Leopold Vansina – författare

Humanness in Organizations is a unique contribution from the social sciences to the betterment of organizational life. The authors argue that working life can only become more humane when we change the conditions that consciously or unconsciously steer people away from consideration, friendship and integrity. The aim of this book is twofold: first, to take a closer look at the current practices of managers, academics, and consultants, and how they affect organizational conditions, work and the well-being of people. The critical studies presented here explore and develop the likely consequences of these practices for the future. Second, the authors wish to familiarize readers with 'actionable knowledge' in order to create alternative practices and conditions that enable the whole person to engage in healthier interactions both in and with his organization. Nine social scientists from Europe or the United States, each with an established reputation in the field of consulting with a psychodynamic or 'clinical perspective', have contributed their experiences and studies to the book.

Humanness in Organizations is a unique contribution from the social sciences to the betterment of organizational life. The authors argue that working life can only become more humane when we change the conditions that consciously or unconsciously steer people away from consideration, friendship and integrity.The aim of this book is twofold: first, to take a closer look at the current practices of managers, academics, and consultants, and how they affect organizational conditions, work and the well-being of people. The critical studies presented here explore and develop the likely consequences of these practices for the future. Second, the authors wish to familiarize readers with 'actionable knowledge' in order to create alternative practices and conditions that enable the whole person to engage in healthier interactions both in and with his organization. Nine social scientists from Europe or the United States, each with an established reputation in the field of consulting with a psychodynamic or 'clinical perspective', have contributed their experiences and studies to the book.

The chapters in this volume cover a wide range of topics that concentrate around four themes: transitional change in therapeutic communities; in working conferences for professional development or training; in organisation consulting with an emphasis on organisational learning; and in self studies of working systems in action. In all these psychic activities, "time and space" were created to allow for transitional processes to become alive. A therapist, a manager, a consultant or a layman may create conditions that facilitate or hinder human beings to become engaged in these normal, healthy processes, but the persons concerned undertake the basic psychic work.'It is encouraging to notice that more and more clinical institutions, organisations and even professional associations are becoming aware of the important and complex interactions between psychic processes and organisational realities. The engagement in transitional processes, however, demands courage. Courage that is proper to any pursuit of truth and social justice. At times, this search generates excitement, at other times we become scared by the realities we discover. Sometimes we need to cast aside certain realities to imagine and invent new things and subsequently face them again to make effective use of whatever we created. Society and human beings need such pursuits of truth and social justice for genuine development. The courage it takes to become engaged is only matched by the courage to live with the consequences.'- From the IntroductionContributors:Gilles Amado; Rina Bar-Lev Elieli; Harold Bridger; Caroline Drevon; Ernest Fruge; J. Alan Harrow; Marc Horowitz; Dominique Lhuilier; Derek N. Raffaelli; Rafael Ramirez; Dominique Rolland; Andre Sirota; Marie-Jeanne Vansina-Cobbaert; and Leopold Vansina.