Authority, Power and Justice: Leadership for Change

A Three-day Group Relations Workshop in the Tavistock Tradition sponsored by:
Group Relations International
Social Justice | Group Relations | Applied Spirituality
Authority, Power and Justice:
Leadership for Change
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
March 27-29, 2015
CONTEXT
Recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island, Paris and
Pakistan have uncovered deep divisions in
WORKSHOP
Authority, Power and Justice: Leadership for Change
is a workshop in the Group Relations and Tavistock
communities and challenged our ability to work across
traditions that provides an opportunity to study how
globally. To be an effective leader in these times
leadership in a changing environment. Participants learn
differences for collaborative solutions both locally and
requires an understanding of the dynamic and
effective you and others are in taking up authority and
about rational and irrational group processes that assist
unsettling connection between taking up authority and and hinder group work and the impact that collective
actions and inactions have on systemic dynamics and the
power to effectuate positive change, and the
experience of justice. The workshop is designed to be a
experience another may have that you, your group,
temporary organization, or temporary system, which
and your actions are unjust. The obstacles can be
begins when staff and participants join to create it and
demoralizing and frustrating, but the rewards of
ends with the last workshop event. This temporary
working through conflict to usher in the kind of
organization/system serves as a microcosm of larger
change that revitalizes and increases our dignity bring
organizations, systems and societies in the world.
profound meaning and richness to our lives.
METHODOLOGY
PRIMARY TASK
The workshop system is similar to other learning
The primary task of this organization is to study the
workshop system, learning is experiential and based on
and justice, in the context of the evolving and changing
institutions, but with a significant difference. In the
reflection-in-action. There are no PowerPoints or
presentations given by experts to direct and organize
one’s learning. Instead, learning occurs when
participants focus on their experiences in the moment,
and using their experience as evidence, dialogue with
others to negotiate meaning in real time. All participants
(staff and members) have the opportunity to study
conscious and unconscious processes as they are
experienced and expressed “here and now” within the
temporary learning system of the workshop, and in the
context of the larger social systems of the world which
surround the workshop.
development and exercise of authority, leadership, power
culture of the workshop system, through the inter-
personal and inter-group relations that develop within
the workshop as an organization.
What can I learn from this workshop?
•
What is the difference between authority, power
and leadership? When do I take up my
authority, exercise my leadership, and use my
power?
•
How do the dynamics of authority, power and
justice play out in groups with differing sizes,
structures and tasks? How are leadership roles
authorized, and how does this authorization
affect the group’s work?
•
How do I manage the tension between being an
autonomous individual and being responsible to
a group?
•
What is the impact of individual characteristics
such as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender,
sexual orientation and age on roles, authority
and boundaries?
•
How do I manage myself in a constantly
changing environment? When am I a
proponent for change and when do I resist it?
•
What can I learn from my experiences of
competition, collaboration, conflict, coalition-
building, and delegation? How can I apply what
I learn to situations back home?
Small Study Group Training Track
A small study group training track will be offered at this workshop for those interested in training
related to small study group consulting. Participation in at least one group relations conference is a
minimum requirement. Those interested in applying for the training component should contact Dr.
Jeanine Baillie for more information.
Workshop Events
The workshop is organized as a series of events that provide opportunities to learn through the
examination of experience in a variety of social contexts. The events will begin and end promptly at the
times designated.
•
Opening Plenary: This session introduces the workshop and provides an opportunity for members
and staff to express their thoughts and feelings on crossing the boundary from the outside
environment to the workshop. The session marks the beginning of the life of the temporary
organization when the culture of the organization begins to take shape.
•
Small Study Group (System): The purpose of the small study group is to provide an opportunity to
learn about dynamics in small groups such as teams and committees. The small study group
consists of no more than 12 members with one or two staff consultants. The task of the small study
group is to study its own conscious and unconscious dynamics and processes as they arise in the
moment.
•
Large Study Group (System): The purpose of the large study group is to provide an opportunity to
study the systemic forces and dynamics that arise in large groups, such as groups in society where it
is difficult or impossible to know or see every member face-to-face. The entire membership
assembles with the task of studying the conscious and unconscious dynamics and processes that
arise within the large study group. A team of consultants will work with the large study group.
