
Group Relations offers a dynamic lens for exploring conscious and unconscious behavior in groups, organizations, and social systems. It sheds light on our experience of group life in many settings: at home, at work, and in society at large. By exploring the interplay between leadership, authority, membership, and group identity, we can better understand our own behavior in groups and the behavior of others.
Group Relations learning happens through experience. A Group Relations Conference (GRC) is often described as an experiential learning opportunity: members study their experience within a temporary organizational system. This intensive, participatory process lets members examine their behavior as it happens, without the usual social niceties, workplace pressures, or protocols. In this setting, hidden aspects of everyday life often come to light and can be explored in ways not usually considered. A team of consultants helps members examine which thoughts, feelings, and actions, both conscious and unconscious, support their effectiveness and which detract from it. Members often report ‘aha’ moments that stay with them for days, months, or a lifetime.
For more information on Group Relations, browse our resources.
The New York Center is a member-led not-for-profit dedicated to the study of Group Relations. We are a regional affiliate of the A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems (AKRI), a national community of managers, consultants, mental health professionals, students, educators, community leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Our mission is to advance leadership, education, collaboration, and innovation in Group Relations — in the New York metropolitan area and beyond — with a commitment to social justice and a diversity of perspectives.
Throughout the year we host experiential conferences, study groups, panel presentations, and social dreaming events exploring Group Relations in social and professional life. We build community and welcome emerging practices in the field.
The Center is governed by the Executive Committee, a volunteer leadership body elected by members to three-year terms.

Elyce Cole
President

Nina Traylor
Vice President

Frank Carson
Treasurer

Chelsea Rodriguez
Secretary

Jonathan Rust
Member-at-Large

Jacob Peter Kovner
Member-at-Large
The New York Center has been hosting events for over 30 years. See below for a summary of our events. Click here for upcoming AKRI-sponsored GRCs.
The New York Center
408 W. 34th Street, Suite 1B
New York, NY 10001
We are always looking for new members to help create a dynamic and energetic organization that leads the way in understanding, applying, and innovating Group Relations theory and practice.
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