Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get basic information about group relations theory and practice?
We suggest the following links:
What is authority?
We classically think of authority as the 'right to do work.' More recently some directors have added the importance of responsibility to this definition. Other writers speak of authority as conferred power to perform a service (Heifetz, 1994). In other words, authority is an exchange, something that is given to a leader and can also be taken away. In our conferences we study the challenges involved in the exercise of authority.
It is also important to know that authority can be thought of as formal and related to role. Authority may also be linked by some of us to visible characteristics of individuals, such as age, gender and race. Authority may also be informal, having much more to do with how people see themselves and are seen in their roles.
There is a debate on whether there is any such thing as personal authority. Classically authority requires some other party on whose behalf you are acting. More recently some have argued that one must call on ones own authority to make choices about behavior once one has awareness of such choices. The quote on our homepage seems to support this latter point.
What is a group?
In our thinking, you have a group whenever an aggregate of people are working on a task. Without the task, you simply have a gathering of people. In other definitions, it is important that the people who make up a group think of themselves as such. Further, it is also important that others looking at this gathering of people think of them as a group as well. Key to the study of social systems is what we call the interdependence of group members. This concept simply means that the group members rely on each other in some meaningful way, usually related to carrying out whatever tasks the group has before itself.
One thing about groups is that individual members represents that group in some important way, not just themselves. When the individual member speaks or takes some action, this behavior is done on behalf of the entire group. This final point, that an individual can do work on behalf of a group, sometimes without even realizing it, is central to what we call group relations.
What do you mean by group-as-a-whole?
Group-as-a-whole refers to what happens at the group-level in any kind of social or organizational setting (Wells, 1985). The basic point is this: every member of a group is connected. When a person speaks they are not only speaking for themselves or to another person, they are speaking for the group-as-a-whole. In group relations conferences, we are studying primarily what happens at the group level.
The group-as-a-whole is in the context of five levels of analysis: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Group-as-a-Whole, Intergroup, and Interorganizational. An easy way to think of this construct is to consider an athlete going to the Olympics. There is the athlete (intrapersonal), her relationship to other team members (interpersonal), the team she's a part of for her particular event (group-as-a-whole), her competition with people who represent different teams and countries in that event (intergroup), and her representation of her country alongside others who represent different countries (interorganizational). All these levels can be present concurrently, expressed in or through one person. Our understanding of this process gives us a greater appreciation of the power of the group in our lives.
Why are your events called group relations conferences?
The short version goes something like this… Wilfred Bion, whose work provides the basic tenets of these conferences, wrote Experiences in Groups in 1961. In that book he described his method of "group therapy." It focused not on the individuals in the group but on the group-as-a-whole as well as the unconscious, hidden things that happened. The Tavistock Clinic, with which he was affiliated, nurtured this method and began to give conferences on the relations among and between groups. These events focused on the study of authority, leadership and organizations. In the United States, the group relations tradition continues through these conferences as an instrument of education, held by the A. K. Rice Institute, affiliated and international organizations, and numerous university courses.
What do you mean when you call your events conferences?
They don't look like any other conference I've ever attended.
Some find our language of 'conference' a bit confusing. These events do have an opening general session, breakout groups, working sessions, panels, general sessions, and practice events-- though we don't use those terms. In more common current language, what we call conferences are learning or leadership institutes. Most directors even say during their opening remarks that we are creating a temporary institution. In that light our conferences are designed as complete experiential events. The full benefit of the learning comes from participating in all sessions. Unlike other conferences, given our focus on groups, individual absences influence the group in some way and may change the nature of study. We believe the real power in the learning comes through being part of the whole process.
Group relations events are called conferences all across the world. While we have recently begun to add language to our materials that reflects how such events are more commonly viewed, we will probably still call them conferences.
How are conferences designed?
Conferences are designed to provide opportunities for learning. Most have authority, leadership and organizational life as a central focus. In the last decade, many have also included themes that reflected contemporary issues. There are non-residential conferences where you leave at the end of each day. Longer conferences of five or more days are primarily residential. Using the three-day conference as a starting point, you can expect the Opening, a lecture by the director on basic theory, design, and themes. The Small Study Group, usually the first of three to five such sessions, typically follows it. Sometimes you are assigned to these groups, while at other conferences there is a self-selection process. There are usually up to twelve members and one consultant in these groups. Most weekend conferences also have the Large Study Group. There are typically three or four such sessions at most conferences, where all conference members are in the group with a team of consultants. Then there is the Institutional Event, four to six sessions, where you form your own groups around conference themes and can confer directly with the staff and other groups. There will be a discussion or two with the whole staff and all the members near the end. The conference closes with Review and Application or Role Analysis Groups. These sessions are to help you take the learning home. Our longer conferences include more learning events. For further details, we suggest the Tavistock Primer II (available to AKRI associates at no charge at papers and presentations, or available for purchase through our store).
What is BART?
BART is an acronym or mnemonic device that stands for Boundary, Authority, Role and Task. In addition to the group level analysis and unconscious focus central to group relations work, BART constitutes the rest of the core. In short BART refers to:
- Boundaries-time, task and territory
- Authority-the right to do work
- Role-the manner in which one takes up the task
- Task-the work of the group
The terms are highly interrelated and provide a means to begin to understand what may be going on in the group. For more details on this concept, refer to the Tavistock Primer II (available to AKRI associates at no charge at papers and presentations, or available for purchase through our store). There is also an excellent article about BART in our papers area.
What if I have another question?
Contact us with your questions and we will add the frequently asked ones to this page.
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