ILIS™
The Knowledge of Our Ancestors
Before European contact, Native Americans employed traditional democratic processes, orders of protocols, social structures, and value systems that were very effective in consensus oriented decision-making. Original Indigenous political structures -- those values and processes that made up decision-making systems -- have been corrupted by western education, religion and other outside pressures. AIO strives to rekindle those values within a contemporary context. Over the last 20 years, AIO has found that ILIS/CogniScope™ is an excellent method for recapturing some of those values, for instance sharing and respecting diverse perspectives to come to consensual decisions, the power of collective wisdom, and honoring each person’s right to be heard. ILIS/CogniScope™ helps bring our ancestral knowledge back into our consciousness and incorporates tribal wisdom into our everyday life. Native Americans have a very valuable contribution to make not only by creating solutions for our own tribal challenges but by sharing ours and our ancestors wisdom with the rest of the world. As LaDonna Harris, the Founder and President of AIO, says:
The “people” have the answer to our own problems but because of everyday demands and the reactionary stance circumstances put us in we do not always have the opportunity to articulate those answers. Our traditional systems have been dislocated and AIO seeks to re-institute a modern version of those traditional systems.
AIO’s experience in facilitating groups shows that an effective process is necessary in order to have satisfying dialogue. Dr. Alex Pattakos, past Executive Vice President of the CWA, Ltd. defines dialogue “as a concept that takes on a new and deeper meaning when it is perceived as a group’s accessing a ‘larger pool of common spirit’ through distinctly spiritual connection between the members.
This suggests more than ‘collective thinking’…spirit flowing through the participants in dialogue leads to collective thinking which, in turn, facilitates a common understanding thereby resulting in ‘common education’ . . . “
AIO concurs with this definition and believes that true dialogue, frank and focused discussion, among tribal peoples is a spiritual experience that results in a powerful process of uncovering a collective wisdom. Our ancestors understood the sacredness of sharing perspectives to come to consensual decisions. Tribal people used norms and protocol that lowered the chances for conflict when gathering the opinions of a diverse group and making collective decisions. The ILIS™ process embodies this wisdom and strives to assimilate the traditions of the past into today’s decision-making processes.
Methodology
Several years ago, AIO partnered with CWA, Ltd.--Interactive Management Consultants to develop the ILIS™ process. As an affiliate of CWA, AIO recently renewed and revised ILIS™ to include CogniScope™ (interactive issues management methodology developed by Dr. Aleco Christakis, President of CWA) by creating a more effective ILIS™ process. Dr. Christakis worked with AIO, many tribal leaders and Native American elders and the faculty of George Mason University to develop the ILIS™ process and AIO strongly influenced Dr. Christakis’ development of CogniScope™.
Native Americans, as stakeholders, must be the primary participants inventing their own cultural solutions for meeting the challenges of the 21 st century. Wherever collaborative work is needed in order to implement a large-scale initiative, stakeholder participation in - and the resulting shared ownership of - the design of solutions is necessary. An important principium of human evolution and the legitimacy of any social system design work begins with the necessity for bringing the principals together, up front, and obtaining their commitment, participation, and contributions.
Two decades ago, the founders of CWA, Ltd. saw clearly that participation alone was not sufficient. Based upon their participative planning experience, CWA devised a scientific methodology, called the CogniScope™ system, to ensure that all individual stakeholders would be given an equal voice in the collaborative process. They also found that supportive technology was required to reduce the time and cost of achieving consensus and closure.
AIO is proposing a systemic approach through which future Native American leaders can address the challenges facing their tribal comminutes. This entails a systems design methodology applied by Native American leaders within their own human action cultural systems. The ILIS™ is such a methodology, which can enable Native Americans to harness dynamic constructive forces and to generate the innovative solutions needed. As mentioned previously, AIO has applied ILIS™ in a variety of situations including the design and conduct of a national Native American leadership program, the American Indian Ambassadors Program.