For many rationalist observers, organizational dysfunctions, such as recurrent failures in the implementation of strategic orientations, the constantly aggressive behaviour of managers, and so on, are nothing other than manifestation of deficiencies in decision-making or in the well thought-out application of decisions. In the light of psychoanalysis, however, such phenomena can be regarded differently, in particular as compulsions to repeat or actings-out. Indeed, in this perspective, it is on a ‘stage’ other than that of ‘reality’ that the game is played out: the stage of the imaginary and unconscious symbolic determinations. The object of this article is to propose a fresh reading of organizational life based on the work of Jacques Lacan. Although Lacanian notions are often seen as posing numerous problems for those brought up in an Anglo-American tradition of intellectual endeavour, this article upholds that such notions suggest rigorous alternative ways of approaching organizations.

Purpose -The purpose of this conceptual paper is to discuss the relevance of Lacanian psychoanalysis for thinking on organizational functioning and organizational change. Design/methodology/approach -First, the authors discuss basic Lacanian ideas with regard to the notion of the unconscious and its discursive status and with respect to the crucial difference between the ego and the subject. Subjectivity is linked to the notion of the lack. The authors then address implications of Lacanian theory for thinking about and intervening in organisations. Findings -It is argued that the non-satisfying nature of work needs to be recognised, that organizational intervention entails an intervention on discourse, and that subjectivity is an issue to be recognized in the context of organizational functioning. Originality/value -In discussing the implications of this point of view, the authors address the possibility of a psychoanalytic ecology of human resources.

At a time when competition in the workplace is becoming more and more individual, ruthless and widespread, managers are in turn being solicited more personally. That is why the market for psychologically oriented executive coaching is exploding nowadays. This article aims at extracting the main teachings of this change in perspective, in order to pave the way for a methodology of psychoanalytic coaching, that is directly inspired by the work of Jacques Lacan. The objective of this exploratory form of mentorship is to satisfy the explicit needs of the clients, along with their relational expectations and unconscious desir

A prolific current of research focusing on the psychodynamics of work, leadership and organizations has taken form over approximately the last 60 years. The richness of this current remains in full evidence today and shows the interest of applying psychoanalysis to research work on management. First, psychoanalysis can aid researchers to develop a more profound comprehension of organizational functioning by taking into account the effects of the unconscious. Second, it can guide them in different fields of intervention by transposing aspects of the analytical treatment and integrating transference. Last, it can allow them to re-question managerial ends from a slightly ‘askew’ point of view informed by psychoanalytic ethics and recognition of the ‘subject’. This review article aims at examining these issues and offering psychoanalytic theory as a paradigm for the study of management.

Questions the circumstances under which consultants should consider the interpretation of unconscious material as part of their mission, and the forms that these interpretations should take. Following the approach taken by Abraham Zaleznik, suggests that it may be necessary to reflect upon the analysis of requests from clients for consultancy or for auditing. Seeks to review the issue of client‐request analysis from a psychoanalytic perspective and, in particular, from the angle of the tripartition of Lacanian analysis: that of need, demand and desire.

Over the past 15 years, an increasing number of researchers have become aware of what the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan's work can contribute to management and organization studies. The number of publications on the subject has significantly risen, at the risk of leading to some apparent heterogeneity of the topics covered and a potential distortion of the Lacanian concepts when used in management and organization studies. In this article, we aim to map this emerging field of research, bring to light the theoretical basis common to those works so as to make the Lacanian theory used to study management and organization more legible, and discuss the limitations and opportunities implied by such a Lacanian approach. We organize the published works around two main orientations, each helping to address specific issues: a clinical orientation, within organizational psycho-dynamics, and a critical orientation, related to critical management studies. KeywordsCritical management studies, Lacan, organizational psycho-dynamics, psychoanalysis Jacques Lacan's work began to be used for studying organizations and management at the turn of the 2000s. A number of publications by French, Belgian and English authors led the way (Arnaud, 1998(Arnaud, , 2002(Arnaud, , 2003aFleming and Spicer, 2003;Roberts, 2005;Vanheule et al., 2003;Vanheule and Verhaeghe, 2004;Vidaillet, 2007Vidaillet, , 2008a. A more visible and structured expression of this interest in In this respect, the purpose of this paper is threefold. Firstly, we aim to review most of the publications which, in the last twenty years, have revolved around Lacan and organizations. This will enable us to identify the various areas of inquiry linking these works, so as to map this emerging field of research, without forcing it into a rigid and ostensibly orderly representation (Contu et al., 2010;Jones, 2010).The task here is to develop around Lacan, what has already been developed in the field of organizational psychoanalysis around Freud and the post Freudians (Carr, 2002;Carr and Gabriel, 2001). Secondly, when reviewing this fairly recent literature, we intend to show why and how Lacanian concepts may be useful in exploring various theoretical perspectives and new ways of approaching practical issues in MOS. Thirdly, we propose to organize Lacan-inspired research around two major orientations that developed in distinct academic fields and with different objectives (Butler, 2008) despite some citation overlaps between both entities: the first orientation, of a clinical nature, pertains to organizational psycho-dynamics; the second, qualified as critical, relates to critical management studies (CMS). The very existence of this second orientation has much to do with the fact that Lacan's work has been disseminated far beyond the borders of analytical circles and particularly, outside France, in the academic philosophical arena, which it has entered with no particular link to the clinical practice of psychoanalysis (Badiou and Roudinesco, 2012).On the one hand, a ...

No abstract

No abstract