We are living in a time of tremendous uncertainty, volatility, and complexity as we grapple with navigating multiple, overlapping global and local crises at once. As feelings of anxiety, grief and rage increase, it is no surprise that organizations, especially those focused on supporting social and system change, are experiencing multiple internal ruptures and implosions. In his seminal article, Building Resilient Organizations, Maurice Mitchell stresses the critical and timely need to build “structurally sound, ideologically coherent, strategically grounded, and emotionally mature” organizations that are equipped to weather these internal conflicts and external crises.

We believe our ecosystem needs more spaces that offer opportunities to learn collectively about what it takes to build resilient organizations and engage in practices of generative conflict. We believe this requires new frameworks, shared analysis, greater perspective taking, deep practice, experimentation, and network building–not only for those leading organizations, but also for those supporting leaders. We also need spaces where leaders and consultants learn side by side about how we deepen our efforts to build and support organizations. Generally, there are separate spaces for organizational leaders and consultants to learn and develop–but we see real potential power in bringing these two groups together to learn and share with each other.

• Executive Directors or senior leaders of organizations grappling with tensions, conflicts, internal ruptures, and/or implosions that are impeding the work: You are looking to engage in sense-making, build out new practices and cultivate a leadership stance that support a more generative relationship to conflict within the organization, and connect with other leaders facing similar challenges.

• Consultants supporting organizations that are grappling with internal tensions, conflicts, implosions and/or ruptures: You are looking to continue developing your learning around conflict transformation and experiment with new approaches. You are eager to build community and learn alongside others in the field facing similar challenges.

• There is a constant swing from crisis to crisis; I feel like the staff and leadership of the organization are always in rapid response mode, and it's just heightening everyone’s anxiety, tension and exhaustion;

• As a leader, I don’t know how to hold power and make leadership decisions in a way that doesn’t feel oppressive to the staff;

• As a consultant, I worry if I am over identifying with the leadership (or staff) of the organization I am consulting with, and want greater distance and perspective;

• How do we deal with the organization’s internal challenges without so much drama?

• I keep witnessing so many patterns around conflict repeating themselves…how do we make fundamental changes that help us move forward in a new way?

This confidential, intimate, experiential, in-person gathering (limited to 20 participants) will provide opportunities to workshop real-time challenges related to organizational conflicts with a diverse group of organizational leaders and consultants. We will apply a range of theories, frameworks, and practices to support our reflection, learning, and growth, including: adult development, complexity theory, embodiment, group relations, strategic questioning, transformational coaching, storytelling, and equity work.

Together, we will collectively practice a new way of “seeing” our challenges through analysis, reflection, perspective-taking, somatic practice and collective feedback.

Participating in this immersive community of practice will provide you with opportunities to: gather multiple new perspectives and feedback about your challenges; apply new tools and frameworks, identify potential experiments, expand, deepen your network relationships, clarify your line of sight and shape a new story.