Methodology

Group relations conferences provide opportunities for the experiential learning of complex group dynamics. They are designed to help reveal some of the more hidden dynamics of power, authority, leadership, followership and the impact of our multiple identities such as gender, nationality and race on how we operate in the multiple systems to which we belong. Experientially, participants in these conferences often report “ah ha” moments that not only change the way they see the world, but also the way they behave within it (i.e., they often report feeling more empowered to effect change, increased clarity about their roles in life, among other transformations). These transformations occur through learning to practice awareness of “here and now” experience within the dynamics of small groups and large groups in relation to task, authority, roles, boundaries, and the exercise of leadership. Ultimately, participants see how large systems work and increasingly appreciate a growing set of behavioral choices for how they relate in the context of groups (family, school, work, local, national and international communities). In this way, group relations conferences translate conceptual classroom learning into a relational and experiential context.

One might think of these experiences as the social-and-behavioral-analogue-laboratory experiences to those more traditionally found in Physics and other natural sciences; they create a living learning laboratory whereby participants gain experience using the data of their intersubjective experience to make hypotheses and guide decisions and behavior in group settings that have real-world application (as healthcare workers, educators, program managers, business owners, etc.). These high quality, cutting edge experiential learning designs illuminate (in an embodied way) the often covert dynamics of groups relevant to navigating their work tasks in role, as well as the other often encountered organizational pressures.

Please Note: Experiential learning is enriching but may be stressful. Individuals who are ill or experiencing a period of significant personal difficulty may consider postponing participation.

These are some of the concepts the conference staff might use to make sense of what is happening and to make learning available to members of the conference.

PRIMARY TASK:
Activities that must be accomplished for a group to achieve its purpose.

AUTHORITY:
The right to do work on behalf of self and others; there is formal and personal authority.

LEADERSHIP:
Exercised by offering meaningful direction that recognizes the needs of a group.

ROLE:
A particular part of the overall task that is assigned to, or taken up by, an individual or group; there are formal and informal roles.

BOUNDARIES:
Structure that separates and connects what is inside and outside. This includes boundaries between groups and their environments, between subgroups, between the individual and the group, and between the person and role. There are also boundaries around time and territory.

PROJECTION:
Attributing to another or others something one rejects about oneself.

SCAPEGOATING:
One member is used to express all of the given undesirable attitudes for the group/team and then is rejected or ejected because of this.

Methodology

Methodology

Recommended Readings

Pre-conference Readings