•
Institutional Event: The Institutional Event (IE) takes place during several sessions beginning on
Saturday. The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity to study institutional forces that
arise as different groups form and interact with each other. During the IE, members form their own
groups and determine their own tasks. The primary task is to explore the relationship between
groups within the workshop system and in relation to the theme of power and justice.
•
Community Reflection: All workshop participants, members and staff, participate in this event.
The task of this event is to explore the state of the workshop system in silence and in creative
expression. The purpose of this event is to access conscious and unconscious dynamics through a
different means and form of expression.
•
Morning Reflections, Dreams and Associations: All workshop participants, members and staff,
participate in this event. The task of this event is to explore the ways that individuals’ dreams and
associations during the workshop illuminate aspects of the system’s dynamics. The purpose of this
event is to access the unconscious dynamics of the system through dreams and associations.
•
Role Analysis Group and Review and Application Group: The task of these groups is to provide
members the opportunity to reflect on their experiences in workshop events, and to begin to apply
the learning to life outside the workshop.
•
Closing Plenary: This event is an opportunity for members and staff to reflect together, at the end of
the workshop, on the experience of the workshop-as-a-whole, and in its different parts, in the
context of ending and crossing the boundary from the workshop back to everyday life.
Staff
The staff design and manage the workshop. Their purpose is to support the learning of members to the
best of their abilities. Working in both consulting and administrative capacities, staff are actively
involved in the life of the workshop. Staff serve the primary task by offering working hypotheses and
reflections based on their understanding of their own experiences and the activities of the workshop.
Their interpretations focus on group level dynamics rather than on the individual, and also on
unconscious as well as conscious dynamics. Attempting to articulate unconscious group level dynamics
is an unusual activity and may seem strange to those who are not familiar with this approach. The staff
will be as explicit as possible about their tasks and roles throughout the workshop. The ways in which
they work are always open to examination.
Director: Evangeline Sarda
JD, Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Boston College Law School. Co-creator, Group Relations
International (GRI). Member, Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems (CSGSS). Associate, A.
K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems (AKRI). Treasurer, The Research and Education
Collaborative with Al-Quds University (RECA). Cohort 16, Boston College Leadership for Change
Program.
Director of Administration: Jeanine Baillie
PsyD, Clinical Psychologist, Boston College University Counseling Services. Graduate, Massachusetts
School of Professional Psychology (MSPP). Certificate of Specialization in Latino Mental Health.
Supervisor of postdoctoral fellows.
Administrator: Justin Brogden
JD, Boston College Law School. BA, Oberlin College.
Consulting Staff
Candice Crawford
PsyD, Consulting Psychologist and Adjunct Faculty, Organizational Leadership Psychology Program,
Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. Teaching Associate, Harvard Medical School. Board
Member, CSGSS. Member, Society of Consulting Psychology.
Patrick Jean-Pierre
PsyD, Senior Project Associate/Site Director, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, NYU Steinhardt. Staff
member/Consultant, Wharton School of Executive Education, University of Pennsylvania. Youth and Families
Mental Health provider, Supreme Consultants. Manhattan College, Adjunct Professor.
Evangeline Sarda
Ellen Short
PhD, Counseling Psychologist and Associate Professor, School of Education, Long Island University, Brooklyn
Campus. Member, New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations and Social Systems. Associate,
AKRI. Author and editor.
Robert Tittmann
MD, Psychoanalyst, Psychotherapist and Psychopharmacologist, Cambridge, MA. Advanced Candidate,
Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. Staff Psychiatrist, Boston College Counseling Services.
Consultant in Forensic Psychiatry, Psychological Consulting Service, Salem, MA. Former Lecturer in
Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Affiliate Member, American Psychoanalytic Association. BoardCertified Member, American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. Member, CSGSS.
Tracy Wallach
PhD, LICSW, Senior Lecturer, College of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston. Organizational
Development and Leadership Consultant, Brookline, MA. Past President and Member, CSGSS. Associate and
former Board Member, AKRI.
