07/04/2026
In our CAD Salon this month we will return to the practical application of dialectical thinking in work with clients. Nick Shannon and Ursula Clidière will speak on Dialectical Practice in Coaching and Supervision: Dialogue, Contradiction, and Co-Development
Tuesday April 28th at 1900 CET.
Zoom link:
https://zoom.us/j/4078847969?pwd=K1ZxbWxEdi9aaXdJdGJKaTVuTEk0QT09
Starting by outlining the dialectical principles underpinning their practice, Ursula and Nick will speak about their experience of working with clients using a dialectically oriented approach. First, Nick will relate how he worked with an individual client struggling to come to terms with the unwritten requirements for gaining promotion within his organization. Ursula, who supervised Nick’s coaching during this period, will then share supervisory reflections arising both from the client’s responses and from Nick’s approach.
Throughout the session, participants will be invited to comment on what they notice in the work and how they think Nick might move forward with his client in future sessions.
Switching to the organizational level, Ursula will then share how she worked with a fintech organization to surface and explore how it might best navigate a series of tensions shaping the reality of its business. Together, we will examine the dialectical moves involved and look at the use of dialectical tools and frameworks when working with the tensions at a more
individual division/department level.
Ursula Clidière has a dual background in pharmaceutical engineering and industrial-organizational psychology. She specializes in adult development, governance, and organizational culture. Her work integrates adult development theory with leadership practice, coaching, and coach supervision in complex and regulated environments, with a focus on the life sciences. She is an accredited executive coach and coach supervisor (AC; EMCC).
Nick Shannon is a chartered coaching psychologist and associate fellow of the British Psychological Society. Commencing his career in 1979, he has broad-based business experience. He spent the first 10 years working as a trader in precious metals, commodities, financial futures, and other derivatives. Later, he led the growth of a highly successful foreign
exchange business. Convinced that the most fascinating and challenging issues in business were those arising from the management (and sometimes mismanagement) of people, he has for the last 30 years consulted to organizations seeking to develop the strength of their leadership and management.
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