ABSTRACT
This chapter examines efforts to remake organizations into “holding environments” and “potential spaces,” two of Winnicott’s revolutionary ideas that, however compelling, warrant particular scrutiny when applied to the organizational arena. Often implied in such efforts is an analogy between the organization and Winnicott’s good-enough or ordinary devoted mother; an analogy far more valuable, this chapter argues, precisely where it fails, revealing the limits of what one can (or should) expect of organizations. More broadly, this chapter challenges the use of Winnicott’s ideas as a method of intervention in organizations, arguing instead that holding environments and potential spaces are best confined to the settings where they can be realistically achieved and sustained. Borrowing from Winnicott’s thoughts on democracy, this chapter proposes that the primary task of organizations should be that of “non-interference” with the holding environments and potential spaces that truly matter and can be sustained.
