The Topic

In this webinar, Simon will lead an exploration of how systems-psychodynamics can be reimagined for today’s rapidly changing and interconnected world. Traditionally, systems-psychodynamic models focused on understanding organisational life through structure, boundaries, authority, and task - yet these frameworks struggle to account for the fluid, networked, and interdependent realities of contemporary ecosystems. This session introduces a new, expanded lens that integrates ideas of Networks, Identity, Power, and Influence (NIPI) to better understand the emotional, relational, and unconscious dynamics that move not only between individuals but also through digital systems, environmental contexts, and organisational networks. Participants will consider how desire, anxiety, and unconscious defences shape leadership, creativity, and collaboration in times of disruption, and how reflective, distributed approaches can build resilience, meaning, and ethical responsiveness within complex organisational ecosystems.

The Agenda

In the first half of the webinar, Simon will make his presentation and facilitate initial responses.

In the second half, we'll move into a reflection-application session:

- 'Composting': experienced peers work the material in small groups to sprout new ideas;

- 'Weaving': attendees gather to collectively reflect and question, weaving our experiences together;

- Discuss how we will apply learnings to our personal practice and living in a plenary.

The Speaker

Dr. Simon Western is the CEO and Founder of the Eco-Leadership Institute Ltd. He is a leading academic and practitioner in coaching and leadership. A past president of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations (ISPSO), Director of Coaching and Organizational Masters courses at leading universities, Simon is sole author of Leadership: A Critical Text (3rd ed., Sage 2019) and Coaching and Mentoring: A Critical Text (Sage 2012). Simon leads the popular Edgy Ideas podcast, in which he explores how social change, technology, and environmental issues impact how we live and who we are in our disruptive age. He has designed a unique Diploma in Leadership Coaching, founded on the Five-Frame Eco-Leadership System, which he developed through years of extensive experience in diverse organizations, coaching, and leadership. All of Simon’s work emerges from a critical and ethical perspective, a belief that our collective task is to work in ‘good faith’ to build the ‘good society’. 

If you purchase a ticket but can't make it in real-time, a recording will be shared with you after the webinar.