Working with diversity of interests

Two international workshops are organised for managers, consultants and trainers who wish to learn about “leading collaborative processes”.

Collaboration refers to those particular situations where people (or representatives) come together because of their membership in other organisations, groups or social categories. As such collaboration is becoming a critical competence in our current society.

• Organisations become more involved in subcontracting, co-makerships, strategic alliances and networks where they are confronted with diversity of interests expressed by these legally independent entities.
• Within organisations we see an increasing reliance on project work in which members of different disciplines, functions or specialisms are brought together. From this diversity of expertise one wants to gain creativity and completeness.
• Diversity of stakeholders becomes represented in boards, or they come together in Search Conferences for strategy development.
• In society we are more often confronted with “problematiques” or system of problems. Their resolution demands a multiple perspective on the problem as well as the commitment of resources by different parties.

In all of these situations one relies on one’s skills in “leading collaborative processes”. Yet, most of us have learned to compete, not to collaborate. Even our leadership models fail in these new situations where hierarchical relations are absent and where power loses its expected impact on independent parties. Collaboration is a learned competence for a civilized society.

The first workshop is based on learning from experience. During the two days the participants take part in a simulation the YACHT-CLUB. This simulation is based on a real multiparty issue that emerged on an Island near Saint Petersburg, Russia. The issue is sufficiently removed, yet familiar enough for people to identify with, so that the dynamics of diversity of interests come to play an important part. Six to eight interest groups can become involved (up to 30 participants) and events evolve in real time.

Learning

Participants are enabled to learn about collaboration or leading in collaborative processes, about intergroup relations and boundary roles, while they meet themselves in the kind of roles they take and the way they face unfamiliar challenges.

The programme is open for a maximum of 30 participants.

The second workshop consists of two days for conceptual presentations and practice.

• Intervention methods pertinent to multiparty issues: Search Conferences, Third Party Consultation, Mediation and Convening meetings for different interest groups.
• Theory and findings on Interest versus Positional bargaining, Boundary role behaviour, Social Identity theory, Defensive behaviour and explorations into Trust Building, Collaborative Leadership and Supportive Structures.

Staffing

The programme is organised by Professional Development International.

For more information or enrolments please contact Sandra Schruijer:

e-mail: info@pro-dev.eu