On the surface, people go to work and come home again. They sometimes manage people while most are managed themselves. But beneath the function and structures of the work itself, a whole range of emotions affects the success of the relationship between employee and manager and ultimately the organisation they both belong to. Psychodynamic Organisational Theory: Key Concepts and Cases provides a comprehensive but accessible introduction to this fascinating field of study. Featuring case vignettes which bring the various concepts to life, the book is divided into four parts. Part I looks at how the individual relates to the organisation and the unconscious energies they bring, while Part II examines group dynamics and how they affect productivity, including a chapter on meetings. Part III explores the realm of leadership and what roles a manager can play in managing their staff, while Part IV introduces the idea of personality and describes how the manager’s personality influences management dynamics as well as the wider organisational culture. Central to the book, as well as the idea that organisational phenomena are often unconscious, is the understanding that relationships are always reciprocal. Through complex psychological dynamics manager and employee influence and change each other during the process of managing and being managed. This text will be essential reading for students and scholars of leadership, HRM, and organizational psychology, as well as consultants and managers looking for practical insights into how human relationships affect the success of every organisation.

This book provides an introduction to systems psychodynamic theory and its application to organisational consultancy, research and training, outlining systems dynamics methods and their historical and theoretical developments. Systems Psychodynamics is an emerging field of social science, the boundaries of which are continually being refined and re-defined. The ‘systems’ designation refers to open systems concepts that provide the framing perspective for understanding the structural aspects of organisational systems. These include its design, division of labour, levels of authority, and reporting relationships; the nature of work tasks, processes and activities; its mission and primary task; and the nature and patterning of the organisation’s task and sentient boundaries and the transactions across them. This book presents a critical appraisal of the systems psychodynamics paradigm and its application to present-day social and organisational difficulties, showing how a holistic approach to organisational and social problems can offer a fresh perspective on difficult issues. Bringing together the theory and practice of systems psychodynamics for the first time, this book provides an examination of the systems psychodynamics paradigm in action. This book gives an accessible and thorough guide to understanding and using systems psychodynamic ideas for analysts, managers, policy makers, consultants and researchers in a wide range of professional and clinical settings.

This authoritative source book on the learning and creative application of the systems psychodynamic perspective defines the field, presenting the key concepts, models, and social methodologies that derive from it, together with their theoretical and conceptual underpinnings in psychoanalysis, group relations and open systems theory.

An individual's working life undergoes the same intrapsychic conflicts as other aspects of experience. Yet, as a subject of psychoanalytic inquiry, the world of work has largely been ignored. In this innovative book, William M. Czander demonstrates that applying depth psychology to the organization and its employees provides a deeper understanding of the American workplace than traditional industrial psychology has offered. Using a psychoanalytic framework, Czander examines such issues as interactions between employees and management, the conscious and unconscious forces that bind fellow employees together, and the role of autonomy in people's lives. Most important, he details a means of intervention in the form of organizational consultation based on this more profound conceptualization of the dynamics of the workplace. The first section of the book presents theoretical background, and the second applies theory to specific cases. Czander presents three major theories of psychoanalysis as they relate to work and the organization: Freudian and classical psychoanalytic theory, object relations theory, and self psychology theory. He explores how a psychoanalyst thinks about work and how work and the organization interact with the employees' unconscious motivations and ideation. He then applies these theories to actual case studies of organizational consultations. The consultation process is explained, including how a particular diagnosis and rationale for intervention is obtained. Czander concludes with a discussion of the practice of psychoanalytic consulting and its utility and relevance to the world of contemporary organizations. Providing illuminating discussion on myriad issues related to the psychology of the workplace, this book is an ideal resource for a variety of mental health professionals: psychoanalysts especially interested in organizational consulting, organizational psychologists desiring a new perspective on their work, and clinicians from different disciplines whose clients are struggling with issues surrounding their work environments. It serves as an advanced text for courses in industrial organization, clinical and social work, and business management.

This engaging and accessible textbook introduces psychodynamic theory in a way that helps readers better understand complex theories and how these can enrich their practice. Five chapters on classic theorists explore their life stories and the ideas, and are illustrated with captivating case studies. Contemporary developments relating to psychodynamic theory are explored, such as the links with neurobiology and how attachment shapes a baby's brain, and how to make sense of the anxieties contained in the organisations of hospitals and day care nurseries. It also examines psychodynamic evidence based theory and practice An insightful introduction to core psychodynamic theory, this refreshingly clear book is invaluable reading for all students, trainees and practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy, and of interest to those studying and working in the fields of nursing, social work and counselling psychology.

In Psychodynamic Coaching: Distinctive Features, Claudia Nagel presents a comprehensive overview of the unique features of psychodynamic coaching. As leaders and managers acknowledge the need to understand themselves and their context by looking underneath the surface to improve their decision-making, psychodynamic approaches offer unique insight. Psychodynamic Coaching: Distinctive Features covers not only the major theory but also the practice of coaching, giving guidance from beginning to end of the client relationship. Constructive, holistic and accessible, it demonstrates the impact and dynamics of the unconscious whilst illustrating the power of understanding human behaviour in the complexity of the modern world. With a focus on emotions and relationships in supporting modern leaders adapting to organsational challenges, this book will be an invaluable tool for coaches of all backgrounds, academics and students of coaching and organisational behaviour, and also clinicians. It will also be a key resource for senior leaders for their own personal growth.

Developing Organisational Consultancy provides consultants with theoretical and practical advice on how to handle typical consultancy challenges. Well-established organisational consultants from the UK and the USA offer descriptions of problems they have encountered in their work, theoretical and practical approaches that they have found helpful, cases from their actual practice, and advice about how to apply their suggested approach generally. Chapters are grouped together to address three key areas of interest to consultants: * evolving a professional stance * considering psychodynamic approaches * applying organisational theory. For both experienced and newly-practising organiszational and management consultants, this book is a valuable source of reference and the key to developing a more aware and successful practice.