“not quite what I had anticipated….”

“In the end, what major take away, what major application? The course was not quite what I had anticipated – tips and techniques on how to coach boards.  It ended up being a course that I had needed. It came at a time of turbulence and disruption in my professional life and it was a support to deal with the ‘slings and arrows’ of organisational life. What will remain with me is not ‘what to do with a board’ but ‘how to be a board.’ The programme taught me to notice, to acknowledge, to articulate and to clasp what is in one’s vicinity – to embrace what traditionally I have ignored or denied. This is what I will apply with diligence.”
 _{A Former Programme Participant}

This statement encapsulates the programme’s aims – over the course of 4 x 2-day residential modules at Cumberland Lodge, just outside London – venturing deep into the realms of personal and group experience as we take up one, and sometimes several, roles: as board members; as leaders; as followers; as colleagues; and applying our scientific minds and our gut feelings to the tasks of boards and their sub-committees.

The Tavistock Institute proudly announces the 6th annual certificated programme on Dynamics @ Board Level – applications are now being invited. The programme has won international recognition as the primary place for board members and board catalytic agents: like evaluators; consultants; coaches, to engage in mutual learning about: the role of boards; the challenges of good governance by boards; the dynamics of gender; race; age; class and our typical avoidance of preparing for succession. At the organisational level, the programme compares the demands, requirements and dynamics of the boards of public commercial companies; boards in the public sector; government and family businesses.

Participants of the programme can expect to learn about the influence of individual, group and systemic dynamics that sometimes interfere with optimum board effectiveness. You will gain skills in addressing the unconscious workings of whole-system dynamics through experience-based learning. This will ensure that what you learn is not just words and theories but you will creatively participate in an integrated programme that addresses both the practical demands and underlying group dynamics of a board.

Participants will be better placed to help diagnose, evaluate and remedy blind spots, basic assumptions and dysfunctional anxieties before they grow into insurmountable problems. The programme offers opportunities to learn how to help your board/s explore resistance-to-change, dynamics that can affect strategy-setting, succession planning, remuneration levels and other anomalies at board level.

Enquiries and Applications: if you would like a brochure for this programme or have any questions, please contact Rachel Kelly: email r.kelly@tavinstitute.org or call Rachel on +44 (0)20 7457 3927.

Certificate in Dynamics at Board-Level 2017

Module 1                     19 – 20 June

Module 2                     24 – 25 July

Module 3                     4 – 5 September

Module 4                     13 – 14 November

Programme Directors: Leslie Brissett, PhD and Mannie Sher, PhD