THE KETS DE VRIES INSTITUTE

In loving memory of Simon Sijbrands

07 Jul, 2022

Today we celebrate the loss of Simon, a treasured member of the KDVI community, who was integral to the building of the business and who’s deep understanding of leadership and group dynamics has had a deep impact on the many leaders and organisations that he worked with. 

Minds at Work - The ITC Facilitator's Workshop

05 Feb, 2020

At KDVI we are proud to promote the Immunity to Change™ Facilitator’s Workshop run by our good friends at Minds at Work. The Immunity to Change (ITC) methodology, developed by Harvard psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, is helping individuals, teams and organisations to attain deeply sought changes by bringing their internal unconscious resistance to light. 

Advancing Women in Leadership programme, now in session!

17 Sep, 2019

So pleased to announce that, for the second year running, our Advancing Women in Leadership programme is now in session.

Passion for People

16 Jul, 2019

Margot Schmacher writes about what inspired her to look at the world through a new lens and the Advancing Women in Leadership programme she facilitates.

Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership

08 May, 2019

Manfred Kets de Vries, a Harvard University alumnus and Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change at INSEAD will be sharing his views on leadership and provide insights on questions such as “Are you addicted to Power?”, “Do you accept your shadow side?” or “What epitaph would you like to have?”, all part of his latest book. 

The conference is hosted by the Harvard Club of Belgium & INSEAD, and with will be followed by a walking dinner.

For more information on tickets, pricing and location, please follow this link.

For more information on his book, follow this link.

Manfred Kets de Vries launches his new book

06 Nov, 2018

In the previous book in this series, Manfred Kets de Vries observed the experiences of leaders on a rollercoaster ride through their professional and personal lives. Now, he follows them down the rabbit hole into the unknown, where, like Lewis Carroll’s Alice, they find a dystopian Wonderland in which everyone seems to have gone mad and life functions according to its own crazy logic, throwing up all kinds of obstacles in the search for truth.

Leaders' Roundtable: Malaysia

10 May, 2018

This May, we held our first Leaders’ Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur, the morning after a historic general election, which has resulted in Malaysia’s first change in government since gaining independence in 1957.

9th ESMT KDVI Coaching Colloquium

16 Dec, 2017

9th ESMT/KDVI Coaching Colloquium

The dark triad of leadership: How narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy play out in executive coaching

December 15–16, 2017 at ESMT Berlin

We are delighted to be co-hosting the 9th ESMT KDVI in Berlin. Manfred Kets de Vries is presenting and provoking discussions around the enigma of change in organisations.

24 Days of KDVI

01 Dec, 2017

This December we have prepared 24 little treats for you. Each day you'll get a glimpse of KDVI’s insights into the undercurrent of organisational life. We've prepared blog posts and video casts for you to explore how to create best places to work.

Why Wisdom Can’t Be Taught

04 Jul, 2017

The day after becoming the CEO of a company facing turbulent times, David had a dream. In it, while walking on a beach he discovered a bottle. On opening, a genie appeared offering him a wish in exchange for her freedom. Eschewing riches, fame or a long life, David chose the gift of wisdom.

In today’s hyperactive digital age, attaining wisdom is a challenge. With tablets and phones and their apps constantly vying for our immediate attention, it is increasingly difficult to find the time and mental space for making meaningful connections or engaging in the deep conversations, reflection, emotional awareness and compassion, necessary in the pursuit of wisdom.

Power Pairs: Hear us roar

30 May, 2017

With the election of Emmanuel Macron, his relationship with his wife, Brigitte Trogneux, has been thrust into the world media. In this blog, we examine what makes power pairs so successful and what steps you can take to create higher impact through working in power pairs in your organisation.

Meetings: we are but players in them

04 May, 2017

Continuing on from 'Meetings: A matter of life and death', in part 2, we reflect on group role identities and the way they can affect underlying dynamics in meetings.

Meetings: a matter of life or death

02 May, 2017

Most people, if they are honest, will admit that they don’t always like meetings. In this two part blog series, we explore what might be going on under the surface in meetings. In Part One, we look at the fact that in meetings, people are not always able to tackle the real challenges the group faces, and may not even be aware that as a group, they are off course. In Part Two, available Thursday 4th May, we explore group role identities and how they influence meetings in hidden ways.

An Early Warning System for Your Team’s Stress Level

27 Apr, 2017

Stress causes absenteeism and burnout; but how can you tell if a colleague or an employee is at risk from severe stress? You can use a checklist based on the APGAR scoring system, a method introduced in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar to quickly summarize the health of a newborn baby. Rather than being a test, survey, or assessment tool, the Stress-APGAR provides a set of guidelines that help executives quickly recognize and articulate factors that may lead to burnout. 

International Women's Day (2017)

07 Mar, 2017

As International Women's Day is celebrated today across the globe, we asked ourselves what we would pledge to drive ground-breaking action within organisations to truly drive the greatest change for women.

KDVI Associate Dr Vaseehar Hassan launches 'The Malay Leadership Mystique'

20 Feb, 2017

In his new book entitled 'The Malay Leadership Mystique' (inspired by his mentor Manfred Kets de Vries' 2006 book, “The Leadership Mystique”), Dr Vaseehar Hassan explores why, despite their success in Government and the professions, Malays have underperformed as business leaders in comparison to other ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Manfred Kets de Vries visited the campus of SKOLKOVO Business School, where he received a Certificate of Recognition

10 Feb, 2017

Manfred Kets de Vries visited the campus of SKOLKOVO Business School, where he received a Certificate of Recognition from the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management, for his contribution to leadership development and organisational change in a global context. Marat Atnashev, the Dean of the school, presented this certificate to Manfred during his visit.

How does one go about diagnosing and assessing what is going on in the individual, team or organisation and what the real issues are?

26 Jan, 2017

For many first time consultants and coaches, and even experienced ones, the first encounter with a client, organisation and its members can be unnerving yet exciting. Like anthropologists, they are entering into a new and unfamiliar dynamic system with its particular set of explicit practices and a host of subtle but powerful underlying dynamics. How does one go about diagnosing and assessing what is going on in the individual, team or organisation and what the real issues are? How does the organisation organise itself, what are the cultural practices in which they engage, what is the energy which drives the organisation, and what are the unspoken but deeply embedded understandings and arrangements which affect their capability to get things done, to control their environment, to adapt to change, and to effectively meet the organisation’s goals and purpose?  

Revealing the Emperor’s New Clothes; 360° feedback and tipping points for change

09 Jan, 2017

As top executives move up the organisational ladder, they are increasingly surrounded by people who tell them what they want to hear. In most instances, their subordinates do not have the courage to speak critically or to confront anyone with their concerns.   

Who cares? Empathy in the workplace

13 Dec, 2016

Human beings are intensely social animals and we seek and invent ways to connect. Empathy is one way to achieve effective and satisfying interpersonal relationships. It is the ability to share and understand the feelings of another person, their pain, joy, fears and anger in oneself.  

Take a look at yourself in the leadership mirror. Access KDVI's innovative new leadership development tool for free!*

01 Dec, 2016

Join our Diagnosing and initiating Change workshop and try our latest leadership development tool, the GELM® for free! 

70% of executives believe they are in the top 25% of their profession in terms of performance

17 Nov, 2016

Although few would readily admit it, many business leaders are a bit like the mythical Narcissus: Standing in front of a mirror in the morning, they see the person they love most in the world.