Dear Prospective Participant,
Caribbean Leadership is now in a more vulnerable position than ever before, and at the same time on fertile ground for innovation and development. Today in 2023, traditional structures and processes are unprotected by the rapid change in technology, instant communication, and the ease of acquiring knowledge and skills.
The fast pace of technology and the challenges of global supply chain, geo political and climate change, invite Caribbean leaders to come together in collaboration, to harness the opportunities emerging, for the modernization and growth of organizations and the region.
The Newsday editorial on February 24th 2023, Woes for Caricom leaders, “IN RECENT TIMES Caricom leaders have been experiencing first-hand how tenuous their grasp on power and status can be”, exemplifies Caribbean leadership need for greater awareness and collaboration. Leaders are now more vulnerable and at more risk, as authority keeps shifting in the present technological world.
Power is the force that drives people to engage in a direction for the benefit and survival of organizations. This force may be transmitted or move, depending on the authority of persons or groups with control of the resources, and resonance. How do you find and make sense of your role, in your context?
How is power lost or transferred in a networked world? Who holds authority when power keeps shifting? How can leaders maintain their authority and be comfortable with their vulnerability in an unstable environment? What can leaders or organizations do to take the necessary risks required for collaboration and growth, when the trauma of past experiences is very present and the economic and social environment is unfamiliar?
Join us for this experiential learning event, at The University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus, Faculty of Social Sciences, where we discover as leaders, Vulnerabilities and Caribbean Leadership, with the complexity of Power Authority and Trust in this accelerated technological world.
I look forward to learning with you in our 6th Caribbean Group Relations Conference, delivered by The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, UK, with Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd.
Mary Fullerton
Director
Caribbean Conference 2023
About
What is Learning in a Group Relations Conference, and what makes it so powerful?
A Group Relations Conference is an educational event which is based on learning through experience.
The conference design has been developed by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, since 1957. It provides a unique framework, within which senior and aspiring senior leaders, are able to learn about themselves, and the ways that groups and organisations affect them in taking up their roles. The strategic and structural dynamics of organizations can be studied and understood, and the knowledge can then be applied.
We create a temporary organisation that is set up to study its own behaviour as it happens. The temporary organisation is headed by a Director and the staff team that is appointed by the Director to work with the members of the organisation.
The staff do not manage the members, they work to provide consultancy in the form of working hypotheses about what may be happening in the conference events. These hypotheses are available for testing and review. In this way, we create a “Working Conference” where members are actively engaged in exploration, not sitting back being filled up with the opinions and findings of speakers, as they are in a traditional “conference”. As an active inquirer, members of the organisation will have the opportunity to explore their own assumptions, feelings and attitudes towards leadership in general, and the leadership of this Working Conference in particular.
Primary Task
To study the exercise of leadership, authority, and the dynamics of power, trust, and vulnerabilities, through interpersonal, inter-group and institutional relations, that develop within the conference, as a temporary organisation, in its wider context.
There are issues of power, faith, belief, history, skin colour, geography, and class, that have left scars and challenges in people all over the world. How can these scars be harnessed as resources to transcend and expand our capacities to lead and follow? We believe that our conference promotes the integration of intellectual capacity and emotional intelligence so producing leaders who have creative visionary potential, enabling them to work more effectively at helping themselves and their employees , colleagues and clients to adapt to and take on future roles.
Benefits
This Conference is for anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of managerial and leadership processes in organisations. The Conference provides a structured context of different systems and sub-systems in the “here and now”. It explores the dynamics of leadership, presence, authority, change, dissent, collaboration and transformation as they arise and unfold.
Participants may come from private and public organizations and includes Business Leaders, Consultants, Board Members, CEOs, Managers, Clinicians, Administrators, HR, Marketing, Production and Financial Professionals, Public Sector Managers, Local Authorities, Political, Diplomatic, NGOs, Religious, National Security, Educators, Activists, Researchers, Team Leaders, Medical Professionals.
