Attending the Leicester Conference

Since its formation in 1957, the Leicester Conference has continued to represent a unique contribution to our understanding of learning about the dynamics of groups in organisations and social contexts. There is now a range of group relations conferences taking place on every continent every month of the year, but there is only one Leicester Conference. 

So what makes the Leicester Conference unlike any other?

Firstly, it is 14 days long. The investment of time and energy it takes for a sustained inquiry into the lived experience of organisational life is intense and demanding as much as it is illuminating and rewarding. Unlike a workshop or retreat, the demand on the members is significant, and in itself, requires a level of reflexivity and capacity for reflection and openness that many find very challenging. For this reason, people who are facing emotional difficulties are advised not to apply or attend a Leicester Conference.

A Group Relations Conference is not just a personal and professional development opportunity, it also offers a platform from which to deepen the layers of study and understanding of the Leicester Conference as a learning institution (that has evolved over time) as well as the Leicester Conference as a learning organisation (the unique manifestation of the organisation in a particular year). To some extent, there is historicity to learning at the Conference. Drawing on the action learning roots of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations and the National Training Laboratories traditions, a Group Relations Working Conference is so termed, as it is a method of learning by doing.

This year, the conference will be structured as 3 sub-Conferences, A, B and Deepening Learning Group. The A Sub-Conference is open to anyone with or without residential group relations conference experience. The B Sub-Conference, directed by Dr Allan Shafer, is open to those who have attended several residential Group Relations conferences before one of which may have been a Leicester Conference. The Deepening Learning Group, directed by Dr Eliat Aram, is for those who have attended a Leicester Conference before, have much process consultancy experience and a range of other residential group relations conference experiences. 

The opportunity to save £500 from the conference fees ends on 6th May 2019. 

Find out more about the Leicester Conference

For further details, to apply, or if you have any questions, please contact Anabel Navarro, Pre-Conference Administrator.