The human work of leading change: group dynamics, creativity and loss

This one day workshop, The human work of leading change, gives senior leaders protected time to think about what is really going on in their organisations during periods of uncertainty and transition. Using Tavistock Consulting systems psychodynamic approach, it explores how anxiety, group dynamics, creativity and experiences of loss affect you, your teams and your organisation, and how this shapes leadership and followership.

You will leave with clearer ways of thinking about the human side of leading change, and with concrete ideas for working with group dynamics, creativity and loss in your own context in a more grounded and sustainable way.

Aims

• Create a reflective space for senior leaders to explore the often-hidden dynamics of leadership and followership during change.
• Introduce key systems psychodynamic ideas that help make sense of the organisational life at time of change and uncertainty.
• Support leaders to think about how they are taking up their leadership role in the context of current organisational and system pressures.

Learning objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to

1. Understand core concepts that form a systems psychodynamic understanding of organisations.
2. Recognise the emotional impact of change on individuals, teams and organisations, and use emotions as a source of organisational intelligence rather than as noise.
3. Identify common group dynamics that emerge during uncertainty and change. Difference of role, and of identity will be considered.
4. Reflect on the leadership role, as container for anxiety, conflict and projection, including the experience of bearing criticism.
5. Use work discussion to think about live organisational and system dilemmas and consider possible next steps.

Who this workshop is for:

For new and experienced leaders who want to reflect on the emotional and relational dimensions of their work.

• University professional services and academic leaders.
• NHS senior clinical and operational leaders.
• Senior leaders in public, voluntary or independent sectors
• Private sector leaders

MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Leadership today takes place in conditions of uncertainty, complexity and emotional pressure. The Tavistock Consulting Leadership and Management Workshops are a series of one day workshops that help leaders, managers and consultants think more deeply about the human side of organisational life.

Facilitated by organisational consultants from Tavistock Consulting, aspecialist organisational development and change consultancy, the workshops blend key concepts from the Tavistock body of research and theory with experiential learning and reflective dialogue.

You will come away with new insights and practical tools to help you notice and respond to unconscious processes, group dynamics and organisational anxieties, and use these to shape how you take up your leadership role. A CPD certificate will be provided to evidence attendance.

ABOUT TAVISTOCK CONSULTING

Tavistock Consulting’s expertise lies in being able to work with the full complexity of organisational life. This means we recognise and engage with both the practical realities and issues our clients face as well as the unacknowledged aspects that lie below the surface; the assumptions, dynamics and emotions that often present an unanswered challenge to creating real and sustainable change. We work to this model, which we call a systems psychodynamic approach.