What is Organisational Psychotherapy?

1. Focus on Organisational Culture: Organisational psychotherapy invites organisations to delve into the core of their cultures, exploring the shared assumptions, norms, values, and beliefs that guide behaviour within the organisation.
2. Change through Understanding: By bringing these elements to light and understanding them, organisational psychotherapy helps organisations in identifying and addressing issues that may be hindering the organisation’s development and goal attainment.
3. Holistic Approach: Unlike traditional organisational change methods that often focus on external factors like processes, structures, or strategies, organisational psychotherapy takes a more holistic approach, looking at the internal psychological and emotional aspects of the organisation.
4. Sustainable Change: The goal is to foster sustainable change by transforming the organisational mindset, which in turn can lead to improvements in morale, productivity, innovation, and overall organisational health.

Leaders in the Field

The field of organisational psychotherapy is still emerging, and as such, it’s a space where new thought leaders and practitioners are continually emerging. However, a few notable figures have made significant contributions:

1. Bob Marshall: An early advocate and practitioner of organisational psychotherapy, Marshall has been influential in developing and promoting the concept. He emphasises the importance of attending to the collective psyche of organisations to effect profound and lasting change.
2. Gerald Weinberg: Known for his work in systems thinking and organisational problem solving, Weinberg’s contributions, though not exclusively in organisational psychotherapy, have been foundational in understanding organisational dynamics and psychology.
3. Edgar Schein: A notable figure in organisational development, Schein’s work on organisational culture, leadership, and change provides critical insights relevant to organisational psychotherapy. His model of organisational culture, in particular, is highly influential.
4. Chris Argyris and Donald Schön: Known for their work on organisational learning, Argyris and Schön’s theories on single-loop and double-loop learning are pertinent to the field of organisational psychotherapy, as they deal with underlying assumptions and beliefs in organisations.

Future of the Field

As the field is still developing, it’s expected that new methodologies, practices, and leaders will emerge. The integration of psychotherapeutic approaches in organisational contexts is gaining traction, promising innovative developments and insights into organisational change and development.