Hack the MIX Hackathon

Enable experiential learning

TheĀ ideas and frameworks shared in MIX are excellent and at the same time difficult to learn and adopt through reading/discussing the material made available in MIX. Experiential learning though working conferences that create tempoary learning institutions is a great way to help practitioners gain very deep insights into theĀ ideas, frameworks and tools.

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chris-grams's picture

Thanks David--great insight! Love the idea of experiential learning as part of the MIX, and we may want to reach out to you for more ideas along these lines. We are in the process of developing a MIX Academy and also making changes to the way the MIX Mashup is organized, so if you have more thoughts on how to apply experiential learning principles, please share, it is the perfect time for this sort of input!

Hi Chris, great to know about the plan for MIX Academy. As mentioned in the idea that I shared, Working Conferences are the mechanism to provide experiential learning to participants. I recently had the opportunity to attend a working conference conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad titled: Authority, Organisation, Strategies and Politics of Relatedness. I have shared below some extracts from the working conference brochure for your reference.

Working conferences provide an opportunity for accelerated learning to harvest insights and develop skills that cannot be taught through lectures, case-studies or simulations. Group Relations Conferences (also known as working conferences) were started by the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, London in 1957 based on the work of Wilfred Bion, born in India. The design and structure of working conferences have undergone many changes since then the world over.The processes in this temporary institution designed for learning and co-created with participating members are similar to those we are familiar within our own and other organisations. What makes the conference experience different and valuable is that experiences become available for exploration, reflection and action in real time by mobilising authority from personal and organisational roles for experiencing and studying transformations. The lived experience of a working conference is vividly different from simulations or management games because there is no contrivance or manipulation towards possibilities pre-conceived by the staff. The diversity and talents of members and staff are expected to contribute to the scope and richness of the conference experience. Experiences which are personal, and takeaway learning that is private, may differ from one participant to another. In this sense, participants have responsibility for their own learning.