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Working With What Lies Beneath the System - 12 February 2026
Interest Group System Psychodynamics of Organisations presents...
Working With What Lies Beneath the System
This four-hour workshop introduces systems psychodynamics as a way of understanding what is happening beneath the surface in organisations – in individuals, teams and across the wider system.
We begin with an overview of systems psychodynamics: what it is, where it comes from, and how it adds value to organisational work. We will look at how systems thinking helps us notice the links between the macro (organisation and context), meso (teams and departments) and micro (individuals), and how these levels are interdependent. Core system ideas such as openness, purposefulness, multidimensionality, emergent behaviour and counterintuitive outcomes will be introduced in clear, practical language.
We then connect this with psychodynamic thinking – the idea that not all behaviour is driven by conscious, rational decision-making. Using the iceberg as an overall image, we explore what sits above the surface (what people say and know) and what may be below the surface (unconscious thoughts, feelings and patterns), including how anxiety and psychological defences may shape behaviour at work.
The workshop then introduces key interpretive models used in systems psychodynamic work. The models will be briefly explained with simple examples of how it can help us make sense of everyday organisational dynamics.Throughout the session, short discussions and simple reflective exercises will help participants link these ideas to their own contexts, without requiring prior systems psychodynamics experience.
WORKSHOP BENEFITS
- Have a basic understanding of what systems psychodynamics is and its importance in organisational work.
- Be familiar with the iceberg metaphor and the distinction between conscious and unconscious dynamics at work.
- Understand that anxiety and defences are normal features of organisational life, and see how they can influence behaviour in systems.
- Be introduced to a range of interpretive models and how they can be used to think about real organisational situations.
- Leave with a shared language and starting framework for noticing and discussing “what is really going on” in teams and organisations
EVENT INFORMATION
- DATE: 12 February 2026
- TIME: 13h00 - 17h00
- LOCATION: Zoom Online
- CPD: Applied For
WORKSHOP FACILITATORS
Dr Louise Tonelli is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. As a registered HPCSA member she publishes in the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology in national and international journals, book chapters in books and has presented papers both nationally and internationally at various conferences. The focus of her PhD was what transformation looks like in a system above and below the surface, uncovering the concept of transmogrification in systems. Her field of interests are Systems Psychodynamics, Group Relations Conferences, qualitative research methods, such as Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA), and Listening Posts (LP). Dr Tonelli supervises Industrial and Organisational Psychology interns, masters and doctoral students.
Prof Aden-Paul Flotman is an Industrial Psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa. His lecturing responsibilities include Change Dynamics, Organisational Development and Coaching Psychology. Aden-Paul has a keen interest in exploring inter-cultural dynamics from a systems psychodynamic stance, somatic intelligence, and emotional toxicity in organisations. The focus (thesis) of his PhD was “language use as manifestation of leadership anxiety dynamics”. He serves on the Editorial Boards of African Journal of Employee Relations and Frontiers in Psychology. Aden-Paul supervises interns as well as master’s and doctoral students.
Dr Inette Anne Taylor completed a Masters’ thesis on Schizophrenic language at the former Rand Afrikaans University (now UJ) in 1984, registered as a Counselling Psychologist in 1985, and completed a PhD program at the University of the Orange Free State in 2001. In 2013 she graduated from UNISA with a BA Visual Arts degree and in 2018she became a BCIA accredited Neurofeedback provider.Over her career she attended a vast number of professional training and accreditation courses in trauma intervention, hypnotherapy, psychological assessment techniques, psychotherapeutic interventions, couple counselling, neuropsychological assessment training, BWRT and others. She presented/co-presented on numerous occasions at psychological societies in South Africa and worked as Consultant in several Group Relations events (in-person and online since 2019). She has provided psychological services as an HPCSA accredited CPD provider in various capacities. Inette provides psychotherapy, company assessments, coaching, neurofeedback and other psychological services for companies, individual clients, work teams, and couples.
Prof Michelle S. May is a professor at the department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She is the manager of the Consulting Psychology Doctoral Programme (IOP, UNISA). She is the co-ordinator of the research focus areas Systems psychodynamics and Socio–analytic Methods (IOP, UNISA). She has supervised several students in primarily qualitative research projects to successful completion of their masters’ and doctoral degrees.She is a registered clinical psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. She has been involved in consultancy through a psychodynamic frame since 1995. She was actively part of the management and development of the Institute for the Study of Leadership and Authority (ISLA) in South Africa. Michelle received extensive training in the field of group consultation, under which from ISLA and the Tavistock Institute (UK), and consulted in various programs of this nature – nationally and internationally. She has consulted to international Group Relations Conferences in Boston, Chicago and New York (AK Rice Institute), Netherlands and the Leicester Conference (Tavistock Institute, UK; 2016 and 2017). She has been part of the team who has designed and planned the Robben Island diversity experience (RIDE) and has taken up the role of director, director of the training group and associate director from 2000 until 2014. She has also been part of the Group Relations workshops at UNISA since 2000. For the last 20 years Michelle have also contributed to the field of diversity management in South Africa as lecturer, researcher and consultant in several organisations – her contributions have included publications in accredited journals, book chapters, as well as presentations at national and international conferences. She has chaired, consulted in, and designed many workshops in the areas of diversity management and leadership development for organisations in the public and private sector.
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Working With What Lies Beneath the System - 12 February 2026 - SIOPSA
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