Phyll Zuberi
MD, Medical Director, Freedom Care Program, Cedar Hills Hospital (for active duty soldiers returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan). Advanced Candidate, Oregon Psychoanalytic Institute. MA, Political Science. Course
Instructor, Political Negotiation Using Insights from Psychoanalysis. Former Director, Psychiatric
Consultation Liason Service, Providence St. Vincent Medical Centre. Present and Past Lecturer at UT
Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas, University of Florida, OHSU, KU Medical Center, UMKC, and LSU.
Attendance
This workshop is dynamic in nature, where intrapsychic, interpersonal and intergroup
phenomena are available to be experienced and studied in the service of applying what is
learned to everyday life. A diverse membership creates the possibility for rich learning. To that
end, we welcome individuals who represent a cross section of the community who are
interested in the study of leadership, authority, power and justice.
The workshop is designed to be a single integrated educational experience. Individuals who
know in advance that they are unable to attend all sessions are discouraged from applying.
Anyone who must leave for any reason is requested to inform the administration. Special note:
The workshop is an educational endeavor and does not provide psychotherapy or sensitivity
training. Although the experiential learning available can be stimulating and enriching, it can
be emotionally demanding as well. Thus, applicants who are ill or experiencing significant
personal difficulties should forgo participating at this time.
Workshop Time
The workshop begins at noon on Friday, March 27 with registration and ends by or before 5PM
on Sunday, March 29 with a reception. Workshop events will begin on Saturday and Sunday
at 8:30 AM and end on Friday and Saturday by or before 9 PM. The specific start and end times
of each day will be posted in February.
Meals and Lodging
Light refreshments will be available at each break. Meals are the responsibility of members.
The workshop is nonresidential. Those who require assistance in securing overnight
accommodations should contact Jeanine Baillie, Director of Administration, at
authorityworkshop@gmail.com.
Workshop Fees
The fee includes materials and light refreshments.
___ $400
Basic Fee/General Public
___ $250
Public Interest Practitioner Fee/Boston College Staff Fee
___ $100
Student Fee
Additional:
___ $100
Small Study Group Consulting Training
A limited number of partial scholarships and fee discounts are available based on need and on
the overall enrollment of the workshop. Please contact Jeanine Baillie, Director of
Administration (authorityworkshop@gmail.com) for more information.
Total due: $__________________
Please make check payable to Authority Workshop.
Enrollment is limited.
***********************************************
The drawings in this brochure are by artist and activist Rini Templeton. Her work can be
found at riniart.org. The black and red square borders are adapted from publications from Just
Associates at justassociates.org.
APPLICATION FORM
Authority, Power and Justice: Leadership for Change
Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Title/Degree: __________________________________________________________________________________
Home mailing address: __________________________________________________________________________
E-mail and phone numbers where I can be reached: E-mail ___________________________________________
Home_________________________Work__________________________Cell_____________________________
The information below is for determination of balance of individual demographics within groups only:
Race/Ethnicity
Sex
Age
Other ways that I self-identify: ____________________________________________________________________
Name of close associates attending this Workshop, if any: _____________________________________
Brief description of work role: ____________________________________________________________________
Previous experience with Tavistock/ group relations conferences or other experiential learning:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
My personal and professional goals for this workshop: _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Other information I would like you to know: ________________________________________________________
I have read the brochure and hereby apply for membership to this Workshop. I understand that through my
application and signature, I authorize the sponsoring organizations to conduct the workshop in the manner
described in the brochure.
Signature: _____________________________________________
Date: ________________________________
Withdrawal Policy: Requests to withdraw must be submitted by March 21, 2015 to receive a full refund.
REGISTRATION: Send application and fee (check payable to Authority Workshop) by March 20, 2015 to:
Dr. Jeanine Baillie
If you have questions or would like additional
University Counseling Services Boston College
information, please contact Dr. Jeanine Baillie at
Gasson Hall 001
140 Commonwealth Avenue,
Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
authorityworkshop@gmail.com.
auhorityworkshop@gmail.com.