Glenstal Abbey Workshop of Creativity and
Innovation in Business
Saturday 27th September 2008 from 9.00am
to 6.30pm
Cost: 250 euro
Participants limited to 20
Directors: Peter Denison-Edson, Brian Donnellan, Fr. Simon
Sleeman
Introduction
These are turbulent times in the workplace at both the personal and
organizational level. Society has advanced in terms of leisure,
technology and the communication of ideas, to the point where individuals
have an increasing desire to experience spirituality not only in
their personal life but also in their work. Meanwhile, companies
are trying to be resilient by absorbing strain and recovering from
untoward events through continuous reconstruction.
Objectives
The purpose of the workshop is to explore the “Benedictine
Way” as a source of spiritual awakening and balance at a personal
level, as a model of resilience at the organizational level and as
a stimulus for creativity and innovation. Through a combination of
active listening, group work, and immersion in the daily rhythm of
the monastery, attendees will be exposed to the central tenets of
Benedictine spirituality.
Content
The two themes for the workshop are
(i) Personal Level – The Search for Balance and Creativity
Changes to the global economy have left some workers demoralized,
creating a sense of alienation and the inability to cope with the
compartmentalizing nature of their work and non-work lives. There
is a burgeoning industry providing tools, frameworks and systems
to help people achieve work/life balance. The “Benedictine
Way” offers an alternative approach to achieving balance.
The Benedictine concepts of stability, conversion, and obedience
will be explored as aids to achieving balance and stimulating creativity.
(ii) Organizational Level – The Search for Resilience
and Innovation
Resilience implies a capacity to be robust under conditions of stress
and change. It can be achieved by creating and maintaining cognitive,
emotional, relational, or structural capabilities sufficiently convertible
and malleable to cope with and remain innovative in a dynamic environment.
The Benedictine tradition has survived down through the ages and
is flourishing in Glenstal today. The Rule of Benedict will be explored
as a source of ideas for how organizations can become more resilient.
Format
The workshop will be a 1-day event. An important aspect of the day
will be integration with the daily rhythm of the monastery i.e.
(i) attendance at mass and vespers, (ii) exploration of grounds,
icon chapel, mass rock, biblical garden etc. The intent is to create
a workshop experience that is tightly coupled to the monastery
and develop a view of spirituality that is rooted in local traditions
and culture in Ireland.
For
further information, please contact Fr. Simon Sleeman at courses@glenstal.org.
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