PA211-6-SP-CO:
Organisational Dynamics
2020/21
Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Sunday 17 January 2021
Friday 26 March 2021
30
14 May 2019
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
PA229
PA215, PA216, PA217, PA218, PA221
BA LX5C Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations,
BA C847CO Psychodynamic Practice,
BA C848CO Psychodynamic Practice (Including Foundation Year),
BA C849CO Psychodynamic Practice (Including Year Abroad)
This module aims to help students understand more fully the conscious and unconscious dynamics in organisations. Beginning with Freud's original and critical work on group psychology we explore the contribution that psychoanalysis and social and organisational psychology have made to our understanding of working and organisational life.
Using a primarily psychoanalytic lens, we will consider the ways in which organisational and working life can be pulled too far toward unhelpful technical and procedural practices by powerful unconscious defences operating within and between people and organisational structures.
How have psychoanalytic and systemic ideas helped to make sense of seemingly irrational organisational phenomena and striven to keep alive the 'human touch' in organisational and group life and assist in support a capacity to face the realities of work more effectively? What can the individual do to improve organisations, help keep them 'on task' and strengthen their potential therapeutic or enabling qualities?
In particular, you will have the opportunity to deepen your observation skills by undertaking a psychoanalytic observation in a working organisation and learn how to make sense of both the objective and subjective material emerging from this research process.
You will also take part in an experiential workshop in which organisational and group processes can be directly experienced, observed and understood.
The aims of the module are:
• To understand the contribution psychoanalysis can make to the study of organisational dynamics and working life
• To provide students with greater capacity to make psychodynamic observations in different settings
• To enable students to develop psychodynamic and systemic understanding of organisational life and structures
• To develop students’ capacity to generate hypotheses and gather relevant observational evidence to support or challenge them
• To develop students’ capacity to observe themselves and others in group and organisational experiences
By the end of the module students should have:
• Understand the history, development and application of psychoanalytic ideas to organisational dynamics
• Be able to apply psychodynamic insight to a wide range of organisational settings
• Developed a greater capacity for psychodynamic observation
• Developed a more advanced capacity to generate and test hypotheses about organisational dynamics
• Developed a more advanced capacity to make sense of their own and others’ organisational behaviour and experiences
No additional information available.
Seminar 1 – Students will discuss readings on topics relating to organisational dynamics. There will be a reflective group at the beginning and end of this module.
Workshop – Students will take part in a 7-week Group Dynamics workshop.
Seminar 2 – Students will bring descriptions of their observations within their chosen organisation which will be discussed applying psychodynamic insights to the interactions, dynamics and experience.
Note: There will be a session in Autumn term to prepare you for this module.
- Hirschhorn, Larry. (c1990) The workplace within: psychodynamics of organizational life, Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. vol. MIT Press series on organization studies
- Donati, F. (2000) 'Chapter 3: Madness and Morale: A Chronic Psychiatric Ward', in Observing organisations: anxiety, defence, and culture in health care, London: Routledge.
- Hirschhorn, Larry. (c1997) Reworking authority: leading and following in the post-modern organization, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. vol. 12
- Van Buskirk, W. (1999-06-01) 'Organizational Cultures as Holding Environments: A Psychodynamic Look at Organizational Symbolism', in Human Relations. vol. 52 (6) , pp.805-832
- Rothgeb, Carrie Lee. (1953-1974) Volume 18: Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, [London: Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-Analysis].
- Gillham, Bill. (2008) Observation techniques, New York: Continuum International Pub.
- Gordon Lawrence, W.; Bain, Alastair; Gould, Laurence J. (1996) 'The fifth basic assumption', in Free Associations. vol. 6 (1) , pp.28-55
- DeWalt, Kathleen Musante; DeWalt, Billie R. (c2011) Participant observation: a guide for fieldworkers, Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, Md.
- Krantz, James. (2018-5-30) 'Dilemmas of organizational change', in The Systems Psychodynamics of Organizations: Routledge.
- Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R. (c2006) The leader on the couch: a clinical approach to changing people and organizations, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Hinshelwood, R. D. (1987) What happens in groups: psychoanalysis, the individual and the community, London: Free Association Books.
- Chernomas, Robert. (2007-12) 'Containing Anxieties in Institutions or Creating Anxiety in Institutions: A Critique of the Menzies Lyth Hypothesis', in Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society. vol. 12 (4) , pp.369-384
- Obholzer, A. (1994) 'Authority,Power and Leadership: contributions from group relations training', in The Unconscious at work: individual and organizational stress in the human services, London: Routledge.
