by Anton Obholzer; reviewed by Annie Pesskin
This refreshingly short book, made up of 40 chapters, most no longer than two pages long, is by Anton Obholzer, psychoanalyst, psychiatrist and former Chief Executive of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust. It is the fruit of his decades of hard-won knowledge and experience as a clinician, manager and consultant to leaders across the international business world. Reading it feels like going up in a plane and seeing the rivers, woods and fields stretched out below you; it is exciting to see the world from this lofty vantage point and it is the length and breadth of Dr. Obholzer’s clinical experience, coupled with his ability to distil complex ideas into memorable and pithy observations, which provides the uplift for this fascinating flight.
The book is divided into five parts, each section divided into several very short chapters (2 or 3 pages in total for many of them). In Part 1, Obholzer explores the dynamics of human development. He asks some key questions such as how do we come to develop the unique lens with which we view the world? How are our attitudes towards authority underpinned by our experiences in the home? Why do beginnings bring with them both hope but also uncertainty? In this section I especially liked his observation: “There is an assumption that we all have an identical ‘mental shape’ in seeing the world [… yet] no-one in their right mind would assume that we all have the same body shape” (Chapter 2).
In Part 2, he explores the everyday dynamics of institutions. I was intrigued by his definition of an institution as ‘the state of mind’ or functioning of the organization and how it is therefore subject to various disturbing dynamics. Anxiety, for instance, is a dynamic which can inhibit the healthy functioning of an organization when certain ‘facts’ must be denied and split off (e.g. when people working in the petrochemical industry cannot bear to be in touch with the inherent risks of their activities and then turn a blind eye to safety issues which result in oil spills or explosions). Another dynamic that disturbs institutions is, of course, change, and the resistances we muster to it, and why. This is in part due to the covert layer of institutional functioning, which is largely unconsciously known and concerns how the power structures really function – who can ‘fix things’, whom to avoid – and the ways in which all group dynamics engender certain pre-determined functions.
These unconsciously assigned roles are determined by a combination of personality and group process and always produce particular constellations within the group. For example, the mindless ‘yes man’ who always echoes the views of the CEO, or the person who engenders raised eyebrows and muffled yawns whenever they speak. Awareness of these dynamics is essential in a good leader, since they must recognize that when an individual speaks their truth they do so not only as themselves but also as a function of the group mind that is talking to itself. Who hasn’t been in a meeting when there is a collective eye-roll whenever one particular person speaks? Obholzer’s eagle gaze can help us see that this one person may be functioning as an unconscious ‘Trojan Horse’ for us all, holding in their mind something we, the collective, have no wish to see or know about. As a participating member of such a group, Obholzer suggests we ask ourselves, ‘What unconscious role do I play for the others I wonder?’ It will, most likely he argues, be the role you have always played – the charmer, the rebel, the star, the doubting Thomas etc..
Part 3 explores the use of the self in workplace dynamics. I liked Obholzer’s examination of ‘listening’ in this section. He defines listening with an open mind as ‘recognition that one’s opponent has a legitimate view’ (Chapter 19). It made me reflect how often I think I am listening, when in fact I am simply waiting for a chance to assert my pre-existing view! The self is, by definition, a changing and aging self and it is the section in Part 3 on midlife which I found particularly fascinating (middle-aged, as I now am, at 46!). Obholzer describes the ways in which people can become somewhat ossified in their lives as midlife sets in. Childcare and work pressures may push couples into very divided roles. For example, one partner becomes parent/home-maker while the other climbs their career ladder. Or they both try to satisfy their ambition outsourcing the childcare to third parties. The ossification of this process can push a person further into their work identity to avoid emotional minefields at home and make retirement a warded-off and under-examined domain. Stress, itself, gets a chapter, where I liked Obholzer’s definition of the ‘non-stressed’ individual as a stressed individual in denial!
Part 4 concerns a ragbag of issues, from the usefulness or not of business schools, to how meetings are run (especially that old chestnut of ‘running out of time’ when it comes to discussing the most contentious issues), to why it helps to have a President and Board on one side of the ‘couple’ and the CEO and management on the other rather than a President fused with a CEO.
Part 5 explores what it is to be a coach or consultant and how this role can be brought in to avoid change rather than to embrace it, if the consultant is not careful! The same, Obholzer argues, can be said about coaching. Depending on the organization, sending someone for coaching can be about putting them in the ‘sin bin’ rather than enabling them to learn useful things both about themselves and their functioning in the institution. He makes a final point about the process of change which is that change is difficult and learning should, in part, be a disturbing experience. Hence beware a coach who gets 5-star feedback, since what might have gone on instead of learning is an enticing process of mutual idealization. This is something Obholzer is categorically against for it mitigates against real progress and understanding.
I think this book is an essential read for anyone who must work in groups to achieve their professional objectives, especially for leaders who seek to manage unconscious group dynamics in a healthy and growth-promoting fashion. It would also be an invaluable read for those in the coaching/consultancy profession as it exposes so many fascinating dynamics which operate just below the surface in groups with powerful consequences for the institution’s capacity to tolerate and work through anxiety. I recommend it wholeheartedly for its wisdom AND its brevity!