Herb Bowie

Since the CMMI is in some ways a developmental model, it may help us to better understand its strengths and weaknesses if we compare it to other, more general, developmental models.

The Integral Approach, as espoused by Ken Wilber and others, is a much broader system that can be applied to individuals, to organizations and to entire societies. It too includes a developmental model, with levels identified by colors rather than numbers, as well as another dimension subdivided into quadrants.

A number of authors and systems of thought have proposed the concept of a series of developmental levels that represent basic value systems or levels of consciousness and culture.

Chief among these are Spiral Dynamics, as espoused by Clare W. Graves, Don Beck and Chris Cowan, and Integral Theory, as espoused by Ken Wilber.

These developmental levels can be seen in the fields of psychology, sociology, economics and organizational development, among others.