Benefits to participants include:
- Identifying personal characteristics while exercising leadership and the effect on others
- Recognising how phenomena such as alliance and coalition formation affect the understanding of the group, by the group; and how it shapes motives and power bases
- Exploring competition, rivalry and what lies beyond immediate awareness that remain hidden in everyday interaction
- Locating and managing resistance to change in yourself and others
- Understanding how you influence or are influenced by others and the ensuing consequences – intended or unintended
- Developing skills and sharpening insights into how strategies take shape when groups function
- Developing a capacity for creativity and interpersonal relationships and building better team performers
- Inspiring strategic thinking and improving the capacity to lead in turbulent times
- Recognizing the barriers to communication
Benefits to organisations include:
- Increased capacity to lead and manage in a rapidly changing and complex environment
- Enhanced leadership and communication culture, inspiring higher levels of responsibility, accountability, productivity and profitability
- Inspiring healthy interpersonal communication among the leadership and general staff
- Assisting department leaders to align their departments’ goals with the macro objectives of the organisation
Registration
Caribbean Group Relations Consulting, The Tavistock Institute & The University of the West Indies present
Power Authority Trust: Exploring Vulnerability and Caribbean Leadership
Note: This is a non-residential conference. For travellers outside of Trinidad, a number of local hotels and venues are available. Contact: mary@caribbeangroupconsulting.com or 868 681 3483
Dates
19th to 21st October, 2023
Venue
Faculty of Social Sciences
The University of the West Indies
St Augustine Campus
Agostini Street, St Augustine
Trinidad and Tobago
Cost
TT$3950.00 / US$643.00
The conference fee includes lunch.
Discounts
Early Bird Discount:
Less TT$400.00 / US$65.00, book by 25th September, 2023
Past Participant Discount:
Less TT$600.00
Discount for two or more persons from the same organisation:
Less TT$600.00 per person
Student Discount:
Total Cost per person TT$2,300.00 (Space is limited)
Bursaries are available, based on financial need, email:- mary@caribbeangroupconsulting.com or call 681 3483.
Closing Date for Applications
Friday 6th October, 2023
Register Now
Payment Options
Remit payment by Bank Transfer to:
Account Name: The Buzz Ltd.
Bank Name: First Citizens Bank Limited
Bank Address: 44-46 Maraval Road, Port of Spain
Bank Account No.: 1654712
Remit payment by Cheque to:
22 DeVerteuil Street,
Woodbrook,
Trinidad and Tobago
Make cheque out to: The Buzz Ltd.
Refunds & Cancellations
50% Refund for cancellations made before 30th August, 2023
No Refunds for cancellations made after 30th August, 2023
Please note: We suggest that if you are living through particular personal difficulties that you consider postponing your attendance to next year as the conference is designed as a learning event and is not a substitute for personal psychotherapy.
Conference Staff
Conference Directorate
Mary Fullerton,
EMBA,TIHR (P3C), (DBL)
Conference Director
Director of Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd; Organisational Consultant/ Accredited Leadership Coach; Partner of The Buzz Limited; Founder/Director of non-profit ADHD Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago
Leslie Brissett,
JP, PhD
Associate Conference Director
Group Relations Programme Director, TIHR; Magistrate, FE Governor, ISAAC member, BPC; UK
Sharon Mangroo,
M.Sc. Dip.ED. B.Sc
Conference Operations Manager
CEO, Catholic Education Board of Management;
Professional experience at primary and secondary levels of the school system as well as teacher education, educational administration and assessment and
examinations.
Consultant Staff
Mary Fullerton,
EMBA,TIHR (P3C), (DBL)
Director of Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd; Organisational Consultant/ Accredited Leadership Coach, Partner of The Buzz Limited; Founder/Director of non-profit ADHD Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago
Leslie Brissett,
JP, PhD
Group Relations Programme Director, TIHR; Magistrate, FE Governor, ISAAC member, BPC; UK
Urban Hudlin, OP, MSc, MA, TIHR (P3C), (DBL)
Director of Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd.; Director of Veritas Consultancy; Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, Dublin; Dominican Priest
Rachel Kelly, BA MSTAT
Group Relations and Organisational Development Consultant at the Tavistock Institute with extensive experience of Leicester conferences and
international GR conferences. Member, Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique
Keith Lequay, PhD
Organisational Psychologist; Lecturer; Group Relations Consultant; Staff Consultant at Leadership and Group Relations Conferences Internationally and the Caribbean; Former Executive Member and Certified Group Relations Consultant with the AKRice Institute (USA)
Kathleen Stroud, M.A.
