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What are Constellations?
Constellations are a practical but often profound way to quickly illuminate the hidden dynamics within business, organisational and other relational systems, so they can be influenced and realigned, leading to fresh insights, clarity and enduring resolutions.
The words ‘systemic constellation’ literally mean ‘a collection of objects which stand together to form a pattern.’ So, a Business Constellation creates a pattern or ‘living map’ made up of workshop participants who represent the elements of the business, team or other issue being explored.
With guidance from the facilitator the representatives are placed in relation to each other, by the person bringing the issue. A pattern emerges. A pattern which is an embodiment of the unconscious inner image of the issue - and a pattern that can be interpreted at other levels by the facilitator when working with the representatives.
This dynamic map is explored to find the dynamics that are blocking or causing difficulties and, as the constellation develops, a new pattern emerges that resources and resolves, bringing balance to the whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Workshop dates:
Workshops are held in CityPoint, Ropemaker Street, London EC2, UK.
A workshop place is £155 for each of the 18 places available [Ex. VAT]
For more information on the schedule of workshops and fees please contact: admin@businessconstellations.co.uk
How can I and/or my business access the benefits of business constellations?
There are four principle ways of working with business constellations and experiencing the insights and clarity that they can offer.
1. Open workshops. Coaches and business leaders from different industries gather in a confidential environment to illuminate pressing issues. It is common for powerful insights about business, leadership, coaching, consulting and organisational health to emerge when working on your own business issue but also whilst supporting or observing the work of others. The open workshops also provide an opportunity to hear about some of the underlying principles of systemic coaching and constellations.
2. Private workshops. For businesses who have a number of significant organisational, leadership or other systemic issues to explore and/or who prefer to do the work in complete privacy for commercial reasons. Available in half and full day workshop modules.
3. One to one coaching. Constellations are also very effective in one to one settings where organisational, leadership or other systemic issues can be explored with a senior executive and a systemically trained coach using table top or floor based applications of constellations.
4. Learning circles and training environments. For coaches and consultants there is a facilitated learning environment, available through this website: http://www.coachingconstellations.com as well as other opportunities for training, information for which is available at the workshops or on request.
Who can attend the workshops?
The open workshops are open to:
The open workshops are open to:
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•Executive coaches who are interested in working in a whole-system way to build organisational health through systemic work and constellations, and/or who have an issue to bring on behalf of, or with a client
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•Business leaders, owner managers, senior managers and executives who have responsibility for dealing with a complex or challenging business, organisational, commercial or cultural issue. One observer from the same organisation may attend with the individual who brings the issue in order to support any actions required following the workshop.
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•HR and OD consultants and coaches who are interested in experiencing this whole system way of looking at organisational health and the flow of leadership.
We welcome coaches and consultants to these workshops with or without their clients so they can take the insights back into the coaching relationship and process.
What kind of issues can I bring to a business constellations workshop?
Coaching supervision issues. Organisational design. Team structure & dynamics. Business inertia. Complex decision points. Role clarity. Cultural change. Communications. Relationship dynamics. Change and transition. Conflict resolution. Business purpose. Client/consumer inertia. Founder dynamics. Leadership and hierarchy issues.
Many other issues & questions.
“I’d prepared my story and so was taken a bit by surprise when you suggested that we do a ‘blind’ constellation. You simply asked me what outcome I wanted and I said I needed to have a big conversation with two other people and that was all the data you worked with.
I remember thinking 'that isn't going to work' - but I was proved very wrong!”
Workshop participant
How do systemic issues arise?
Human systems are governed by forces that ensure their effectiveness and vitality. When they are disturbed, or ignored, business and the business of leadership can become unwittingly entangled in the self-righting dynamics and the natural order and flow of leadership and organisational health is disrupted.
It is the attempts to ignore or side step these underlying balancing principles which causes imbalances and entanglements in the system. Once out of sorts the system tries to right itself and calls individuals or groups of people into service of the need to correct and find balance again.
A constellation can surface these dynamics and reveal new paths to enduring resolution, bringing resolution to the whole system.
What informs this way of working?
Constellations are underpinned by simple truths that have been found to balance successful human systems. Key amongst them is that everyone and everything has a ‘right place’ in their organisational system. The purpose, the roles and all the people. A place where they belong. Each different but equally valued. When we experience being in that ‘right place’ we feel ready to bring our best selves to our role and can then function with clarity and purpose, in flow.
All human systems hang like a child's mobile, in delicate balance. The winds of change can easily disturb one part, which in turn influences and affects every other part. The constellation of relationships changes and causes an imbalance. The sense of being in the ‘right place’ is lost.
The unspoken awareness in the system demands balance and redress. The system calls people - individuals in family systems, leaders and teams in business systems, into the service of the need to redress the balance. This creates numerous cultural, communication, leadership and motivation issues.
It’s the job of a constellation to identify - and then point towards a resolution - these complex issues, bringing renewed clarity and fresh resources to all in the system. So that all can find their place.
