International Group Relations Conference
International Group Relations Conferences based on the experiential learning methodology of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations have been taking place in Lithuania since 2010. We invite you to the 15th International Group Relations Conference in Vilnius.
Date: August 17–21, 2026
Format / Location: Face-to-face, Vilnius
EXPLORING CAPACITY TO FEEL AND THINK IN ROLE: LEADERSHIP, AUTHORITY, ORGANIZATION
About the Conference
Information:
Director: Jolita Buzaitytė-Kašalynienė, PhD, Associate professor of Sociology and Social Work Institute, Vilnius University. Co-founder and board member, Lithuanian Group Relations Society. Associate of oezpa Akademie & Consulting (Germany) and professional partner of Tavistock Institute of Human Relations.
Associate Director: Kasparas Laureckis, MA, Social Work at Vilnius University. Head of the programs at NGO Vilnius social club. Group psychotherapist in private practice. Group Analyst in training, Vilnius University. Board member of Lithuanian Social Street Work Association and Lithuanian Group Relations Society. Member of Lithuanian Group Analytic Society.
The conference language is English.
Sponsoring organizations:
Registration
An additional fee for participation in the Consultancy Learning Group is 110 EUR.
A reduced fee of 610 EUR is available for public and NGO sector workers in Lithuania.
An early bird discount of 80 EUR applies to all applications submitted by 7 June 2026.
A limited number of partial bursaries is available. Applications for bursaries are accepted until 7 June 2026.
Applications are open until 26 July 2026. Registration may close earlier if all places are filled.
For further information, please contact the conference administrator Agnė Mažvilaitė at: grupiusantykiai@gmail.com
The conference is organised in the Tavistock tradition of Group Relations.
There are no lectures or presentations. Instead, this is an experiential learning event, where participants study:
- authority and leadership
- roles taken up consciously and unconsciously
- group and organisational dynamics in the here-and-now.
Participants also have the opportunity to join a Consultancy Learning Group, where they can develop their capacity to work as consultants to groups and organisations.
The term “conference” may be misleading — this is a temporary institution created for the purpose of learning from experience.
Value for Organisations
Each year, professionals from various organisations participate. The conference offers a unique opportunity to develop organisational capability in the following areas:
Understanding Psychodynamic Processes in Organisations
There is increasing recognition that unconscious and psychodynamic processes play a vital role in organisational change and adaptability.
Effective leadership and followership require the capacity to recognise, contain and work with emotions, tensions, and systemic dynamics.
Understanding Relationships Within the System
At the conference, participants experience and learn how a system (e.g., organizatin as a whole) and its parts (e.g., management, teams, individuals) interact. They deepen their understanding of managing differences in power and influence. Through experience, participants learn how mechanisms of collaboration and communication function throughout the organization—between conference management and participants (the equivalent of employees in an organization), between groups, within groups, and between individuals. The conference offers an opportunity to experience how relationships and collaboration processes function in a highly diverse environment. For example, differences in age, gender, nationality, participants’ pace, and professional background.
Working with Role and Task
Participants bring their repetitive roles from within the organization and from their past life experiences to the conference. Here and now, they have the opportunity to question and reflect on their role patterns and behavioral patterns. They can try out new roles that they can apply more confidently and be more effective upon returning to the organization. Learning takes place in various formats: small groups, large groups, organizational events, and reflection and application groups. A space is created for an intensive experience to observe how tasks change when participating in different formats, and how roles change accordingly due to this shift. After all, in today’s organizations, it is common to juggle several roles and strive to do so effectively.
Learning in the Here-and-Now
Unlike many other programs where learning outcomes are specified in advance (“what you will learn” and “how you will learn it”), in the Group Relations Conference, learning emerges here and now, and it is available to participants as much as they need it, or as much as they are ready to take in. It is not just a conference; it is a temporary institution where one can learn to exercise one’s authority. Participants return to their organizations seeing and understanding more, ready to listen in new ways.