- Jacques, E. (1950-) 'Why the Psychoanalytical Approach to Understanding Organisations is Dysfunctional', in Human relations, London: Sage. vol. 48 (4) , pp.343-349
- Hinshelwood, R. D; Skogstad, Wilhelm. (2000) Observing organisations: anxiety, defence, and culture in health care, London: Routledge.
- Stein, Mark. (2003-5-1) 'Unbounded Irrationality: Risk and Organizational Narcissism at Long Term Capital Management', in Human Relations. vol. 56 (5) , pp.523-540
- Rees, J. (2000) 'Food for Thought - The Canteen of a Mental Hospital', in Observing organisations: anxiety, defence, and culture in health care, London: Routledge.
- Hinshelwood, RD. (1994) 'Chapter 4: Attacks on the Reflective Space', in Ring of fire: primitive affects and object relations in group psychotherapy, London: Routledge. vol. International library of group psychotherapy and group process
- Stokes, J. (1994) 'What is unconscious in organisations?', in What makes consultancy work: understanding the dynamics, London: South Bank University Press.
- Simpson, R; French, R. (2005) 'Thoughtful Leadership: Lessons from Bion', in Organisational and Social Dynamics. vol. 5 (2) , pp.280-297
- Rioch, M. (c1975) 'The Work of Wilfred Bion on Groups', in Group relations reader, Sausalito, Calif: GREX. vol. An A.K. Rice series, pp.21-35
- (2013) Socioanalytic methods: discovering the hidden in organisations and social systems, London: Karnac Books Ltd.
- Halton, William. (2004) 'By What Authority? Psychoanalytic Reflections on creativity and change in relation to organisational life', in Working below the surface: the emotional life of contemporary organizations, London: Karnac. vol. Tavistock Clinic series, pp.107-122
- Menzies Lyth, I. (1988) The Functioning of Social Systems as a Defence Against Anxiety: a report on a Study of the Nursing Service of a General Hospital, London: Free Association., pp.43-85
- Huffington, Clare; dawsonera. (2004) Working below the surface: the emotional life of contemporary organizations, London: Karnac.
- Armstrong, David; French, Robert. (2005) Organization in the mind: psychoanalysis, group relations, and organizational consultancy : occasional papers 1989-2003, London: Karnac. vol. Tavistock Clinic series
- Steiner, J. (1985) 'Turning a Blind Eye: The Cover up for Oedipus', in International Review of Psycho-Analysis. vol. 12, pp.161-172
- De Board, Robert. (2014) The psychoanalysis of organizations: a psychoanalytic approach to behaviour in groups and organizations, New York: Routledge. vol. Routledge mental health classic editions
- Morgan, Gareth. (2006) Images of organization, London: SAGE.
- Amando, G. (1950-) 'Why Psychoanalytic Knowledge Helps Us to Understand Organisations: A discussion with Elliott Jaques', in Human relations, London: Sage. vol. 48 (4) , pp.351-335
- Hoggett, P. (1998) 'The Internal Establishment', in Bion's legacy to groups: selected contributions from the International Centennial Conference on the Work of W.R. Bion : Turin, July 1997, London: Karnac Books.
- Bion, Wilfred R. (2001) Experiences in groups: and other papers, Hove: Brunner-Routledge.
- Hoyle, L. (2004) 'From sycophant to saboteur-responses to organisational change', in Working below the surface: the emotional life of contemporary organizations, London: Karnac. vol. Tavistock Clinic series
- Roberts, V. (1994) 'Chapter 3: The organisation of work: contributions from open systems theory', in The Unconscious at work: individual and organizational stress in the human services, London: Routledge.
- Cooper, A; Dartington, T. (2004) 'The Vanishing Organisation: organisational containment in a networked world', in Working below the surface: the emotional life of contemporary organizations, London: Karnac. vol. Tavistock Clinic series
- (2013) 'Facilitating transitional change', in Humanness in organisations: a psychodynamic contribution, London: Karnac.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Observation - Colchester |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
Observation - Southend |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
Essay - Southend |
|
80% |
| Coursework |
Essay - Colchester |
|
80% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Mr Chris Tanner, email: chris.tanner@essex.ac.uk.
From Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies
Student Administrator, 5A.202, telephone 01206 87 4969, email ppsug@essex.ac.uk
No
Yes
No
Dr Gary Winship
University of Nottingham
Associate Professor
Available via Moodle
Of 2819 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
2819 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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