Attendees / Background / Description / Goals / Enrollment Overview The purpose of this workshop is to enhance participants' ability and understanding in applying the Group Relations ("Tavistock") perspective to solving problems and functioning more effectively in their work. To this end, participants will be assisted in developing the following skills: identifying and articulating problematic aspects of their personal experience in work settings understanding the meaning of their subjective experience in terms of the organizational context in which it occurs developing an analysis of organizational dynamics and conflicts which have produced the problematic experience developing an action plan based on their analysis aligning their own goals and those of the organization and improving their ability to work successfully in their formal roles Attendees / Background / Description / Goals / Enrollment Who Should Attend? This Workshop is intended for persons who have had prior experiential Group Relations training (i.e. at least one Tavistock Conference experience) who wish to deepen their practical understanding and ability to work effectively in groups. (Note: while participants from outside of the Los Angeles region are welcome, Workshop faculty will be unable to provide assistance regarding lodging, transportation, etc.) Attendees / Background / Description / Goals / Enrollment Background Group Relations Conferences create artificial and transitory institutions and workgroups which are available to members for study. Employing an experiential approach to learning, they provide powerful, direct encounters with the reality of unconsciously, elegantly, and collectively organized behavior. Conference experience reveals that such covertly originated behavior is frequently at odds with explicit goals and values of groups and of their members. In the Group Relations tradition, concepts of authority, responsibility, leadership and followership are used to illuminate these group dynamics. While conference experiences can be profoundly moving and revealing, most conference learning does not automatically translate into improved functioning at work. This non-experiential Workshop intends to build on participants' experience and insight from Group Relations Conferences and from actual work settings, helping them cope more effectively and creatively with the organizational pressures and processes which so frequently diminish effectiveness and challenge integrity on the job. We will also explore ways that small, large, and intergroup dynamics influence organizations and group life, emphasizing approaches to effective intervention. Attendees / Background / Description / Goals / Enrollment Workshop Description In contrast to Group Relations Conferences, the Workshop is not designed as an experiential event. A model for applying group dynamic understanding to functioning in groups and organizations will be presented. Using a combination of lecture and case presentation and discussion, the practical application of theoretical concepts such as boundary, task, covert process, and authorization will be illustrated. Three workplace examples (case studies), vividly portraying dilemmas encountered in work settings, will be presented and extensively discussed by workshop faculty in plenary sessions. Alternating with plenary presentation of case examples, participants and faculty will break out into small groups (1 faculty member with a maximum of 6 participants), addressing questions which the plenary presentations may raise, helping to clarify and apply these concepts to examples drawn from participants' own work settings, and creating analyses and intervention plans for the participants' case examples. Attendees / Background / Description / Goals / Enrollment Workshop Goals By the end of the workshop, participants will have significantly enhanced their skill and ability to address questions such as the following: How do I survive and/or thrive in the groups, organizations and institutions where I work? How can I distinguish between legitimate self-interest and ability - on my part or on the institution's part - and selfishness, exploitation and incompetence - on my part or on the institution's part? How does an understanding of group relations inform my choices for action at work? How can I authorize myself, and collaborate with others, to work toward my personal goals and toward improved functioning of the organization, given my role in the organization, be it student, staff member, consultant or manager? This workshop is the first intensive training in the application of Group Relations conference experience to real work settings to be presented on the West Coast. Note: Participants should plan to bring real world experiences and examples for discussion during the workshop. Attendees / Background / Description / Goals / Enrollment Details of Enrollment The deadline for application is Friday, October 20, 2000. The fee for the workshop is $75. Scholarship requests from those with compelling financial need will be considered. Refunds can be made if an application is withdrawn prior to Friday, October 20, 2000, but not after. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 30 participants. Reservations for the workshop will be held only for applications accompanied by payment. The workshop will be held in the UCLA Westwood campus. The schedule, location, parking, and suggestions for preparation of case examples will be provided to registrants who have completed an application for the Workshop. Applications should be printed out in hardcopy and filled in. To obtain an application, click here. Checks should be made out to: GREX Application Workshop Mail the application and payment to the following address: Application Workshop c/o Mr. Ara Haroutiounian 10356 Wilsey Avenue Tujunga, CA 91402 To obtain an application, click here.

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