REIMAGINING THE NOW
Authority, Leadership & Purpose
19-24 March 2023 | Zichron Yaakov, Israel
Includes a Training Group
Welcome
The 35th OFEK International Group Relations Conference
Dear Prospective Participant
Many of us may be wondering: “what now?”
The events of the last three years disrupted almost every aspect of our lives. Though the dust has begun to settle, the impact is ongoing. Perhaps our priorities are shifting; or the way we interact with others; or even the way we move around and travel.
How and where will we work? Can we trust the institutions and systems we depend on? How do we move forward and where are we moving to? With growing social and political divisions, rising food and energy prices, a war that threatens to escalate and the mounting consequences of climate change, will the disruptions themselves be disrupted?
Is this the new now?
Of course, in this moment, there is also an opportunity to discover new options; to imagine and to reimagine; to make sense of what is happening in the now in order to better prepare for what is to come. What resources and new insights will be needed to reshape our communities and organizations in a purposeful way, and to build resilience in the face of such instability? How do we find the passion and purpose to stay engaged? And how does this impact the way we take up our authority in our roles as citizens, and both leaders and followers?
A Group Relations Conference is a unique “living laboratory” where participants and staff have the opportunity to look deeply into the now and to explore how each of us can actively respond to the precarious moment.
We invite you to join us at the 35th OFEK International Group Relations Conference where we will explore these and other questions. As an experiential learning event it provides the opportunity to study one’s own behavior as it happens in real time, to experience and reflect and try out new ways of being and acting in a setting removed from daily life.
Participants and staff form a temporary organization, take up a variety of roles and explore the conscious and unconscious dynamics that unfold in the exercise of authority and emergence of leadership in the context of evolving realities. The insights gained from this kind of direct learning can be powerful and long lasting. And, as a participant from a previous conference has observed, “Israel remains an unusually fertile ground for introspection and deep reflection.”
After a three-year pause, the conference takes place in person once again, in the tranquil setting of the Eden Inn Hotel in Zichron Yaakov, a small town overlooking the Mediterranean.
We look forward to seeing you there,
Leila Djemal, Conference Director
Welcome
The 35th OFEK International Group Relations Conference
Dear Prospective Participant
Many of us may be wondering: “what now?”
The events of the last three years disrupted almost every aspect of our lives. Though the dust has begun to settle, the impact is ongoing. Perhaps our priorities are shifting; or the way we interact with others; or even the way we move around and travel.
How and where will we work? Can we trust the institutions and systems we depend on? How do we move forward and where are we moving to? With growing social and political divisions, rising food and energy prices, a war that threatens to escalate and the mounting consequences of climate change, will the disruptions themselves be disrupted?
Is this the new now?
Of course, in this moment, there is also an opportunity to discover new options; to imagine and to reimagine; to make sense of what is happening in the now in order to better prepare for what is to come. What resources and new insights will be needed to reshape our communities and organizations in a purposeful way, and to build resilience in the face of such instability? How do we find the passion and purpose to stay engaged? And how does this impact the way we take up our authority in our roles as citizens, and both leaders and followers?
A Group Relations Conference is a unique “living laboratory” where participants and staff have the opportunity to look deeply into the now and to explore how each of us can actively respond to the precarious moment.
We invite you to join us at the 35th OFEK International Group Relations Conference where we will explore these and other questions. As an experiential learning event it provides the opportunity to study one’s own behavior as it happens in real time, to experience and reflect and try out new ways of being and acting in a setting removed from daily life.
Participants and staff form a temporary organization, take up a variety of roles and explore the conscious and unconscious dynamics that unfold in the exercise of authority and emergence of leadership in the context of evolving realities. The insights gained from this kind of direct learning can be powerful and long lasting. And, as a participant from a previous conference has observed, “Israel remains an unusually fertile ground for introspection and deep reflection.”
After a three-year pause, the conference takes place in person once again, in the tranquil setting of the Eden Inn Hotel in Zichron Yaakov, a small town overlooking the Mediterranean.
We look forward to seeing you there,
Leila Djemal, Conference Director
About the Conference
Organizations operate not only according to stated tasks, but often under the influence of group and systemic processes, both overt and covert, rational and irrational. These processes drive behaviors and decision-making, and have a powerful impact on the organization’s life, culture and effectiveness. A Group Relations Conference creates a temporary organization to study these processes through direct experience.
The conference, in which both participants and staff come from a wide range of professions, backgrounds and cultures, provides opportunities to:
- Study the dynamics of authority and leadership in the context of emerging realities;
- Learn about both covert and overt group processes through participating in groups that vary in size, structure and task;
- Discover the unspoken and at times unconscious feelings and processes that are often put aside in our everyday working life and buried under the drive to fulfill formal tasks;
- Explore the conscious and unconscious elements of the formal and informal roles we take up and experiment with familiar and unfamiliar roles;
- Better understand the hidden assumptions, fantasies and irrational forces that help shape group and organizational life and the way we find and take up our authority and our roles;
- Work with competition, collaboration, conflict, coalition-building and delegation, as well as with care and envy;
- Explore what keeps us stuck in familiar patterns and discover forces that can free us up;
- Apply what has been discovered to our own organizations, communities and networks.
