Systemic Constellation Workshops

In many social systems, public services and organisations, systems are still seen mainly as instruments to deliver managerial goals. People with complex lives get “problematised”, while practitioners and policy-makers alike, often (unconsciously) reproduce the very patterns they are trying to change, leading to dissonance and systemic inertia around critical social issues.

One of the most impactful methodologies I use to support a shift dynamics in systems is constellation work. Its beauty is in it’s simplicity, and the depth of insight it can yield never fails to blow me away.

Workshops explore systemic constellations as a core systems competency. As interactions between different moving parts of a system unfold over time, they shape the behaviour of a system, often in ways that are below the threshold of consious awareness. The deliberate and curated process of constructing a proxy system can make hidden dynamics visible in gentle but impactful ways.

My work draws on both Social Systems Constellation Work (inspired by Hellinger) and Social Presencing Theatre (inspired by Scharmer and Hayashi). Both use spatial and relational representation to reveal invisible dynamics, but they differ in origins, philosophy and application. In combination, they offer powerful access to non-rational ways of knowing, deep insight and transformative potential.

We focus on moving through ‘stuck’ parts of a system to open up the Adjacent Possible—that space of next, viable moves. If you come to a workshop, you can expect to be moved, in a gentle way and see the system you are operating within, form a different perspective. You can also expect to see subtle shifts in that system as the impact of the workshop resonates beyond the room. 

If you work with complex social systems and are curious about new ways to surface patterns, shift inertia and unlock fresh possibilities, be in touch. Or come to the Systems Thinking, Systems Practice conference in Hull…