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The walls within: working with defenses against otherness

Online Conference 5-11 July 2021

El liderazgo de dentro para afuera; una cuestio n de confianza? Resonancias de workshops para desarrollar habilidades de liderazgo desde la perspectiva de Group Relations Conferences, modelo Tavistock

The paper suggests a way of helping leaders facing the difficult problem of how to lead in order to achieve outstanding results from their teams within the organization in the current uncertain and unpredictable environment. Trust is always linked to truth. 'The truth sets you free': it is a universal expression with philosophical content and bearer of hope. Could this metaphor be applied in leadership of organizational life? Or is it an utopia? Furthermore: In what extent betrayal and truth/trust are inseparable concepts? What does it mean the biblical statement that highlights truth as a way to obtain freedom? The freedom we refer at in the paper represents an attempt to free up some of the beliefs and fantasies installed in the leader's minds, often unconscious, that may contaminate their thinking process, especially in facing permanent stressful situations. To reinforce trust in ourselves we need freedom of thinking. This is the result of a greater knowledge about our way of being. A freedom which removes the 'do' as a manner to reduce anxiety, and instead makes room for a 'do not'. This develops the leader negative capability as a matrix of the process of thinking solutions (Robert French, 2001). Which is my truth? This question is a fundamental starting point of the journey to reach my own trust. Also helps the leader and groups to build all other extensions of trust like integrity, reliability, predictability, inclusion, reciprocity, etc. (David Trickey, 2005). Even because the truth 'is a relational concept, also a dynamic process, is situational specific or unique, is an emotional state, and develops as a result of our experience of other people (Lionel F. Stapley, 2006). Our aim is to elucidate how leaders and groups can achieve more understanding about these hidden but powerful and frequently adverse factors of running a business. This will be done according to the model developed by the Tavistock Institute, based on the ideas of Wilfred Bion and the further development of Eric Miller.