This  three day experiential conference will provide opportunities to:

•  Learn about group processes through participating in groups that vary in size, structure and goals
• Observe aspects of group life that lead to greater vitality and goal achievement and those which lead to decline and inertia
• Learn how varied aspects of individual identity such as race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, age, ethnicity, nationality, educational level and culture are interpreted and used by groups with and without the conscious consent of the individuals involve
• Experiment with choosing familiar and unfamiliar roles in various group contexts in order to improve your awareness of the roles you and others take up intentionally and unintentionally within work organizations
•  Observe the pattern of group formation, internal workings, and relationships with other groups as these emerge in the context of the conference
• Apply what you have learned during and after the conference to increase your effectiveness as a leader and a follower within the authority structure of your workplace

CONTEXT OF THE CONFERENCE	As never before, our organizations - whether those are multinational corporate, academic, government, military, religious or not-for-profit organizations - are being challenged to
transform the ways they carry out tasks and conduct business. We live in a world that has become highly interconnected and interdependent, opening new opportunities while creating new dilemmas to be managed. Organizational leaders and managers are working with an increasingly diverse workforce, again offering new potential as well as new possibilities for misunderstanding and conflict. Our world faces seemingly intransigent religious, political, and military conflict while the current economic climate is unfavorable to many organizations, diminishing growth and raising questions about survival. And all of this is occurring in the midst of increasing skepticism about organizational integrity and ethics due to the widely reported abuses and failures of those in positions of authority and responsibility.   These trends and concerns have created a renewed interest in issues of authority, leadership and responsible followership in groups and organizations. This conference is designed to provide opportunities for us, individually and collectively, to examine our expectations and assumptions about authority and to study and reflect on how we participate in the exercise of that authority and leadership in our organizations and communities.   The primary task of the conference Is to study the exercise of authority, leadership, followership and responsibility in the taking up of roles through the interpersonal, inter-group and institutional relations that develop within the conference as an organization in its context.
WHO IS THIS CONFERENCE FOR?	This conference is for leaders, managers, educators, researchers, consultants, military personnel, clergy, clinicians, administrators, service providers, professional and technical workers – to
deepen their understanding of professional relationships in a variety of contexts. A subset of the conference membership will be composed of individuals currently enrolled in Group Dynamics: A Systems Perspective (ORL 5362) at Teachers College.       REGISTRATION INFORMATION   Fees: The conference fee is $450, which includes a registration fee of $50. Discounted fees are available to employees of non-profit and governmental agencies and to full-time students.   In addition, discounts are available when three or more individuals from one work organization attend together. Please see the Registration Form for further details. (Individuals currently enrolled in ORL 5362 at Teachers College do not pay a fee; conference costs are included in the tuition and course fees.)   Registration Deadline: The Assistant Director of Administration must receive the Registration Form no later than Wednesday, November 4, 2009. The Registration Form must be accompanied by check, money order or credit card information for payment in full except in the case of enrolled Teachers College students, as noted above. Completed applications will be accepted in the order received until all spaces are filled. Should the conference be oversubscribed, a waiting list will be maintained.   *** Special Note for Students enrolled in ORL 5362 at Teachers College: In order to be guaranteed membership in the conference, applications must be received no later than Friday, October 9, 2009. Thereafter, they will be accepted in the order received, as will other applications, until all spaces are filled.               Withdrawal Policy: Withdrawals after October 16, 2009 will not be refunded. The registration fee of $50 will be withheld to cover administrative costs in the event of earlier withdrawals.   Caution Note Regarding Attendance: We recommend that if you are living through particular personal difficulties that you seriously consider postponing your attendance to another time. While experiential learning such as that available in this conference can be stimulating and enriching, it can occasionally be stressful as well. The conference is not designed as a substitute for personal psychotherapy. Further,Individuals who know in advance that they are unable to attend all sessions are discouraged from applying because the conference events are connected and together create the temporary institution.   Registration Procedures for All Applicants: Send the completed Conference Registration Form and fee to:             Avina Gupta, MA           Assistant Director of Administration           Group Relations Conference Box 22           525 West 120th Street           New York, NY 10027-6696   Further Information: Please contact Avina Gupta, MA, Assistant Director of Administration, at 212-678-3824 orfallconference2009@gmail.com   CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE AND APPLICATION     CONFERENCE STAFF Throughout the conference the roles staff members take are open for examination and reflection by participants and the staff themselves.  It is the purpose of all staff members’ roles, whether they are working in administrative or consulting roles, leadership or followership roles, to encourage and support participant awareness, analysis, reflection, and understanding of the emerging conference dynamics. The consulting staff’s interpretations will focus on group-level phenomena rather than on individuals’ behavior. For those who have not yet experienced this approach it may seem unusual at first.   Directorate:   Barbara B. Winderman, R.N., J.D, Director.+ Attorney, Houston, Texas; Past President and Fellow, AKRI; Past President, Texas Center for the Study of Groups and Organizations++.   Matthew H. Tye, Ph.D., Associate Director.*+ Vice-President, Ritchie | Tye Consulting; Adjunct Faculty, Social and Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University; President, Pratt-Heins Foundation.    Avina Gupta, M.A., Assistant Director of Administration. Doctoral Candidate, Program in Social-Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University; Owner and Personal Trainer, Frangipani Fitness.   Consultants:   Robert F. Baxter, MD+ Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Psychiatric Consultant, Bonita Springs, Florida.  Fellow and Past President, AKRI.     Howard A. Friedman, Ph.D.*+ School Psychologist, City-As-School High School, NYC Dept. Education; Field Work Supervisor, Counseling Department, Teachers College, Columbia University; Vice President, New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations and Social Systems++.    Mary B. McRae, Ed.D.*+ Associate Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development; Private Practice, Organizational Consultant.   Jaime J. Romo, Ed.D. + Organizational Consultant; Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor; Author, "Healing Hearts: A Workbook for Survivors, Thrivers, and Supporters." Matthew H. Tye, Ph.D.*+   Janice K. Wagner, LICSW+ Psychotherapist, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Private Practice, Boston, MA; Faculty Field Advisor, Boston University School of Social Work, Boston MA; Past-President, Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems, Boston MA++. * Member, The New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations and Social Systems      + Member, The A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems        ++ Affiliate, The A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems        Zachary Gabriel Green, Ph.D.  father/writer; Executive Coach, The World Bank Group;  Executive Director, Alexander Institute International, The Netherlands; Graduate Faculty, School of Leadership and Education Sciences, University of San Diego;  Co-Founder, Group Relations International;  Fellow, AKRI.   Betsy A. Hasegawa, Ed.D.+ Organizational Consultant, Constellations Consulting; Associate, Washington-Baltimore Center for the Study of Group Relations++.   Christina Horner, M.A.*  Organizational Consultant; Adjunct Instructor, Department of Applied Psychology, Steinhardt School of Culture, Communication and Human Development, New York University;  Adjunct Instructor, City University of New York, Brooklyn College; Group and Workshop Coordinator, Brooklyn College Personal Counseling Center;  Consultant Candidate, AKRI Training and Certification Program.   Brenda K. Johnson, Ph.D.*+Assistant Professor of Psychology at Cleveland State University.   Marie R. Johnson, MPS+ Educator and Trainer, Diversity Practitioner, Organizational Consultant.     Emily White, Ed.D.*+ Educational Consultant; Core Faculty, Leadership Preparation Institute, Bank Street College of Education.   Barbara B. Winderman, R.N., J.D.+   Associate Administrators:   Mitchell S. Davis  Masters Candidate, Program in Social-Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University.   Alexandra Rivera Masters Candidate, Program in Social-Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University.