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Role, Competition and the Real World
6-day residential group relations conference
Sunday 21st September 2008 - Friday 26th September 2008
High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, UK.
Birkbeck, Centre for Psychosocial Studies, University of London
Introduction
Primary Task
Issues
Concepts
Methodology
Membership
Programme
Staff
Info & Fees
Introduction
Context
We live in a complex society in which our capacity to find and attribute meaning and value to our work, social networks and institutions is constantly challenged. Our fears and uncertainties in and about the world create powerful feelings and we are acutely aware that, if we are to survive, we need to continue to develop and expand our capacity for creativity and connectedness. However, our society is organized on competition and the globalisation of a market economy. In such a climate, competition gives rise to positive forces such as the capacity to engage, connect and express competence, whilst its darker side contains the more destructive forces of envy, rivalry, greed and ruthlessness.
top of document Conference Aims and Primary Task
To offer members the opportunity to experience and examine processes in the exercise of role, authority and leadership; and, by exploring competitive and collaborative feelings allow new, creative ways of thinking and acting to emerge.top of document The Learning Aims:top of document Issues
Purpose
What then, can a Group Relations Conference offer when faced with such difficult and complex thoughts, feelings and ideas? How can we think about our responsibilities, our capacity to embrace or avoid taking authority and the elusiveness of certainty? How can we work with the concept of democracy, in the political system of the organization and in our capacity to take, make and shape a role?
This Conference offers opportunities for understanding the processes that facilitate and hinder the work of people and groups when they are members and parts of an organization. Members will be able to challenge their own and otherstop of document Concepts
The overall aim of this residential Conference is to help members understand more fully organizational processes and their professional roles within the working environment and in the largerthe larger social world.top of document Methodology
The basic approach is to learn from the top of document Membership
Membership of the Conference is open to students on psychodynamic counselling courses at Birkbeck College for whom it is a course requirement, and to applicants from outside the institution who have a particular interest in and experience of group dynamics within organizations. This gives the Conference greater richness and diversity and thus provides further opportunities to explore what it means to be a member of this temporarily created institution. top of document Programme
The Conference events are:
Plenaries
The Conference opens in full plenary of staff and members. The purpose is to introduce the Conference and give members and staff opportunities to reflect on their experiences of crossing the boundary into the Conference as a temporary organization. The final plenary gives an opportunity for reflection on the learning from the Conference as a whole.
Small Study Groups
The task of the Study Group, which has up to 12 members, is to provide opportunities to learn in small face-to-face groups about interpersonal relationships as they unfold. A staff member acts as consultant to the group. Members choose their own groups.
Large Study Group
The task is to experience and learn about interpersonal relations as they occur, but in a setting which consists of the total conference membership. Consultants are in role to help with this task by offering their observations about what they think is happening in the group.
Review Groups
The task of these groups is to review and reflect on the roles taken up in the Conference so far, and to focus on areas for further development. Members are allocated to a small group with a consultant.
Institutional Event
The task is to understand the total Conference as a developing organization. Under scrutiny are the dynamics between groups as they interact with one another, and between the membership and management. What may be explored is what sort of organizational culture is operating and how we may understand more fully its dynamics and interrelated systems. In this event staff are available for consultation and the management group will conduct its work in open sessions.
Marketplace Event
The task of this event is to explore issues of competition, competence and desire within an unmanaged marketplace environment. Staff work in consultancy roles.
Community Event
This event explores what it means to be a member of this community and to take up the role of citizen. It allows for the consideration of societal events and processes and considers what sort of community action may be desirable and/or possible within this event.
Application Groups
The task is to apply Conference learning to current work issues as presented by members. Members work in the same groups as in the Review Groups and are asked to bring an issue to which they can apply the Conference experience and explore what they have learnt. Each group has a consultant.
Exit Groups
These groups, which have the same membership as the Review and Application Groups, meet at the end of the Conference in order to explore the ending process and give thought to crossing the boundary of the Conference back into home and work life. Staff
(Director)
Jan Baker
Tutor, MSc Psychodynamic Counselling courses, Birkbeck College; Counsellor and Psychotherapist; Organizational Consultant (Deputy Director)
Carlos Sapochnik
Organizational Consultant; Visiting Tutor, Consultancy and the Organization, Tavistock Clinic, London; Principal Lecturer, Middlesex University (Associate Director for Administration)
Helen Aitchison
Counsellor; Health Advocate, The Haven, Paddington Consultant Staff
Gabi Bonwitt
Board Member, OFEK, Israel; Organizational Consultant; Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalyst Louise Edberg
Psychologist; Business Unit Manager, Falck Healthcare, Sweden; Organizational Consultant, AGSLO Sweden, IFSI, Praxis International Network, France Norma Gould
Tutor, MSc Psychodynamic Counselling with Children and Adolescents, Birkbeck College; Head of Counselling, Bacon's College Judith Levy
Senior Teacher, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Faculty, MBA Management and Business Psychology, College of Management, Rishon LeZion, Israel; Organizational Consultant, Executive Coach Liz Omand
Tutor, Adult MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling, Birkbeck College; Psychotherapist and Supervisor Anne Marie Reilly
Tutor, MSc Psychodynamic Counselling, Birkbeck College; Senior Counsellor, University of Westminster; Psychotherapist and Supervisor Shankarnarayan Srinath
Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Trust, Cambridge; Organizational Consultant Janice Wagner
Psychotherapist, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, USA; Faculty Field Advisor, Boston University School of Social Work, USA; Associate, A.K. Rice Institute Simon Western
Director of Coaching, Certificate in Coaching, Lancaster University; Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach; Author top of document Info and Fees
There are a limited number of spaces for external
applicants at a fee of top of document
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