Organization in the Mind: Psychoanalysis, Group Relations and Organizational Consultancy

Both as a practitioner and a thinker, David Armstrong has, for many years, been a leading figure internationally in the fields of organizational consultancy and group relations. In papers presented at a wide range of gatherings — in North America, Israel, Australia and Bulgaria, as well as in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom — he has produced a body of work in which he explores the practical application of psychoanalytic thinking in organizational contexts. He is particularly well-known for his innovative interpretations of the ideas of Wilfred Bion.
This book brings together for the first time his key writings in this area, and should become essential reading for managers and leaders who wish to deepen their understanding of their experiences in their roles, as well as for organizational consultants, academics and students of organizations. These are "occasional" pieces: that is, they were written for specific occasions and specific audiences. Together they make up a fascinating range of novel ideas that are both theoretically challenging and deeply practical, illustrated as they are throughout by case material from his work with organizational clients. Each chapter is set in context, to explain the evolution of the ideas presented, and the Introduction, written for the occasion, both sets the whole in context and expands on the key notion of "organization-in-the-mind".

Both as a practitioner and a thinker, David Armstrong has, for many years, been a leading figure internationally in the fields of organizational consultancy and group relations. In papers presented at a wide range of gatherings -- in North America, Israel, Australia and Bulgaria, as well as in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom -- he has produced a body of work in which he explores the practical application of psychoanalytic thinking in organizational contexts. He is particularly well-known for his innovative interpretations of the ideas of Wilfred Bion.
This book brings together for the first time his key writings in this area, and should become essential reading for managers and leaders who wish to deepen their understanding of their experiences in their roles, as well as for organizational consultants, academics and students of organizations. These are "occasional" pieces: that is, they were written for specific occasions and specific audiences. Together they make up a fascinating range of novel ideas that are both theoretically challenging and deeply practical, illustrated as they are throughout by case material from his work with organizational clients. Each chapter is set in context, to explain the evolution of the ideas presented, and the Introduction, written for the occasion, both sets the whole in context and expands on the key notion of "organization-in-the-mind".

David Armstrong is Principal Consultant at the Tavistock Consultancy Service. An organisational psychologist, he worked in action research and consultancy at the Tavistock Institute, the University of London and the Grubb Institute before joining TCS in 1994. His particular interests are in the dynamics of leadership and the significance of emotional experience as a source of organizational intelligence.