The learning in the conference is experiential, modeled after the ‘Tavistock’ working conferences, developed at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. There are no lectures or theoretical discussions. Rather, we form a temporary learning organization, where the topics and issues arising in the conference are studied as they evolve, here and now and in real time. In this way the lived experience of conference participants forms the raw material for exploration.
Since 1987 OFEK has been offering international Group Relations Conferences every year. During the pandemic the conference was developed to take place online. After a three year pause this year’s conference will once again take place in person.
Language
The working language of the conference is English. However, in groups or situations where everyone present speaks another common language, that language can also serve as the working language.
About the Conference
Organizations operate not only according to stated tasks, but often under the influence of group and systemic processes, both overt and covert, rational and irrational. These processes drive behaviors and decision-making, and have a powerful impact on the organization’s life, culture and effectiveness. A Group Relations Conference creates a temporary organization to study these processes through direct experience.
The conference, in which both participants and staff come from a wide range of professions, backgrounds and cultures, provides opportunities to:
- Study the dynamics of authority and leadership in the context of emerging realities;
- Learn about both covert and overt group processes through participating in groups that vary in size, structure and task;
- Discover the unspoken and at times unconscious feelings and processes that are often put aside in our everyday working life and buried under the drive to fulfill formal tasks;
- Explore the conscious and unconscious elements of the formal and informal roles we take up and experiment with familiar and unfamiliar roles;
- Better understand the hidden assumptions, fantasies and irrational forces that help shape group and organizational life and the way we find and take up our authority and our roles;
- Work with competition, collaboration, conflict, coalition-building and delegation, as well as with care and envy;
- Explore what keeps us stuck in familiar patterns and discover forces that can free us up;
- Apply what has been discovered to our own organizations, communities and networks.
The learning in the conference is experiential, modeled after the ‘Tavistock’ working conferences, developed at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. There are no lectures or theoretical discussions. Rather, we form a temporary learning organization, where the topics and issues arising in the conference are studied as they evolve, here and now and in real time. In this way the lived experience of conference participants forms the raw material for exploration.
Since 1987 OFEK has been offering international Group Relations Conferences every year. During the pandemic the conference was developed to take place online. After a three year pause this year’s conference will once again take place in person.
Language
The working language of the conference is English. However, in groups or situations where everyone present speaks another common language, that language can also serve as the working language.
All of us live and work in groups and organizations, from our earliest family groupings to our social and professional communities. A Group Relations Conference is for anyone wanting to learn more about group dynamics or to develop their ability to act more effectively within groups, networks and institutions; as well as in expanding their own reflective skills and gaining new insights about themselves and others.
For example, leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, consultants, HR professionals, coaches, facilitators, clinicians, educators, researchers, activists, administrators, public sector and non-profit professionals, marketing, legal and financial professionals, medical professionals and more.
No previous experience is necessary; curiosity and a desire to learn are the only requirements.
If you have been to a Group Relations Conference before, participating another time can offer a different, deeper learning about oneself and the systemic forces that influence us personally and in the workplace. For those whose previous participation was online, the in-person experience offers expanded dimensions and richness.
Ourselves: The way we manage ourselves in a group; the way we perceive our identity and sense of place in relation to others; how we influence and are influenced by others; the way we take up our roles in different settings, both consciously and unconsciously; how we find and take up authority; how we take up formal and informal leadership and followership roles; and the feelings and fantasies that inhibit or enhance our role taking and leadership potential.
Our organizations: The powerful irrational forces that operate under the surface of our day-to-day work and get in the way of the fulfillment of our organizational tasks and mission; and the way groups interact under the sway of unconscious impulses and drives.
The wider context: The social and political forces that shape our lives, often in ways that we are not aware of; our expectations and assumptions about authority; our ideas about leaders and leadership; and the part we can and do play in the society around us.
For those who wish to advance their understanding and practice, the conference offers an opportunity to extend skills in psychoanalytic-systemic observation, consultancy, and the application of Group Relations methodologies to organizational experience, both within the conference and in other relevant settings.
In addition to being part of the conference system as a whole, Training Group participants will have opportunities to:
- Take up consultancy roles in some conference events;
- Engage with staff in exploration and systemic thinking of emergent dynamic behavior in the conference.
The Training Group is open for application by participants who have attended at least two group relations conferences.
(The number of places is limited)
Conference Staff
All staff take up consultancy roles in addition to their other roles.
