ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the history of the psychodynamic systems theory as developed at the Tavistock Institute since the 1950s. It contains an application of systems psychodynamics in a brief consultation to a utopian, multinational company. The book presents the case of a multinational steel company operating in Britain, and the way in which cheap steel elsewhere in the world impacted the organization’s domestic operations. It discusses management’s fear of the market. The book also discusses some critical ideas on “global identity and the superordinate task”. It also presents a sociopsychological view of the human species’ proclivity to create organizational entities that take on a life of their own. The book utilizes adult development theory and family systems theory in describing a French family business.