ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the structure and purpose of a group relations conference. The group relations tradition draws upon field research and organisational interventions. A group relations conference is an experiential event that allows participants to explore the relatedness of individual, group and organisation in the ‘here-and-now’, with a particular emphasis on the nature of role, authority and leadership within these contexts. The discipline itself stems from the idea that organisations and groups generate anxiety among their members, which gives rise to defensive mechanisms which can lead a group to exist in a fantasy world dominated by emotion and riddled with miscalculations. Group relations aims to reveal and work with the unconscious processes and dynamics at play, exploring how defensive mechanisms such as projections, enactments and denial link to the group and its organisational life. Group relations conferences are underpinned by theory and will take on a certain structure and design. Conferences will have a primary task and a ‘group-as-a-whole’ consultative stance and a minimum length.
