Stepping towards new horizons

TAO 3 is for people who want to deepen their consultancy and organizational development skills. The participants are expected to attend the workshops, intervision groups and write a case study of a consultancy process. The TAO1 and TAO2 programs are mandatory before attending TAO3.

Description workshops TAO3

1. Structure of organizations: As a TA consultant, Berne focused on the boundaries between environment, membership and leadership to diagnose organizations. In this workshop we will give an overview of the Ta organizational theory. We will learn about the public structure and the leadership, membership and apparatus. And we will focus on the private structure, which is based on the unconscious expectations and imago of the people in the organization.
2. The leadership journey: Leadership and followership is one of the first elements of script we develop. One of the sources that inspired Berne to think about life script was the work of anthropologist Joseph Campbell. Campbell wrote his book ‘Hero with a Thousand Faces' in 1949. We will journey through the twelve steps of a hero’s journey, discovering the mythic aspects of your script formation. We will use film to illustrate each step, describing the essence of each step and the paradoxes that need to be overcome to progress to your next stage of development.
3. Membership and belonging: Research tells us there is an increase in performance when group cohesion is high. As membership of organizations becomes more tenuous, managers and consultants need to focus more on creating this cohesion. In this workshop we’ll look at reasons for membership, developmental stages and strategies to increase cohesion.
4. Dealing with organizational dynamics: When the permeability of the structural boundaries is out of balance, unhealthy dynamics can evolve in the organization. We will learn about what happens when an organization is under pressure, agitation or intrigue and what to do about it.
5. Stages of organizational development: Each organization develops through a series of stages, determined by the complexity of the environment and organizational size. We will simulate five stages of organizational development, each characterized by a specific leadership style, structure and possible problems. Based on Berne’s key ideas and Mintzberg’s structure in fives and relevant case studies, you will learn about: stages of development, typical leadership, culture and prevalent problems and Interventions to facilitate organizational development.
6. Pathology in organizations: Dysfunctional dynamics within an organization are caused by boundary pathology. There are two major types of pathology: boundaries are too permeable or too rigid, causing contamination or exclusion. To be effective, the degree of permeability or complexity of organizational boundaries should be a function of the pressure and dynamics in the environment or in the organization. The type of boundary also has to be compatible with the stage of organizational development
7. Change interventions: In this last workshop we will deal with the case studies brought in by the participants and using the learned concepts, will form a virtual consultancy firm to help the case bringer formulate effective interventions. Goal is to explore specific interventions to increase the durability, effectiveness and efficiency within your organization.

The case study is about the theory and application of a TA concept in a team development or organizational change project. The case study describes contact, contract, problem definition, intervention and results of your work with a client. It is 8-10 pages long and is due the pen-ultimate workshop. For more information: Case study TAO3

The intervision groups take place in between the workshops. Each group consists of 3 to 4 participants. Goal of the intervision groups is to work on assignments, discuss practical application of TA in your work and get coaching on your personal learning contract.

Relevant literature

• Managing Organizational Change. Second Edition by Bill Leban. Hardcover (Sept. 10, 2007);
• The structure and dynamics of groups and organizations. Eric Berne. Ballantine books (1963);
• Principles of group treatment. Eric Berne. Grove Press (1966).

Accreditation
.
The TA coaching and team development program is accredited by the EATA (144 hours training and supervision) and is worth EMCC, ICF and NOBCO credits.

Costs
.
Planning and locations