The Workplace Within: Psychodynamics of Organizational Life

by Larry Hirschhorn

Book Overview

In this revealing study, Larry Hirschhorn examines the rituals, or social defenses, organizations develop to cope with change. Using extended ease studies from offices, factories, and social services, he describes why these often irrational practices that fragment and injure individuals within the workplace exist, how they operate, and how they can be reshaped to enhance people's work experience.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262581019
• ISBN13: 9780262581011
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A Deeper Look at Organizational Life

Don't let the title of this fine book scare you off. Hirschhorn's The Workplace Within is one of the finest tools available for the executive who wishes to deepen his or her understanding of what goes on in organizations today. On the other hand, even though it is very clearly written and laden with real-life scenarios from the author's consulting work in organizations, it is not a simple "how to" management text. Hirschhorn gives very detailed descriptions of what goes wrong in organizations when we do not question our assumptions. It is almost as if we are sleep walking through our daily work routines, acting out rivalries, making absurd demands on each other, or alternatively, minimzing the actual terror and anxiety we feel. When read carefully, thoroughly and critically, this book can be a wonderful tool for extending one's social sensitivity in the workplace. It is the kind of book that you can turn to again and again to help illuminate confusing incidents in the workplace and to create attentiveness to one's actual impact on others. As such it is a useful companion to a 360 degree feedback process or participation in an executive assessment or coaching program.