The Myth of Rationality

The myth of rationality serves as a defence against uncertainty, and is accompanied by a tendency to ignore the emotional impact of change efforts, regarding these as merely unwanted side-effects or evidence of ‘resistance’. This chapter focuses particularly on two aspects of organisational change. The first is the emotional disturbance caused by loss, including ambivalence about the past, and the challenge of trying to manage simultaneously the dynamics of birth (the future) and bereavement. The second is heightened anxiety, both conscious (loss of one’s job, status or skills) and unconscious (such as fears of losing one’s identity or being eaten up in a merger situation). This is exacerbated by the dismantling of existing social defence systems inevitable in any significant change process. Anxiety is likely to be less contained during the period of transition until new social defence systems develop. The ‘paradox of change’ is that change undermines the capacity for reflection just when it is most needed. The first three case studies show how even the most sophisticated change efforts can be scuppered when emotional issues are not attended to. The last case study illustrates the benefits when a manager is able to stay alive to these issues, using ‘negative capability’ alongside the standard repertoire of skills and knowledge about how to design and implement organisational change.