| PRODN
Learning Event
Monthly
Program:
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
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Summary PRODN Monthly Meeting
Tom Michael PhD, presented the topic of Social Dreaming
to our quaint group of 25 participants. An overview was given on the history
of dreams and relevant meanings, beginning with the biblical reference
of Joseph who became Pharaoh of Egypt. Freud's contribution to the value
of dreams and the work of Gordon Lawrence of England, past director of
the Tavistock Institute who recognized that dreams have direct relevance
for Communities.
The entire group eagerly participated in an exercise facilitated
by Dr. Michael. The requirements were each participant be available for
thinking and willing to randomly share a dream that he or she was comfortable
to tell. Thus forming a Social Dream Matrix (an entity which something
can grow), the purpose was to bring unresolved issues to the surface,
connect with others and understand the life of the group. For 45 minutes
the group openly shared their dreams on a variety of themes ranging from
personal, business, family and universal issues. Dr. Michael concluded
the exercise with interpretations of what our dreams collectively meant.
The results were that we able to open our inner selves to each other feeling
extremely connected, and fully energized as a group.
We concluded the evening session with discussion of the
value of using the Social Dream Matrix in Organizations we serve. Reasoning
how effective the process could prove to be in arriving to viable solutions,
connecting with others, reaching intimacy, eliminating expert and client
confusion and even evoking an emergence of new cultures in organizations.
The topic and the way in which it was presented proved to be purposeful
and relevant.
Original Announcement
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|
 Social
dreaming is an innovative way of working with dreams that moves beyond
the traditional focus on interpreting their meaning. Instead, dreams and
their associations are examined to uncover the social meaning
for the group or organization. Tom Michael, Ph.D. will lead us in
a conversation of our own dreams.
Tom will be joined by Bill Gustafson, an executive with the Vanguard
Corporation. Bill has been a member of a social dreaming matrix that Tom
has been facilitating and he will describe his experiences in the matrix
(they have been dramatic!) and will be ready to talk about the opportunities
and obstacles to the use of social dreaming in organizations.
By working with a "matrix" created as a result of the conversation
in our group, we will collectively explore themes and meanings that surface
for us in addition to the business application with social dreaming. Additionally,
there will be opportunities for participants to work in small groups to
explore application of the insights that emerge during the evening.
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| What is Social Dreaming? |
Social Dreaming moves beyond the traditional focus on interpreting
individuals' dreams, to finding links and making connections between the
dreams of different dreamers and society as a whole. The process of associating
as freely as possible to share dreams allows for the emergence of social
meaning that is unacknowledged by most approaches to social systems. |
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How Can I Use
It In My Work? |
Social dreaming has become a part of the curriculum for training in organizational
consultancy at the William Alanson White Institute in New York.
The idea of a "social dream" occurred to Gordon Lawrence while
leading a Tavistock Group Relations Conference. In "Creating New
Cultures: The Contribution of Social Dreaming" (1994), Tom Michael
suggested that social dreaming can be a foundation for the creation of
new organizational cultures. However, he was not optimistic that leaders
of organizations would soon introduce social dreaming as part of their
strategic planning. That assumption has proved to be not entirely correct.
Lawrence (1995) has described the use of social dreaming at a retreat
for executives of a French conglomerate. Baird (1994) showed how members
of a work team could use associations and connections to their dream images
to improve their work culture and resolve some issues regarding gender,
space, and authority. Hyppa (1993) has described how dreams, when used
with other methods of analysis, can offer valuable assistance in understanding
organization development problems.
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| Who Should Attend? |
 Executives
and Managers
Human
Resource Personnel
Consultants
Mental
Health Professionals
Anyone who works with groups in any aspect of social innovation
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Why Should
You Attend? |
This simple yet startling process will enrich and deepen your understanding
of group and organizational life.
It will provide you with another consulting tool to build group cohesiveness
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| Who is Tom Michael, Ph.D. |
Tom Michael is Professor Emeritus at Rowan University, where he taught
for 27 years in the College of Business. He consults with The Dialogue
Center for Counseling and Consulting in Plymouth Meeting. For ten years
he headed a graduate program in organizational development at Antioch
College Philadelphia. He has been active in social dreaming since 1991,
and has written two chapters in Social Dreaming @ Work, edited by W. Gordon
Lawrence. He will have an additional chapter in a forthcoming book on
social dreaming.
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| If you are interested in learning more about or attending
a three day workshop on Social Dreaming to be conducted September 27 - September
29th at McCall Field, please contact Dr. Marvin Berman at 610.940.0488 or
mhberman@aol.com. |
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Logistics
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Registration
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5:30: Networking
6:00 - 9:00: Program
Location:
Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine
(City Line Avenue Philadelphia)
Parking $4
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Questions: Tricia
Steege
Email:
tsteege@transformstrat.com
Phone: 610-296-0453
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