Leadership and Organizational Analyst; Director Leadership Core Ltd.
How Staff Work in the Conference
While staff and members are both participants, the conference accords them different roles.
The staff members of the conference are allocated to each of the events in the role of consultants or in the role of collective management to work to the primary task of the event and to the task of the conference as a whole.
This they do through the offering of working hypotheses and other forms of interventions.
The staff work constantly trying to make sense of their own experiences and what is happening for members.
It is expected that staff hypotheses and interpretations will also create the possibility for individual members to reflect on what they represent to the group, what they are taking in from the group and what they are contributing to the group, particularly in terms of what may be happening unconsciously and in ways that are more hidden.
Previous Participants
- Office of the Prime Minister – T&T
- Catholic Education Board of Management – T&T
- Heritage Petroleum Company Limited – T&T
- Ministry of Gender and Child Affairs – T&T
- Odyssey Consultinc Limited – T&T
- A. K. Rice Institute – USA
- ACNJ – UK
- Antilles Episcopal Conference – T&T
- Archdiocese of Port of Spain – T&T
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland – Finland
- Arrow Group – Abu Dhabi
- Broadcasting Commission – Jamaica
- Jacobs & Jacobs – Peru
- New York University – USA
- Prins in Communicatie – The Netherlands
- RtL Consultancy – Hungary
- Schenectady City School District – USA
- Society of African Missions – Afrikahuis
- Society of St Vincent de Paul – T&T
- Tavistock Clinic – UK
- The Nursing Council of Trinidad and Tobago – T&T
- The Second Chair – UK
- C.F. International Marketing – T&T
- Dr. Bob LLC – USA
- FT Farfan Ltd – T&T
- Guardian Shared Services Ltd – T&T
- The Buzz Ltd. – T&T
- Tigh-na-Fios Consulting, Scotland – UK
- Synapse Psychological Services Inc. – Barbados
- TECU Credit Union Co-operative Society Limited – T&T
- The University of Trinidad and Tobago – T&T
- TRINRE Insurance Company Limited – T&T
- University of Richmond – USA
- University of Central Missouri – USA
- University of Pennsylvania – USA
- University of South Africa – Africa
- Global Workforce Development & Transformative Education Solutions – Jamaica
- UWI-Arthur LokJack GSB – T&T
- UWI School of Business and Applied Studies Limited – T&T
- Agricultural Development Bank of Trinidad and Tobago – T&T
- Beijing Jiaotong University, Counselling Center – China
- Ministry of Education – T&T
- RMC Counselling – USA
- Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists – T&T
- Therapy and Beyond – T&T
- Consultation and Coaching Services – USA
- IMSITSAI – USA
- PARC – Canada
- City of Toronto – Canada
- Olly Potts Leadership Consulting
- COTT – T&T
- Private Practice – USA / T&T
- iTutortt – T&T
- Caribbean Catalyst Inc. – Barbados
- Piarco Air Services Limited – T&T
- Independent Researcher/ Consultant – UK
- Providence Girls’ Catholic School – T&T
- St. Joseph’s Convent, St. Joseph – T&T
- St. Joseph’s Convent San Fernando – T&T
- Sandstone Consulting Limited – T&T
Sponsoring Institutions
Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd.
Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd. was created to provide services in the areas of, organisational change and transformation to organisations, consulting in public and private sectors. Our members work as Consultants, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists, and Organisational Psychologists. Caribbean Group Relations Consulting Ltd., is working to develop and apply the field of Group Relations and Systems Psychodynamics in the Caribbean.
The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations is a not-for-profit, UK based organisation which applies social science to contemporary issues and problems.The Institute is engaged with evaluation and action research, organisational development and change consultancy, executive coaching and professional development, all in service of supporting sustainable change and ongoing learning.
University of the West Indies Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences is the largest Faculty in the University of the West Indies. Its vision is to be social engaged, and solutions oriented. Students who are part of this Faculty become deep thinkers and creators of solutions that can affect and change increasing societal challenges. The Faculty seeks to realise this vision by focusing on lifelong learning for sustainable impact.