Is Reparative Leadership possible in 2020?  Dr Bruno Boccara considers Socio-Analytic Dialogue and its elusive quest…

Is Reparative Leadership possible in 2020? by Bruno Boccara

Disagreements about policies are often the consequences of deeper psychosocial issues, which in turn are displaced into the public policy sphere. The daunting challenges of our times will only be successfully addressed if societal level unconscious dynamics are also accounted for. While incorporating a systems and psychosocial dynamics perspective to public policy remains in its infancy, approaches such as Socio-Analytic Dialogue allow governments and their constituents to do this important work.

In response to the increasing ubiquitousness of perverse societal dynamics, Socio-Analytic Dialogue emphasises reflectiveness, shared meaning, and empathic availability through reparative leadership. The latter is achieved, in part, through the promotion of citizens’ internalisation of how their country functions as a social system and through positive identification between subgroups in society. Sadly, albeit unsurprisingly, I have found that encouraging countries to participate in Socio-Analytic Dialogue is not straightforward.

For example, in spite of its relevance to a country like France, in which we witness the country nearing a breaking point, President Macron – who was contacted through his chief economic adviser while still a candidate – showed no interest in these ideas despite him undoubtedly having the intellect and drive to work in a psychosocial and systemic way. What has transpired since Macron’s election, be it the yellow jackets (Gilets Jaunes) protest movement or the pensions reform strikes, the longest and most violent of the last 40 years, clearly highlights the inability of his government to engage in a meaningful dialogue with its constituents. Macron, whose popularity collapsed, has become a derided and often hated object and seems unable to understand the many projections and introjections of various groups in France as well as the mental representations of those in power and of the elites.

On the other hand, New Zealand is almost the complete opposite of France in this regard. Thanks to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s extraordinary capacity to credibly emphasise societal-level empathy, New Zealand has been the closest to reparative leadership. Through the promotion of empathic availability and search for meaning, which reduces societal splitting, Ardern has achieved something that few politicians are willing and able to do.

Yet, while New Zealand’s adoption of an “Economics of Kindness” as reflected by the adoption of a wellbeing budget is groundbreaking, its policy framework remains nevertheless likely to fall short of transforming society psychosocially. When I attempted to reach the Prime Minister’s office to offer a Socio-Analytic Dialogue approach, I was directed to the Minister of Finance. Unfortunately, the latter’s response was that fiscal policy alone could achieve what was advocated. However, while economic policy has the tools to make society more equal and provide improved opportunities to its constituents, it is insufficient by itself as it does not allow for an understanding of how a country functions as a social system. This is regrettable as New Zealand has the capacity to set the tone, on behalf of the rest of the world, for reparative leadership.

Meanwhile, a genuine opportunity for Socio-Analytic Dialogue and transformational change has arisen in Morocco. The kingdom is interesting from a psychosocial perspective as the sense of doom that is seemingly prevalent in Western nations, all feeling a decline, is missing. While a large segment of the population is desperately disenfranchised and angry, an equally large share is feeling quite positive about a future that feels like it is improving for them. As a consequence, it is an unusually vibrant, hopeful and dynamic environment.

With its seemingly archaic power structure and significant economic inequalities, Morocco may seem an unlikely place to embark on a psychosocial journey. However, the country’s main public sector enterprise, OCP (Office Cherifien des Phosphates), is very dynamic and has been at the forefront of major social innovations which promote empowerment and human development. Furthermore, the authorities are keenly aware of the need to understand youth’s aspirations and frustrations in a complex and changing world.

The country decided to launch a process, which I was invited to lead, aimed at “listening” to Moroccan youth. While Morocco’s cultural heritage predisposes the country quite well for such an initiative, there nevertheless are some topics, such as corruption and power structure, especially regarding the King, that may lead to self-censorship or be, by law, off-limits. However, the authorities seem to understand that psychosocial discussions on affect, regardless of the topic, are apolitical and not conducive to increasing the propensity for dissent. Despite this, resistance to the process could nevertheless be on the increase. For example, a couple of group discussions sponsored by one of the governors (the latter directly appointed by the King) were abruptly cancelled. Furthermore, since the commencement of the process, there have been repeated requests to define the process and its outcome, in what could be an unconscious effort to control the process by restricting the range of topics.

A Socio-Analytic Dialogue approach may be experienced by the authorities as having the potential to challenge the social compact; the latter understood as having insulated the country from the negative, and in some cases catastrophic, impacts of the Arab Spring. Furthermore, the dynamism and vibrancy of Moroccan society alluded to earlier could, in a hubristic form of denial, foster beliefs that economic growth and diversification can, on its own, resolve the issues. This is, however, inconsistent with the reality on the ground. In discussions, a lot of the youth, despite their optimism, focused on one thing and one thing only: exiting the social system through emigration. And yet, this does not imply that there are wishes to attack the system, in large part due to the King being widely experienced as a positive object of identification. The latter strengthens Moroccan identity and, as such, renders the society more cohesive and makes it more resilient to psychosocial shocks. Yet, the system also knows the fragility of the existing equilibrium and could fall into a depressive state, wherein the system as a whole feels helpless. These dynamics coexist and create resistance to and ambivalence about engaging with psychosocial and system dynamics. Nevertheless, I remain cautiously optimistic.

In light of the vignettes describe above, and other acutely regressed defenses mobilized in many parts of the world against collective anxieties, I would argue that the world very much needs an understanding of societal level unconscious dynamics. As such, Morocco’s interest in thinking creatively about public policymaking should be seen as a “gift” to the rest of the world as it could set the stage for other nations to follow its example, and increase empathic availability and capability worldwide. 