Where does this approach to resolution come from and what underpins it?
The approach was originated in Europe by systemic specialist and philosopher Bert Hellinger and applied to family and other intimate systems. It has now been experienced by many thousands of people in Europe and across the world.
Hidden loyalties, identifications and entanglements have been revealed in minutes, building a reputation around this approach as something that can very quickly get to the underlying dynamics and free up a system, releasing fresh energy for enduring change. The principle of acknowledgment runs through this work and supports people to really look at ‘what is’ before trying to move to resolution.
Life within an organisation - with founder dynamics, matrix reporting, multiple hidden loyalties and the need for constant change - can often be more complex than a family system. Investors, staff, shareholders, former employees, suppliers and customers make business systems more complex as the interaction with many other systems on a daily basis creates a constant need for re-balance.
“The constellation gave me a completely new perspective on an issue which has been unresolved for so long, with fresh hope for resolution and the return of energy at a personal and organisational level” Workshop participant
What happens in a workshop?
This way of looking at business and organisational issues takes place in a group setting. The workshops are small and there is explanation, demonstration and time for questions before the work starts and throughout the day.
The group sit in a circle and, under the guidance of the facilitator, use the space in the centre to set up each constellation. To begin each piece of work the person who is bringing an issue briefly describes, to the facilitator, the difficulty or challenge the business, leadership team or organisation is facing. The facilitator then assists them in the selection of group members to represent the elements of the system being explored. This concept of representation of somebody or something else is central to this way or working and is explained and experienced in opening exercises and throughout the day.
The issue holder guides each representative to stand in relationship to one another in a way that resonates with their deepest inner sense of the relationship dynamics. As a result a pattern is created, an external picture of an inner, often unconscious, image. This is the start of a constellation and, even at this early stage, often reveals fresh insights about the organisational system being explored. The form of the rest of the constellation depends on the issue, the representatives’ feedback, the facilitator’s observations and the kind of solution available.
During the constellation the facilitator gathers information and insights from the representatives - they will experience distinct and precise sensations. As the dynamics gradually become clearer, the facilitator works with the representatives to bring reconnection and resolution to the whole system. The process of a constellation - lasting from a few minutes to over an hour - and the new image of resolution provides the issue holder with new information for action and change. Combined with the post-constellation discussion and processing the issue holder leaves with insights, fresh energy and resources for resolution.
As an observer you may be invited to take part in other people’s constellations as a representative. It’s very common that someone else’s work will resonate and that through their constellation you will clarify a business or leadership issue of your own.
What about confidentiality?
At the start of the workshop the facilitator will discuss and agree an appropriate confidentiality framework with the whole group. In addition it is possible to constellate issues ‘blind’, where almost no information is shared in the group and the facilitator works with only the basic information and towards a resolution.
“It was clear that this brief constellation had been an enormous help to the coach who had previously struggled with this client relationship and coaching process.
I was impressed with the insights available through this methodology
and John’s assured delivery style.”
Workshop participant/observer
and John’s assured delivery style.”
Workshop participant/observer
What practical issues are important at these workshops?
Time. As these workshops attract coaches and consultants from across Europe and everyones time is at a premium it’s important to start the workshops promptly at 10:00 so we can close at 17:00 and allow those who have to catch flights to leave. Others are welcome to stay until 17:45 for informal Q&A as appropriate.
These introductory one-day workshops are designed to provide an opportunity to experience this way of working. As part of the day everybody will have the opportunity to experience the methodology – both in the exercises offered at the start and end of the day and in the whole group constellations during the workshop.
The workshops offer a particularly good way for people who are new to this work to ‘test the water’ - especially as there is no need to decide if you want to explore your own issue or come as an observer and representative before the workshop. Issues that come up for you can be addressed in the moment, and as it feels appropriate for you.
Whilst there isn’t time for everybody to explore their issue through a whole group constellation participation in constellations exploring issues bought by others is always a rich experience and provides a good deal of learning about the methodology, the natural ordering forces and very often your own situation too.
Questions will be welcome at points throughout the day in between the constellations work itself. This workshop is not a training - though one of the best ways of learning about this work is to attend workshops - however information is always made available to those who are interested in pursuing learning and training in this work in a variety of contexts and locations.
Photography. We are keen to improve the quality of the photography on this website and so the 2010 workshops will be photographed using a discreet remote camera to capture occasional images of the ‘living maps’ created by the constellations. The work itself will always take priority over the photography. Any resulting photographs will only be used if those recognizable in them give their consent. Thank you for your co-operation.
What do I need to know to take part in a workshop?
Nothing. In fact the less you ‘know’ or think you need to know the better able you will be able to access the deeper dynamics that influence human relationship and coaching systems. Come as you are, not knowing and you may leave with more that you imagined possible.
You can bring an issue or attend as a ‘representative’ for others’ work. Simply attending as an observer has an impact and provides a range of insights that increase the capacity to manage the complexity of the human experience at work.
