Ofek Information

OFEK - Organization-Person-Group - the Israeli Association for the Study of Group and Organizational Processes was founded in 1985 and today functions as a community interest company. OFEK strives to promote in Israel the field of experiential learning of group and organizational processes in the group relations approach, as developed in the fifties of the twentieth century in the Tavistock Institutein London. Since then this approach has spread to other countries. The study of these processes is of special importance in Israel, where belonging to groups and identifying with them are central features of social life. OFEK's approach combines psychoanalytic with systemic understanding to groups, organizations and social processes. This unique combination allows for an understanding of organizations as open systems, and stresses emotional, irrational and unconscious elements in group and organizational processes. OFEK's fundamental assumption is that ignoring these components undermines the efficiency of groups and of individuals in taking up roles in organizations. People and organizations today must adapt to a changing, more complex reality than in the past. Hence, acquiring skills in identifying unconscious processes in groups, and understanding the complex relations between the individual and the system, contributes directly to the ability to take up roles creatively, from a position of authority and responsibility. OFEK initiates and participates in various activities meant to advance these understandings. OFEK has 65 members, five of whom are from countries other than Israel.