Aikido & Consulting

Aikido is a Japanese martial art whose English translation is "the art of peace" or "the way of harmony". This guiding philosophy of resolving conflict in peaceful and compassionate way while protecting yourself and others enables this martial practice be a powerful metaphor in the area of individual and organizational effectiveness. Sem development's practice is highly informed by the philosophy and practice of Aikido.

Aikido is a Japanese martial art whose techniques are rooted in ancient forms of jiu-jitsu and swordsmanship. It is a fairly young innovation in the world of martial practice, being identified as Aikido in 1943. The founder, Morihei Ueshiba, after a lifetime of mastering martial practices for fighting purposes, realized that the higher calling for martial practice was not to defeat others. Instead, Ueshiba identified the higher purpose of martial practice is to resolve self limiting beliefs and attitudes on oneself in order to realize a more peaceful and productive existence. The techniques of Aikido are practiced in the context of self defense, and can be quite brutal if employed without compassion and awareness. By cultivating compassion and awareness in this martial practice, one can effectively defend oneself and protect an attacker from undue harm.

Sem Development's consulting practice integrates the principles of Aikido into both its services and client relationships. The non-competitive nature of traditional Aikido informs the win/win philosophy that Sem Development brings to all of its client relationships. The lessons of blending with resistance and leading conflict to a peaceful resolution are deeply embedded in the services focused on conflict management and group process intervention work. The learning experiences Sem Development designs and implements are experiential and organic in nature which correlates with the idea in Aikido that at any given moment, you may need to change your strategy depending on the energy of your partner and their intentions and needs. Much of the influence of Aikido is in purpose and philosophy only; yet there are many times when delivering services that Aikido becomes a natural metaphor that helps clients integrate insights and realizations into their own performance much more effectively.