Working with Large Group Identity and Societal Conflict Through Dialogue and Self-Reflection

This unique conference emphasizes experiential learning. Participants will collaboratively create a temporary organization and culture within a provided structure. They will actively engage in this dynamic system, continuously reflecting on shared and individual experiences. By drawing on these immediate experiences, participants will strive to understand both conscious and unconscious systemic processes related to leadership, authority, and power. This understanding will be deepened by exploring how these processes connect to the conference theme. Through this focus on conscious and unconscious processes, participants will enhance their ability to perceive both overt and underlying dynamics. As a result, participants may develop new perspectives and explore innovative approaches to improve group and individual effectiveness.

Participating in this conference will enhance your leadership capacity. You will gain insights into how you exercise leadership, the membership roles you tend to gravitate toward, your followership patterns, and the overt and covert power, authority, and identity dynamics that influence an organization’s work. 

You’ll have opportunities to: (1) Participate in and analyze group processes, focusing on varying sizes, structures, and tasks to observe both overt and covert interactions. (2) Form groups, establish leadership, and relate with other groups to understand underlying patterns and the institution's dynamics. (3) Explore and discuss how power, authority, roles, and identities shift in response to changing contexts and tasks, considering individual identities like race, gender, and class.