096: Organisational Constellations: Inspiring Stories of Systemic Change

November 5, 2015

Constellation work is a powerful way of resolving issues within systems that keep individuals, couples, families and organisations stuck.

Constellation work allows people to experience a completely new view of a system so they are aware of the patterns in a system and respond in healthier ways.

It’s a powerful way to work in a group setting that involves choosing representatives from the group and setting up the system so it can be understood better.

While there is still much we don’t know about constellations because it’s a new field, we do know that they are powerful agents of change that can affect how people can handle their personal and professional lives.

In this podcast we speak with organisational consultant and coach Jan Jacob Stam who is an expert constellation facilitator based in the Netherlands.

In this interview Jan discusses:

  • what is constellation work, how and why it works
  • how constellation work is set up in a group setting
  • what settings can constellation work be used in
  • his work with organisational change
  • the most difficult family dynamics to shift in organisations
  • what is a double bind and why they are so challenging in systems
  • the most powerful impact family/organisational constellations have had on his personal and business life
  • why rituals are important in constellation work
  • how conflicting leading principles often lead to organisational issues
  • case studies of how constellation work has opened up greater possibilities for an organisation

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

 

About Jan Jacob Stam

Jan Jacob StamJan Jacob is an Organizational and Management Consultant and Coach, internationally recognized as a leader in his field. His current book ‘Fields of Connection’, how to work with Organizational Constellations. Over the past decade he has been in high demand around the world presenting at national and international conferences, conduction trainings and workshops, recently joining ISCA’S International Faculty at Bernried in Germany.

Early in his career he studied biology and educational sciences working as a teacher and for many years a partner and management consultant with a Dutch consulting firm. He founded the Dutch ‘Bert Hellinger Institute’ officially opened by Bert Hellinger. He lives with his wife Bibi and their two children in a former farmhouse in the Netherlands.
“The systemic way of thinking and looking at the world helps us to become aware of the mechanisms and dynamics that are at work in systems that we normally never notice. These are the dynamics that can, in one moment, give us wings to fly and in another moment, hold us paralysed and unable to act. Sometimes I feel like a little boy, playing at the beach and finding this beautiful shell of systemic work. There is so much more to explore in this field and what I’ve learned so far I’m most happy to share with other people.” www.hellingerinstituut.nl

Listen to the audio with the player at the top of this post, or listen on SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, or subscribe in iTunes.

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