Beyond the theory of everything

Abstract

Group analysis sprang from the same mid-twentieth-century intellectual paradigm as systems theory and advances in physics and biology emphasising the interconnectedness of everything, bearing fruit in contingency, complexity and chaos thinking; one of its ‘fathers’ was the sociologist Norbert Elias. Group-analytic conversation reflects the complexity of reality, and complexity thinking gives a means of articulating that complexity. Conversation is the central process and the goal of group analysis, and also of team coaching. Dealing with attendance issues in a structured way emphasises the importance of the coaching, and can surface tensions about it; and manage attendance/apologies through a high status internal partner, ideally the commissioner/team leader. When encouraging people to share feelings in a team coaching session, be careful to attend to the dignity and well-being of each individual, and intervene to forestall over-exposure. Team coaching is an intricate undertaking that relies on an interplay of practice, theoretical awareness, experiential learning and reflection on practice.

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