This article, published in December 2013 by the Society of Organizational Learning’s Reflections Magazine, explores what happens when catastrophe fundamentally shifts the world we know. On March 11, 2011, the triple disasters of earthquake, tsunami, and radiation leak devastated northeastern Japan. In the aftermath, people from throughout the country began to gather not just to share their grief but to consider how they might create a new future together. Numerous initiatives were launched to experiment with the structures, processes, and practices that create conditions for creativity and collective action in the Tohoku region.
Why it matters: As we enter a time when the world may experience even more collapsing systems and disasters, the people of Japan—and especially of the Tohoku region—are showing us the way to build healthy and resilient communities. The documentation of how communities moved from devastation through grief into creative collective action offers invaluable learning for communities everywhere facing disruption. Rather than waiting for rescue or returning to what was, these initiatives demonstrate that catastrophe can become a catalyst for experimenting with new structures and practices that may serve communities better than what existed before.