Directorate
Leila Djemal | MA
Miriam Shapira | MA
Moshe Bergstein | PhD
Ran Carmeli | MA
Ori Weyl | MA
Consultant Staff
will be drawn from
Daphna Bahat | MA
Pauline Holland | MA, MPhil
Marcelo Mauas | MBA
Rachel Kelly | BA mSTAT
James Krantz | PhD
Francesco Noseda | MA
Joab Kirsch | MBA
Yael Sharon | MA
OFEK – Organization, Person, Group – The Israeli Association for the Study of Group and Organizational Processes (Public Benefit Non-Profit Company) is an educational non -profit organization founded in 1986. Its primary aim is to help promote learning and change in individuals, groups, organizations and society through the study, development and application of psychoanalytic and open systems theories in the Tavistock tradition of Group Relations.
Since its establishment OFEK has run annual international Group Relations conferences in association with The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, London.
It also runs bi-annual Hebrew language conferences, theme conferences, bespoke conferences and workshops for organizations, scientific meetings, ongoing professional development courses (Touch OFEK Continuing Education) organizational consulting projects primarily in the non-profit sector (through OFEK in the Field) and additional activities both for its members and for the wider public.
The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations applies social science to contemporary issues and problems. It was formally founded as a registered charity in 1947. The Institute is engaged in evaluation and action-research, organizational development and change consultancy, executive coaching and professional development, all of which support sustainable change and ongoing learning. The Tavistock Institute has been a sponsoring organization for OFEK Group Relations Conferences since their inception in 1987.
www.tavinstitute.org
Registration
Where and When
The conference is residential and takes place at the Eden Inn Hotel www.edeninn.co.il
in Zichron Yaakov, Israel.
It will begin on Sunday, 19 March 2023 at 13:30 and end on Friday, 24 March 2023 at 12:00.
A detailed timetable will be available at the beginning of the conference.
Fee
The conference fee includes accommodation and full board (three meals a day and light snacks in-between), with a choice of single or shared occupancy lodging. For shared occupancy, a roommate will be assigned if a preference is not stated in advance of the conference.
Last date for registration: Friday, 10 March 2023
Note: Early registration is advised as the number of spaces is limited.
Registration
Where and When
The conference is residential and takes place at the Eden Inn Hotel www.edeninn.co.il
in Zichron Yaakov, Israel.
It will begin on Sunday, 19 March 2023 at 13:30 and end on Friday, 24 March 2023 at 12:00.
A detailed timetable will be available at the beginning of the conference.
Fee
The conference fee includes accommodation and full board (three meals a day and light snacks in-between), with a choice of single or shared occupancy lodging. For shared occupancy, a roommate will be assigned if a preference is not stated in advance of the conference.
Last date for registration: Friday, 10 March 2023
Note: Early registration is advised as the number of spaces is limited.
Registration Dates
Shared occupancy
6,350 NIS
Single occupancy
7,850 NIS
Fee is quoted in New Israeli Shekels (NIS)
For the Training Group there is an additional fee of 550 NIS.
Organizational Discount
For two members from the same organization there will be a 300 NIS discount each.
For three or more there will be a discount of 400 NIS each.
Bursaries
A limited number of partial bursaries will be available, sponsored by OFEK and by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. To apply for a bursary, please fill out the Registration Form and send a request with a short description of the relevant background no later than 16 February 2023.
Registration Procedures
To register for the conference, please fill out the online Registration Form. Registration will take effect once payment has been made.
Methods of Payment
Payment can be made:
• By credit card* online
• By credit card over the telephone
• By bank transfer
* Credit card payments drawn on an Israeli bank can be made in installments.
Cancellation Policy
Notice of cancellation received before Friday, 10 March 2023 will incur cancellation charges as detailed below:
- Until 22.1.23 – 300 NIS
- 23.1.23 – 16.2.23 – 600 NIS
- 17.2.23 – 10.3.23 – 900 NIS
- After 10.3.23 – Conference fees cannot be refunded
As the program of the conference constitutes an integrated whole and its events are inter-related, participation in all sessions is highly recommended.
While experiential learning can be enriching, it can also be stressful at times. Therefore, individuals who are ill or experiencing a period of significant personal difficulty may wish to postpone attendance at this time. If you are not sure, we would be happy to discuss it with you.
Registration Procedures
To register for the conference, please fill out the online Registration Form. Registration will take effect once payment has been made.
Methods of Payment
Payment can be made:
• By credit card* online
• By credit card over the telephone
• By bank transfer
* Credit card payments drawn on an Israeli bank can be made in installments.
Cancellation Policy
Notice of cancellation received before Friday, 10 March 2023 will incur cancellation charges as detailed below:
- Until 22.1.23 – 300 NIS
- 23.1.23 – 16.2.23 – 600 NIS
- 17.2.23 – 10.3.23 – 900 NIS
- After 10.3.23 – Conference fees cannot be refunded
As the program of the conference constitutes an integrated whole and its events are inter-related, participation in all sessions is highly recommended.
While experiential learning can be enriching, it can also be stressful at times. Therefore, individuals who are ill or experiencing a period of significant personal difficulty may wish to postpone attendance at this time. If you are not sure, we would be happy to discuss it with you.
Previous participants of the OFEK International Conference have said:
Contact
For further details or if you have any questions please contact the conference administrators,
Ran Carmeli and Ori Weyl: ofekgrc@gmail.com