Meeting Support Institute

The International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations (ISPSO) provides a forum for academics, clinicians, consultants and others interested in working in and with organizations utilizing psychoanalytic concepts and insights.

The Society's aim is to share organizational research, consultation and experiences in the context of psychoanalysis. The ISPSO holds an annual meeting and symposium, locally organized study groups and ongoing discussions on the Internet and encourages scholarship and research in the field.

Founded in 1985 by some of the most distinguished contributors to the field, the organization presently has a membership of over 200, coming from over twenty countries.

Ib Ravn, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorLearning Lab DenmarkThe Danish University of EducationTuborgvej 164DK-2400 Copenhagen NVwww.lld.dk, -email- January 1, 2006, v. 2.0  (An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Danish Sociologists’ Congress,
Roskilde University, Denmark, August 18-20, 2005)

What difference does it make to promote, support or organize networking?

When considering two identical meetings where the only difference is the presence of a moderator or facilitator.
How do we measure the value of the facilitator?
How important is the  impact of a facilitator?
When is a facilitator more important, for which kind of processes?
What is the influence in the Learning area, the Networking area and the Motivational area?

Send in your papers, research results or thesis to stijn.paridaens@meetingsupport.org

How to organise networking for optimal inclusion of introvert participants?

Every one can shout what’s on their mind and no one is to criticize any idea. That is the brainstorm in a nutshell a well accepted method to generate creative ideas. The results of a brainstorm however usually are disappointing According to Organisational Psychologist Eric Rietzschel.Why?‘mainly because participants are to much focussed on the practical application of the collected ideas. After generating ideas, the group is asked to select the best ones and this is when the most original ideas drop out. It seams that people see originality as unpractical. Despite the brainstorm’s goal to take down barriers for the unknown, is it the selection phase when participants will choose the more familiar, thus realistic ideas. Exit  brainstorm?

A happy smile, the head slightly backwards, chest out, hands resting on the hips or in the air: research shows that four year olds can recognize this universal expression of pride, even members of an isolated tribal community in Burkina Faso, Africa.  With that, pride can be added to the list of basic emotions, recognized all over the world: happiness, amazement, sadness, fear, anger and disgust. This supports the idea that pride has an evolutionary basis, says the American psychologist Jessica Tracy: ‘When you booked a success, it is important that other people know about it, it says “I am someone you should not reject.”’Psychology Magazine June 2006 (Monitor on Psychology March 2006)

Rick Borovoy's blog, contains a number of exceptional statistical pieces on networking at meetings.
This unique research stands as an example for what our industry needs: reel scientific proof of the value of networking and the influence w meeting organiser has if the mind is set to it. 
Rick writes about networking analysis like "Taking Care of Newbies at User Conferences":

 

It is my impression that going to the same conference of the same organisation for five years starts a decrease in the amount of useful contacts, also known as networking. Meeting new people is crucial for humans to flourish both personal and professional. Of course some of those new connections will result in long term friendships and other will be merely brief professional connections. Many will be temporary and so a constant flow of new people is needed to keep our network alive. hat I have come to see is that because you start to know so many people in an organisation like an association that these existing connections start to be in the way of new ones. The simple reason is that you are constantly talking to the old friends and therefore miss the potential new friend that is passing by. Can we do research on how the quality of networking evolves over time?