Dr Bruno Bocarra
Founder Socio-Analytic Dialogue

10 February 2020

Is reparative leadership possible in 2020?

About Dr Boccara

Dr Bruno Boccara, is the founder of Socio-Analytic Dialogue, graduated from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in France and has two Ph.D.s (Civil Engineering and Economics), both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

He has extensive policy experience: At the United Nations (World Bank) as Lead Economist on lending operations in Africa and Latin America and on governance and leadership issues worldwide; and in the financial markets (UBS and Standard & Poor’s) on a trading floor during the Asia crisis and as Director of Sovereign Ratings for Latin America.

He completed his psychoanalytic studies at the NYU School of Medicine Psychoanalytic Institute and also trained in organizational behavior, leadership coaching, and Group Relations.

Socio-Analytic Dialogue is conducted by a task specific team, consisting of economists, political scientists, and psychoanalysts trained to work on large group dynamics, in conjunction with a country-level team.

Dr Bruno Boccara’s book Socio-Analytic Dialogue: Incorporating Psychosocial Dynamics into Public Policies is available through amazon.

ps Are you a leader or manager and would like to learn more about systems psychodynamics? Have a look at the NIODA Master of Leadership and Management (Organisation Dynamics) course.

‘Close to home’ my reality of fire in Australia by Robyn Hartley

‘Close to home’ my reality of fire in Australia. 

I want to share with you my journey…

Robyn Hartley
Master of Leadership and Management (Organisation Dynamics) Student, NIODA

14 January 2020

‘Close to home’ my reality of fire in Australia

Are you a leader or manager and would like to learn more about group dynamics? Have a look at the NIODA Master of Leadership and Management (Organisation Dynamics) course.

Academic Excellence Award 2019 winner Cameron Brooks

Dr Brigid Nossal presented the John F Newton Award for Academic Excellence

The award for the student who has received the highest grades across the years of the degree has been named in honour of Professor John Newton.  John is the esteemed founder of academic education in systems psychodynamics in Australia.  I am very pleased to announce the Academic Excellence Award 2019 winner Cameron Brooks.

Mr Brooks has shown great passion and commitment to his studies and has achieved outstanding results. Cameron’s capacity to deeply explore and integrate new learning has been a delight for all of us, staff and students to be witness to and a part of.

Dr Brigid Nossal
Deputy CEO & Director of Consulting, NIODA

3 December 2019

Academic Excellent Award 2019 winner Cameron Brooks

‘The world isn’t getting any less complex’ by Cameron Brooks 

I have an MBA, so why would I want to devote another three years of my life to further study about management and leadership? I’m not saying my MBA wasn’t useful because it was, but it didn’t fully explain why organisations function the way they do, and I also didn’t learn much about myself and how I show up as a leader.

My experience with this program has profoundly changed the way I understand myself as well as how groups and organisations operate. Where once I saw individuals, I now see systems. I have a greater appreciation for our interdependence as we act in concert to both enable and constrain action. The theories, perspectives and the work of this course have provided me with a powerful lens for reflecting and making sense of the messiness of life.

I’ve learned that my experience of relating to others, be in it in my family, my work or my community is as much an experience in the mind as it is in the real world. As life happens it’s easy to assume that the stories I create are the truth. They feel real to me. I’m learning, and at times I’m a painfully slow learner, to hold my truth less tightly and to be more open to the possibility that multiple truths may exist. Listening for metaphors, testing hypothesis and being able to not just tolerate the anxiety of not knowing, but to value it, provides pathways for a richer, more nuanced understanding of the world.

I’ve learned to pay attention to things big and small. Things that I once might have otherwise overlooked, ignored or deliberately avoided. A tingle in the stomach or twinge in my neck. A catch of an eye or a slip of the tongue. An uneasy silence or even a seemingly innocuous argument over the number of marker pens required. Each instance a possible window into the world of thoughts that may have not yet found a thinker. And instead of reacting on instinct, I’m learning to pause, to create space and allow time for thinking and reflection. I’ve witnessed the transformative changes that are possible when we make our thinking available for others.

I’ve learned that we are capable of time travel. It’s usually in times of stress or uncertainty, and there have been more than one or two times during this course, that I may inadvertently return to the past to help me make sense of the present. And yet the past is also written in chalk, not ink. With work and the support of others, I’ve seen that its possible to find new meaning from past experiences to take up new and more productive roles in the groups that we inhabit.

I believe I have gained a greater sense of wholeness from this experience because in learning about others, I have learned much about myself. The process of increased self-awareness is both rewarding and terrifying. Maslow speaks of the desire to know and the fear of knowing. Acknowledging the good, the bad, and the ugly, they are all a part of me. I’m a perfectly, imperfect human, and that’s good enough.

I would like to thank my family for their patience, love and assistance in helping me complete this program. For making me meals, mowing the lawns, listening to me complain about the impossibility of word counts, giving me space and providing perspective, thank you. To my fellow students, thank you for being part of this crazy, life-changing adventure. You have been both a source of exasperation and inspiration, but most importantly, you have held up the mirror to help me to know myself. And to the staff, board members and supporters of NIODA, thank you for creating a place where this learning can take place. To Nuala, Wendy and Brigid, thank you for your thoughtful teaching, guidance and support. You have given us the space to struggle but provided wisdom and care to help us learn. The world isn’t getting any less complex, so I believe the work of this course is as essential now as it has ever been.

Cameron Brooks
Graduate, NIODA

3 December 2019

Academic Excellent Award 2019 winner Cameron Brooks

ps Are you a leader or manager and would like to learn to pause, to create space and allow time for thinking and reflection? Have a look at the NIODA Master of Leadership and Management (Organisation Dynamics) course.