Introduction

Introduction Each gathering has a specific direction we put our attention towards. Going from one module to the next represents a shift in where we direct our attention. In the first part of the program, we focus inwards, we look at our own behavior, thoughts, feelings and mental models in an introspective manner. In the second part of the program, we direct our attention outwards, towards other people, sensing the relational field and what is happening between people, you in relation to others. In the third module, we direct our attention towards what is happening around us, at the society and systems in which we are a part of.

Relations

As humans, we are inherently social. We grow, learn, live and work together with others. Biologically and culturally, our lives and behaviours are closely connected to and dependent on others around us. The way we learn, adapt to and navigate the world around us is not only an individual and cognitive process - it is also a social and collective process where we learn to do things in relation to and together with others. In this part of the program, we are directing our attention to what happens between people, both one-on-one, and in groups and organizations. We draw focus on the dynamics and qualities between people, like communication, interaction, power, conflict, trust. The characteristics and quality in any relation have to do with what each person brings in. As we have experienced in the last gatherings, each of us is complex on our own, shaped by our previous experiences, thoughts, values, etc. We continue with self-reflexivity, as focusing on relations brings out parts of ourselves, and by creating personal strategies we can influence the characteristics and quality of the relations we are in, and what they make possible. In addition to this, by setting attention to relations, we aim to understand and sense what is happening beyond us as an individual. What emerges and happens when people are together, and how we might make use of and shape those collective processes. By practicing putting attention to relations, and gaining greater awareness of complex relational processes, we will be able to get a better sense of what is possible together with others, how relations can support the work we want to do, and what it really takes to take initiative and have impact among other people.