| The origins and impacts of core myths informing American culture, particularly those reflected in organizational structures affecting social enterprise, deserve serious study and demand an exploration of alternative organizing principles and leadership approaches. This study unpacks the patriarchal system, which represents the fundamental myth of American organizations, and it explores the history and impacts of heroism implicit in patriarchal mythology.;The patriarchal myth informs a system of separation, discrimination, and prejudice. Although some declare the solution for this current organizational and cultural problem is to find a "better patriarch," this study focuses instead on changing organizational structures and norms, revising the concept of leadership, and transforming the way power is distributed and applied in order to develop partnership within systems of work and community.;To the extent that organizations mirror worldviews, the transformation of the individual precedes systemic change in our organizational structures. For this reason, this study explores individual growth from adolescence through the hero's journey by tracing the myths depicted in The Odyssey, and stories of The Holy Grail, Adam and Eve, and Draupadi (in the Mahabharata). The continuing journey of maturity makes possible the exploration of additional archetypes: the trickster, the sage, the shaman, and the crone. Those individuals who complete this difficult initiation are transformed elders, who bring their wisdom, experience, insight, vision, and compassion to assist those who are experiencing their own initiations and to help create organizations capable of operating in new ways.;Various examples are given to illustrate the structure, policies, and norms of the partnership organization, including a short case study of a public agency that successfully made the shift from the traditional patriarchal paradigm to a partnership approach. The process of transition is recognized as an important element of successful organizational change, and is explored in the context of both mythic examples and organizational applications. Finally, a workshop design for individuals seeking to make the shift from hierarchical heroism to the partnership model is presented. |
