In answer to questions about training for individual organizations; Yes; Individuals do train in organizational structure and group process. Whole organizations can train in processing their own issues. There are two basic ideas that can be useful to organizations here. The first is that the organization itself is a ghost role; that means that the “spirit” of the organization is a role that needs to be represented and speak for itself. And the second basic idea is that on-site training supports everyone learning inner, relationship and organizational group process methods.
Organizational Work
To understand yourself you need to explore your inner experiences.
Likewise, if multi-leveled organizations want to know themselves, they need to explore open forums to understand their various parts. Open Forums in my definition are structured, person-to-person or cyber-space, democratic meetings, in which everyone feels represented. Furthermore, they are facilitated in a deeply democratic manner, which means the deepest feelings and dreams can also be expressed. In other words, the Open Forum is to a corporation or city as innerwork is to an individual…an organization’s self-discovery process depends on openness to the diversity of its individual members, and the diversity of their inner and outer worlds.
Arnold Mindell in The Deep Democracy of Open Forums, p.3
Arlene and Jean Claude Audergon recently used worldwork techniques to bring out the background processes and future possibilities of the United Kingdom’s Council of Psychotherapy. This is the largest such organization in the UK representing a vast and diverse number of counselors, psychologists and practitioners. The Council vice president, Tom Warnecke describes that event in the Council’s ‘Transforming Times‘ (page 38 in pdf version).
One of USB-ED’s new Change Leadership & Management division’s members, Patricia Bastani wrote a profile draft (assisted by Keith R. Schlesinger) a few years back about process work and organisational education at the University of Stellenbosch Business School in near Cape Town, South Africa.
“One of CLM’s (Change and Leadership Management’s) foundational methodologies is “Process Work,” a mode of facilitated conflict resolution and change dynamics developed over the past two decades by Arnold and Amy Mindell. USB-ED and Dr. Mindell’s Process Work Institute in the USA are currently negotiating to establish the Arnold Mindell Process Work Institute in South Africa, as part of the consultancy’s strategy to develop strategic partnerships and associations with institutions worldwide.
A key premise of Process Work is that, “Most organisational and world leaders … have little training in understanding people or helping groups to change”. (All quotes by Mindell are from The Deep Democracy of Open Forums [2002]). Habits, traditions, and even some so-called best practises “unwittingly marginalize ‘irregular’ people, feelings and emotions while supporting the communication style of one culture over others. … [N]onmajority feelings … [are] simply ruled ‘out of order’”. The most capable people often create the most serious obstacles to progress. “[T]yrannical leaders still flourish everywhere, and most go unseen in every corner of even the ‘nicest’ organisations. … Any one of us can unwittingly hurt others simply by being unaware of the powers we have and how we use them. If we are not careful, the very attempt to ‘raise consciousness’ can simply recycle the very abusive behaviour we hope to correct”.
The path to effective organisational change lies in the Deep Democracy of Open Forums. Process Work transcends the limits of procedural governance and bureaucracy. “The Open Forum shows how to stop abuse taking place in a given moment on a person-to-person level”. CLM supports and extends the benefits of Open Forums with a variety of state-of-the-art learning and consulting interventions, including Governance Assessment”.
We decided to post this heartwarming and hopeful community-worldwork report only now because of the world’s difficult times. The worldwork scene reported here was created by the Haida Community, under the direction of Patty Daniels from the Gowgaia Institute at Haida Gwaii, (the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada). The community meeting reported on here took place in 1999. We are so very thankful to all the Haida people for what we learned and experienced there. Their report is the attached Haida pdf.
Download the article… (PDF format; download Adobe Acrobat Reader here)