County CEO says prevention effort isn’t New Age

Consultant John Ott’s cerebral writing on organizational learning might not appeal to every plainspoken conservative in Stanislaus County. But county officials said it should not be confused with New Age spirituality or any other religious movement. Rather, Ott is especially skilled at getting diverse groups to cooperate and find meaningful solutions, officials said.

It’s why county supervisors approved a $148,000 contract Tuesday with the Center for Collective Wisdom to guide the Focus on Prevention initiative, a long-term effort to tackle big problems such as homelessness.

Ott’s writings caught the eye of one speaker at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Victoria Pope of Modesto opposed the contract because she claimed the Southern California-based center advances New Age religion. Saying that President Barack Obama had declared the U.S. is no longer a Christian nation, Pope said the county should maintain separation of religion and government.

County Chief Executive Officer Stan Risen said the prevention campaign won’t have religious overtones. It will be driven by the county and a stewardship council composed of leading community members who will work on reducing homelessness, strengthening families and providing opportunities for youths.

Later Tuesday, Ott said much of his work is based on the research of Peter Senge at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who wrote an influential book on organizational learning that advanced ideas for management of private corporations and institutions.

Rose Pinard, a partner at the Center for Collective Wisdom, holds a doctorate in organizational psychology and has done research into quantum physicist David Bohm’s theory of dialogue. It’s brainy material, but the center will be expected to keep it real in working on homelessness, an issue that has stirred fierce local debate.

“We try to get people to tap into their best selves and find solutions to intractable problems,” Ott said. “It’s not necessarily about getting folks in a room for a few conversations, but getting them to work together and support each other.”

Ott said he tries to bring people’s life experience into the conversation, and homelessness is a personal issue for him. Both of his parents struggled with addiction and divorced when he was 3 years old. Ott and his mother were homeless when he was in ninth grade in St. Petersburg, Fla. He spent several years sleeping in cars or at friends’ homes, he said.

Ott said his salvation was winning a scholarship that allowed him to attend Duke University. He became a lecturer in public policy studies at Duke and co-founded a leadership program at the university. He co-wrote the book “The Power of Collective Wisdom.”

The center’s website describes holding a June 2013 webinar on an “Organizational Spirituality Initiative” and also says one of its guiding principles is “reverential transformation” in which “we invite ourselves and our (organizational) partners to risk believing and act as if there is a large, benevolent intention seeking form through us.”

It continues, “Such awareness inspires us to align our will with what is wanting to unfold, rather than struggling to make something happen on our own or forcing our will on others unilaterally.”

According to another passage on the center’s website, when human beings work together, “a depth of awareness and insight, a transcendent knowing, becomes available to us, that when accessed, can lead to profound action.”

The center has been working with faith-based and other nonprofit groups in Southern California, including the Academy of Jewish Religion California and a National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter, to broaden their impact on their communities.

Ott said he has worked with Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services since 2006. His efforts are credited with improving prevention and early intervention programs.

Luis Molina, a county employee and mayor of Patterson, said Tuesday that he has worked with Ott on efforts to improve county services. The consultant is not about New Age beliefs but getting people to work on problems in the community, Molina said.

County board Chairman Terry Withrow said he had not perused the center’s website. Withrow said he was impressed with how the consultant facilitated the first meetings to develop Focus on Prevention.

“He does not control the dialogue and he helps people to work together,” Withrow said. “I am confident we have a strong stewardship group and our group will decide where we go with this – not the facilitator.”

Ott also has advised the Center for Human Services, helping to build leadership in the midmanagement ranks. Lori Schumacher, a program director for the nonprofit, said staff members talked about transcendent knowing in sessions led by Ott and received practical advice on employee relations.

“He has really been a terrific ally, partner and teacher,” Schumaker said. “With his diverse background, he has the capacity to lead and guide in a way that gets everyone moving in the same direction.”

Ott said a stewardship committee will start meeting this spring to establish indicators and measures for showing whether the county is making progress on reducing homelessness. The first Focus on Prevention conference will be held in October and an action council will mobilize groups to prevent homelessness and support those living on the streets “so they don’t stay there,” Ott said.

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 9:05 AM with the headline "County CEO says prevention effort isn’t New Age."