Modeled after the “Leicester” conferences developed by the Tavistock Institute in the 1950s, OFEK’s international group relations conference has been an annual event since 1987.

The conference model is based on the understanding that real learning about the dynamics of social systems – groups, organizations and society – takes place through processing one’s own experiences and those of others. Unlike in traditional academic settings, therefore, this conference includes neither lectures nor presentations. Rather, the conference is designed to serve as a temporary organization in which participants have the opportunity to reflect on the different roles they take up and the processes in which they are involved. The behaviors, thoughts, feelings and fantasies that emerge while participating in the various conference events are the raw material that participants are invited to study. 

The dramatic times we find ourselves in and the emotions they arouse in us tend to challenge our ability to listen deeply, to think in a multi-faceted way, and to embrace complexity. Now more than ever, a curious and exploratory mindset is needed to understand the dynamic forces that shape us, consciously and unconsciously, as individuals, as organizations and as a society. The group relations methodology provides us with an invaluable opportunity to do just that.

In these times of tectonic upheaval, questions pertaining to authority, identity and belonging are crystalizing and coming to the fore. During the conference participants may wish to reflect on questions such as;

In times of tectonic upheaval…: 

Do the default lines of our identity dissolve or rigidify? What influences my sense of who I am and how does this sense of identity shape the way I relate to the “other”?

What do we expect from the people in roles of authority and how do we take up our own authority?

What determines and challenges our sense of belonging? What maintains this sense of belonging and how does it impact the degree to which we allow or resist diversity?

The conference will provide opportunities for participants to apply the insights they gain back to their daily lives and to reconsider how they take up their roles as citizens, members of organizations and communities, and  as members in their own families. 

The Primary Task
The primary task of the conference is to learn from experience about authority, identity and belonging in times of tectonic upheaval by exploring the conscious and unconscious dynamics that emerge in the here and now of this temporary organization and in its wider context.

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.

Who is the Conference For?
The conference is geared for people interested in learning about the overt and covert functioning of human systems (i.e. groups, organizations, societies, etc.) and those who want to discover more about the roles they tend to play within them. Past participants have come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds. Professional profiles have included board members, executives and mid-level managers from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, Organizational Consultants/Executive Coaches/Human Resource professionals, Medical and Therapeutic Clinicians, Academics, as well as practitioners from the financial, legal and marketing fields. The conference is aimed at people who have varying degrees of experience with group relations conferences. Therefore, the conference will include two different groups of participants: Group A will consist of participants who are attending a group relations conference for the first time, and Group B will consist of participants who have previous experience with group relations conferences. The potential relationship between these two groups provides an additional dimension that we may explore and study.