Taos Institute Europe (TIE)

Taos Institute Europe (TIE) is a part of the Taos Institute and a center of gravity for researchers, practitioners and other like-minded people in Europe, who challenge the known and frozen paradigms of understanding, to build a better world for tomorrow. TIE works to expand social constructionist dialogues and relational practices of cutting edge significance – within business, cross sector innovation, economics, collaboration across boundaries, politics, therapy, humanization of global cities, communication, design, IT, learning etc. – supporting the processes by which humans generate purpose, meaning and results together. Our focus is on how social groups and the relational practices within those groups create and sustain beliefs in the real, the rational, and the good.

Taos Institute Europe plans a range of workshops, conferences and other training programs in Europe – all with a relational and social constructionist content. Below you will find a list of past events and activities.

Join the Taos Institute Europe (TIE) group in the Taos Institute Online Community to connect with us – it’s free and open to all! 


Horizons 2018 – dialogical and collaborative symposium
Brno, Czech Republic – May 3-5, 2018

The 4th symposium that we – Narativ group – organize in Ostrava, Czechia. This year’s main topic was: (Dis)Connecting Tensions. Not an ordinary conference with academic paper presentations, this event was organized on dialogical and collaborative principles, where we tried our best to engage creativity and wisdom of the participants. Four different sections were presented 1) Mental Health; 2) Education; 3) Family relationships; 4) Rasism & xenophobia. It took place in a wonderful environment, in the former coal mine of Ostrava. Main speakers included prof. Sheila McNamee, prof. Ottar Ness and dr. Loek Schoenmakers. More information is available here. 


3rd Narrative, collaborative and dialogic congress in the Netherlands
Utrecht, Netherlands – April 20-21, 2018

The event focused on alternative and creative ways to connect people who are value-filled for them using collaborative and dialogical approaches. Some of the organisers were Taos associates and brought the flavour of social construcionism in the event:  Indra Bimmel, Tineke Haks, Bruno Hillewaere, René van Dijk, Jasmina Sermijn, Robert Van Hennik, Tomas Van Reybrouck, Sabine Vermeire, and Marco Visser. For more information visit www.castellumhogewoerd.nl and https://www.dejeugdzorgacademie.nl/aanbod-cursussen-jeugdzorg/opleiding-systeemtherapeut/3e-narratief-collaboratie-en-dialogisch-congres.html.


Taos Institute Europe – Spain/Portugal Meeting
October 7, 2017

We gathered on October 7, 2017 to create a network of social constructionists in Spain and Portugal.  Read the summary of this meeting here. For more information email Garbiñe Delgado Raack (garbi_nau@yahoo.es).


The 2nd TIE meeting & conference from Spain: Exploring & Applying Design-Inspired Social Construction
Madrid, Spain – Jan. 22-24, 2016

We want to thank the organizing committee headed up by Maria Munoz-Grandes, and the 50 participants who participated in the TIE Meeting in Madrid. Our meeting was an enlivening gathering of many European Associates, and some new members in the Social Constructionist community. We think it was a great opportunity for connection and our conversations unfolded creatively. We now face the challenge of bringing to live some of the great initiatives for TIE’s future that emerged from our meeting. For this we need your collaboration. It is our desire that, next year when we meet again, we will be able to share how our projects are flourishing.


The 1st TIE Summit
Prague, Czech Republic – September 2014