Power Over, or Power With

Join us to consider how diplomacy shows up in our everyday relationships.

To look around the world at the moment one might conclude that there is a reformulation of how to exercise power and influence. Out go empathy, rules of engagement, liberal interdependence, good enough consensus, and in come chainsaws, coercion, bullying and faits accomplis. 

More authoritarian relationships have permeated everyday organisational life, on the back of metrics and KPIs. The messy, imperfect process of involving people in charge may be considered too slow and an impediment to getting what you want. 

If human relating manifests in fractal form, then how do cruder attempts at the exercise of power internationally also show up between us as we try to go on together? And as a counter, what would it mean to exercise every-day diplomacy with each other, and what skills and dispositions would this involve?

ComplexitySalon is delighted to host Dr. Geoff Raby AO - Australian Ambassador to China 2007-2011, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation and to APEC amongst other major appointments; and author of a number of books and papers on global politics, including his most recent Great Game On: The Contest for Central Asia and Global Supremacy - to talk about the practice of diplomacy.

We will explore with Geoff his experience of working with asymmetric power relations by giving attention to ‘face’, trust, culture, reputation and rhetoric. It implies the ability to inhabit the perspective of the other, and to become more skilful in the productive use of power; power with, rather than power over.

This conversation will be enriched and extended with input from our community, including Patrick Mayoh (CEO Australia China Business Council), Professor Carl Rhodes (UTS Business School), Penny Wong (CISO and AI specialist), Professor Mimi Zou (Head of School, Private & Commercial Law UNSW) and Emeritus Professor Chris Roche (Centre for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University) - seeking to enrich and challenge the perspectives shared.

Assuming that diplomacy is not just confined to state representatives trying to resolve geopolitical problems, thereafter delegates will consider the implications of Geoff’s thoughts for our every day relationships with each other, as we practice the art of diplomacy, negotiation and persuasion in ways which aspire to keeping our relations intact in the exploration of our differences.

Timing for the day is as follows:

🥐 9:30 Welcome with refreshments

👥 10:00 Q&A with Dr Geoff Raby AO, and ComplexitySalon community responders: discussion of the implications of what we have heard.

💭 16:00 Experiential group: a live improvisation to think more deeply about what we have discussed and to practice staying in relation.

🍸 17:30 Happy Hour ! (or two)

🍱 Lunch, morning/afternoon tea & refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

🎟️ Joining in the experiential group is optional - please indicate your desire to participate when purchasing tickets. There is no additional charge but numbers are limited.

Get to know the ComplexitySalon team:

• Professor Chris Mowles: Chris works at the intersection of complexity, leadership, and organisational change. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Group Analysis and teaches at Copenhagen Business School. Through his consultancy, he has led projects for the UN, EU, and British government across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and China, as well as the UK’s public, private, and voluntary sectors. 

• Dr Sophie Wong: Sophie holds a Doctor of Management in Complexity Science and organisational dynamics, and a Master of Brain and Mind Sciences from the University of Sydney. She has practised as a psychotherapist, volunteering for many years as a social worker and counsellor at homeless shelters across the city, and has served on the NeuRA Foundation Board. Her doctoral thesis on governance in an Australian mental health NGO led to a published chapter on cross-cultural identities in practice-based research. 

• Murray Stubbs: Murray is co-founder of Snowmelt, an award-winning systemic design consultancy. His current work focuses on helping the organisations and individuals with responsibility for system-level change to build the capabilities, relationships, and practices to change the complex, living social systems they are a part of. He has works with public, private, and not-for-profit clients, drawing on expertise in strategy and emerging technologies.

As always, ComplexitySalon events are run for the benefit of its community. Any residual funds will be carried forward to future events or donated to charity.