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Abstract
This Reflections piece focuses on the central yet often overlooked role of memes in the change process. Memes are cultural artefacts that pass from one person or group to others, in change, particularly the type of large system change that is needed to bring about a sustainable enterprise economy in the future. Memes are the foundations of belief systems and perspectives within any given system that establish the relationships and behaviours within the system. If left unaddressed in change initiatives, the stubborn persistence of old memes can potentially stall or even prevent significant change. Focusing on memes as a foundation for thinking about organizational and system change may provide a new platform for change agents, who can begin by understanding current memeplex (complexes of memes) within systems and working with system participants to change them in the desired direction. Some academics, considered as intellectual shamans, take on the shamanic mantle of healers, connectors, and, particularly relevant with respect to memes, sensemakers of the modern academy. Senesemakers generate new ideas, images, and fundamentally memes that, when successful, can provide a basis for change.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.