On the Value of Group Relations Learning stance and its value

"I learned to position myself more 'firmly' on issues that I believe in and that I want to defend. Since the conference, I've been more assertive, knowing that running greater risks is the only way to stand up for what I believe in. It was certainly one of the most unique experiences I've had."

-- Middle School Principal

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On the Value of Group Relations Learning

"The conference is an extraordinary opportunity to tune into a frequency of group and organizational life that is always operating but virtually never accessible. The experiential learning, as well as the opportunity to reflect on and make sense of that learning with other participants was a rare treat. I came away with new, immediately applicable insights."

-- Robin Ely, Professor and Senior Associate Dean, Harvard Business School

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Leading from Experience: Developing the Consultative Stance

SAVE THE DATE-The Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems is pleased to announce the next in its series of weekend training workshops on the consultative stance.

Friday, November 4, 2022 - Sunday, November 6, 2022

Registration Coming Soon

On the Value of Group Relations Learning

"I got a hold of how 'unconscious baggage' held back my effectiveness. The conference freed me to work much more effectively and enjoy work that had previously exhausted me."

-- Dwight Jewson Ph.D., President, Strategic Frameworking

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Our Mission

The mission of CSGSS, the Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems,
The Boston Affiliate of the AK Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems is to further the understanding of groups and organizations as social systems, with particular attention to unconscious and covert processes in group and organizational life, the dynamics of authority and authorization, power and other differences within and among socially diverse groups, and the negotiated use of interpretation to facilitate collaborative learning.

"I got a hold of how 'unconscious baggage' held back my effectiveness. The conference freed me to work much more effectively and enjoy work that had previously exhausted me."

Dwight Jewson
Ph.D., President, Strategic Frameworking

Using the Tavistock group relations tradition of open systems and psychodynamic theories, CSGSS, the Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems develops group relations conferences, meetings, and other events to further learning about group processes.

Join or Renew your CSGSS membership

See our membership page for information on how to join CSGSS. Or, renew now.

Registration Now Open for Leading From Experience: Developing the Consultive Stance

An in-person* weekend workshop about
using the consultative stance
to understand and provide leadership in work groups

Friday - Sunday, May 20-22, 2022

Austen Riggs Center, 25 Main St, Stockbridge, MA 01262

$525 USD (Consulting Participants) $475 USD (Non-Consulting Participants)

For more info and to register click here.

Relentless change, globalization, technological disruption, and increasing complexity pose deep challenges for our organizations and institutions. How leadership and authority are exercised play a decisive role in meeting these challenges. They too evolve as organizations evolve, requiring new ways of thinking that shape our effectiveness as individuals and the ability of our Institutions to fulfill their purposes. The pressing need to enhance individual, group, and systemic capabilities require deeply attending to the realities that people and organizations face today.

The Boston Affiliate of the A K Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems.

CSGSS Group Relations Reading Group

The Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems, the Boston Affiliate of the A. K. Rice Institute, is pleased to announce a reading group series. Open to members and non-members of CSGSS. Attendees receive recordings of the talks. Visit the events page to register for the current talk.