and listened into being.

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References

Hermanson, K. (2022). Deep Knowing: Entering the Realm of Non-Ordinary Intelligence. Kim Hermanson, PhD.

Janni, N. (2022). Leader as Healer: A New Paradigm for 21st Century Leadership. LID Publishing.

Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions.

Machado de Oliveira, V. (2021). Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism. North Atlantic Books.

Scharmer, C. O., & Kaufer, K. (2025). Presencing: Seven Practices for Transforming Self, Society, and Business. Penguin Random House.

Scharmer, C. O. (2018). The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday.

Wheatley, M. J. (2017). Who Do We Choose To Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.