The Return of the Repressed: System Psychodynamic Approaches to Organization Studies

Abstract

This symposium is concerned with exploring how system psychodynamics approaches can be employed to further our understanding of organizational phenomenon and enrich organizational theorizing. System psychodynamics frameworks, which theorize the interaction between organizational structures (such as routines, discourses and practices) and the emotional experience of organizational members (both conscious and unconscious), are ideal for investigating cross-level dynamics within and across organizations. Despite their unique perspective, system psychodynamics perspectives have remained at the margins of organizational theorizing. This symposium aims to showcase current research that draws on system psychodynamics to enrich our understanding of a range of organizational phenomenon. The four papers do the following: provide a process theory of scapegoating which incudes its unconscious drivers, discuss the interactions between unconscious emotions and organizational change, describe how system psychodynamics can help scholars understand the challenges that new organizational forms pose for workers, and draw on attachment theory to examine the identity vicissitudes of dual-career couples. Following the presentations, Robin Ely, a leading scholar of identity dynamics and system psychodynamic thinking, will facilitate an interactive discussion on the potential and perils involved in this avenue of research.