Once a student, always part of the NIODA community.

I completed the Master of Leadership & Management (Organisation Dynamics) course at NIODA in 2022 – over a three-year period known as the COVID-19 pandemic era!

At this time of social upheaval with imposed lockdowns and remote working, I was consolidating a new national team tasked with navigating profound organisational change amid deeply entrenched narratives. I was motivated by the desire to understand the complexity and dysfunction of the organisation responding to change. The persistent question of ‘Why is this so hard?’ led me to enrol in the master’s program.

The program and the adept facilitators delivered a rich learning environment from which I could unravel the complexity of not only present but also past organisational experiences. Exploring how I informed and responded to the function and dysfunction of teams, departments, and organisations I had worked in.

I actively apply the techniques, frameworks and tools explored during the master’s program. For instance, using metaphors to explore difficult unconscious dynamics, acknowledging the importance (complexity) of recognition, boundaries, role and personal authority. One of the most impactful techniques I applied to my work situation was providing containment during times of high anxiety and dysfunction. Allowing space for both thought and emotion enabled the team to transition from high anxiety to being solution-focused.

The adoption of organisation dynamics theories, particularly systems psychodynamics, is likened to donning highly focused glasses or, for enthusiasts of The Matrix, taking the ‘blue pill’. These lenses have become a permanent fixture, assisting me to reframe workplace dynamics from being unproductive and unsafe to becoming more creative and solution-oriented.