ISPSO 2012 European Regional Meeting

Spirit of change and the culture of imitation in the organizational and social life
March 9-11, 2012 Sofia, Bulgaria

Organizing team: Antoaneta Mateeva co-chair Haralan Alexandrov - co-chair Toma Tomov - presenter Sndor Takcs - adviser Emil Georgiev - administrator

For information: emil.psy@gmail.com or http://ispsosofia.blogspot.com/

Theme What is the nature of the obstacles that prevent some groups, organizations and societies from an authentic implementation of their transformative ideas? Why the initial enthusiasm with which part of the changes is initiated in our individual lives and those of our organizations and communities dissolve in the process of transformation?

The efforts undertaken in Bulgarian society during the last 20 years for the promotion of democratic values in the public and organizational life of its members is one example of this kind. The reformative spirit with which the transformations started came soon against a style of state governance and organizational leadership that in fact abolished any effort for bringing difference. There is plenty of evidence that the bulk of Bulgarian institutions functioned in imitative mode between 1989, when the totalitarian state collapsed, and 2007, when Bulgaria became full member of EU. Involved in asymmetrical power relations with European bureaucracy, the national elites and the administration in particular were faced with the formidable task of pushing the reforms often beyond the capacity of the institutions and against considerable resistance in order to catch up with the European

standards. Unsurprisingly, they resorted now and again to a strategy of simulation, reporting inflated results and achievements as in the good old days of communist bureaucracy, thus projecting to the outside world a presumably acceptable image of the country.

The idea of transformation was understood in terms of several defensive assumptions:

1. The change is a matter of replacement of the existed institutions and procedures with more democratic ones. 2. The change has to occur on the level of the government and organizational leadership only. 3. The change is a matter of learning the new language and behavior but not reflecting on personal values and positions.

There are two main reasons with which our team decided to offer this theme as a focus of the regional meeting. The first one is that the imitative culture can seriously affect the efforts of these organizations and groups engaged with the promotion of public relations that support recognition, tolerance and solidarity between people. The psychoanalytic movement was created as a systematic endeavor to understand the nature of such processes and to offer practical solutions that will bring more humanity and happiness in human relations. The second one is that we see the regional meeting as a space in which the professionals from different countries and areas of practice engaged with such moral missions can find the necessary recognition and support to share their experience with the topic and will

celebrate the common effort to find more productive ways of overcoming such issues.

Participants We are delighted to invite all professionals in the field of psychodynamic and systemic thinking and practice concerning individual, organizational or social relations of our societies to come in Sofia and to share their valuable knowledge and experience and to bring back to their countries new ideas and positive experiences.

Regional Meeting Program

Friday (March 9) 17.00 19.00: Getting together and adjustment of the program 19.30 22.00: Optional dinner Saturday (March 10) 9.00 10.30: Leadership in the change of child protection system in Bulgaria (Presentation of the Bulgarian case related to the topic) Presenter: Toma Tomov (PhD, individual member of IPA) 11.00 12.30: Small group consultations and discussions* 12.30 14.00: Lunch 14.00 15.30: Small group consultations and discussions 16.00 17.30: Small group consultations and discussions

17.30 18.00 Closing of the official Regional Meeting 19.00 22.00 Dinner Sunday (March 11) Morning Optional visits: y Central historical part of the town y Boyana church near-by Sofia y Mountain Vitosha skiing 24 ours available. 12.30 14.30 Optional lunch
* Participants will reflect on the conference topic sharing cases from their own personal practice or leadership experience. Please, inform early the organizers if you want to offer your case for consultation or reflection. Each small group will be free to choose and negotiate different methods for group exploration of the offered cases. The small group discussions will be followed by a large group sharing of the

thoughts, experiences and suggestions appeared during the group work.

For application, additional information or suggestion, please contact the organizing team: Administrator Emil Georgiev emil.psy@gmail.com Co-chairs Antoaneta Mateeva mateeva.antoaneta@gmail.com Haralan Alexandrov hari.alexandrov@gmail.com For constant access to the main information about the event see: http://ispsosofia.blogspot.com/