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Leadership and management in the public and voluntary sectors: a systemic perspective (CPD23)

A systemic exploration of leadership and organisational change in the workplace: context, self and relationships

We are aiming to co-create systemically informed leaders who are highly attuned to context and who can bring the whole range of systemic relational skills to the task of leadership and management in today’s changing and uncertain political and financial climate.

Through live seminars, readings and group exercises, this online course will be of value to leaders working in a wide range of settings and provide you with an experiential, practical and theoretically grounded systemic approach to the development of leadership abilities. For example, but not limited to, you might be working in health, social care, education, local government, or the charity or not-for-profit sector

On completing the course, you will have the confidence and ability to manage change and uncertainty, whilst honouring core personal, professional and service values, enabling you to reshape services, respect diversity, challenge injustice and oppression and sustain and enhance motivation in the workforce.

This cohort is now full and closed to new applications. Please “register your interest” to be informed of the next opportunity to apply for the course.

Aims and learning objectives

This online course will allow you to:

  • explore a systemic framework and understanding of organisations with the focus on relationships, considering the context and cultures in which people are working and the various levels of meaning which shape our abilities to act
  • gain a theoretical understanding within which to reflect upon and prepare for the processes of leadership and management
  • examine the processes involved in carrying out leadership and management tasks, reflecting on your own experiences and common concerns arising in the workplace
  • increase awareness of your own approach to leadership, enhancing personal and professional stories and foregrounding values in service delivery
  • reflect on practices of power in your organisational context and take up an active anti-racist stance in addition to attending to other aspects of diversity
  • facilitate the process of applying knowledge and skills from the course to your daily work via project work and consultation.
  • develop leadership and management skills that facilitate the effective delivery of the outcomes required
  • embed confidence and agility in applying systemic ideas to the process of leadership and management

Who is this course for?

This course will appeal to those in senior leadership positions. You may be a senior manager or team leader, or an existing manager who is considering a senior management role, and would like the opportunity to enhance your skills.

You may be working in, for example, health and social care, education, local government, charities or not for profit organisations.

Course details

This cohort is now full and closed to new applications. Please “register your interest” to be informed of the next opportunity to apply for the course.

The course is designed with a focus on action learning.

It consists of 12 workshops (42 learning hours in total), made up of half-day sessions, with a mixture of formal staff input, experiential learning, small and large groups and experiential exercises.

SessionsDateStart timeEnd time
Session 1/12Monday 15 April 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 2/12Monday 22 April 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 3/12Monday 29 April 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 4/12Monday 13 May 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 5/12Monday 20 May 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 6/12Monday 3 June 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 7/12Monday 10 June 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 8/12Monday 17 June 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 9/12Monday 24 June 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 10/12Monday 1 July 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 11/12Monday 8 July 20249:30am1.00pm
Session 12/12Monday 15 July 20249:30am1.00pm

During the course there will be the opportunity to bring a management task or activity that you are engaged in and discuss it in a facilitated coaching conversation with other course members and tutors.

This course will be delivered remotely using Zoom.

You will need a device with a microphone and camera together with a suitably fast internet connection. Although mobile devices and tablets can be used, we recommend the use of a laptop or desktop PC for the best experience. Some devices provided by employers may have restrictions in place. Please use this Zoom test link to check your set up before booking.

You will be sent the necessary login link about a week before the course start date. Should you have any concerns about the accessibility of remote delivery please contact us to discuss how we can best help you.

Over the course you will cover the following areas:

  • your own leadership journey, developing your skills and abilities drawing on the personal and professional in the context of the organisation and your relationships and privileging values
  • theoretical overview, drawing from a range of systemic ideas including a whole systems approach, coordinated management of meaning, social constructionism and narrative ideas
  • understanding your and other participants’ organisations and positions within these. You will be able to observe and reflect on ways of communicating and the range of possibilities available to in your practice
  • exploring the task of systemic leadership, management and consultation
  • reflexive leadership – throughout the course, you will develop skills in reflexivity including taking up an ‘observer position’ in relation to your own behaviour and actions and those of others to effect change
  • the political and social context and organisational culture – systemic ideas are used to help make sense of the contradictions and complexities that occur in a variety of organisational cultures both within and between these and external environments
  • an active stance towards challenging injustice and oppression, exploring differential power, honouring diversity and cultivating small acts of resistance, radical candour and constructive awkwardness and
  • management of change – the challenge for leadership is how to manage and lead organisations that will survive but maintain their core values and identities within new contexts
  • application of systemic thinking via skills practice with opportunities to apply systemic ideas to work situations and receive systemic coaching and feedback

You will be expected to have some basic knowledge of systemic ideas which you’ll be asked to outline on the application form.

Library membership

Included in your course fee, you will receive online membership to the Tavistock’s internationally-renowned library for the duration of your course.

Our friendly and knowledgeable library team will help to support you through your specialist CPD course, whatever your level of professional or academic experience. You will have access to an extensive range of eBooks, online journals, all the relevant key databases and our specialist audio-visual collection, plus reference access to all our print books.

Our information skills trainer has made lots of material available on Moodle to help you navigate our comprehensive electronic collections. PCs and photocopiers are available for your use (charges apply for printing and copying), as well as various online resources including audio/video playlists.

You may also be interested in…

Like to know more about courses or bespoke training around leadership and management? Find out more at Tavistock Consulting.

Between the modules, one session will be devoted to facilitated consultations where delegates will be able to practice using the tools learnt in the first sessions to the resolution of a workplace dilemma relevant to their setting.

Testimonials

“Very interesting, energising training. It was good to hear about the experiences of people from many different services. I will be a more confident and vibrant leader after this training.”
Student
“I loved all of it, its been my community of practice it has affirmed that this is what I want to do more of. All facilitators have been fantastic, amazing learning and teaching and practice wisdom.”
Student
“It was a very enriching, supportive and inspiring learning experience. It made a huge difference for me personally in my role as a beginning deputy lead in my organization. Thanks so much!”
Student
“Very rich learning with clear guidelines in which to find my own creativity.”
Student
“Fantastic course – I have learnt so much and feel very energised.”
Student

Course facilitators

  • Ngozi Anuforo

    Systemic Family Psychotherapist, leadership coach, mentor, and facilitator

  • Kerri Newns

    Kerri Newns

    Systemic Family Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor, Lecturer, External Examiner, and Organisational Consultant.

Register your interest

Applications are now closed. Register your interest and be the first to hear when this course reopens.

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