Samenvatting
As we live our individual lives, surrounded by all the myriad possibilities and limitations that confront us each day, we can so easily forget that we are also intimately connected to the larger whole. The 'systemic' way of thinking and looking at the world helps us become aware of the many mechanisms and dynamics that are at work in systems that we normally never notice. These are the dynamics that can, in one moment, give us the wings to fly and in another moment hold us completely paralysed and unable to act. Jan Jacob Stam wrote this book for anyone who is interested in looking at her or his work, company or organization, with fresh eyes and an open heart. This book is the result of the first five years of an intense exploration into the systemic aspects of organizational development. 'After having been a manager and consultant for ten years, and now the owner of my institute, every time I see or facilitate an organizational- or societal constellation I am surprised about the new insights that pop up all the time...' Jan Jacob Stam
This special book is designed to offer a short guided tour through the worlds of work and organisations, from a 'systemic' point of view. Where would I best fit in this organisation? How come I always seem to end up feeling responsible for something that has nothing to do with me? How are we going to get this change process back on the rails? What job description would best describe the new manager’s function? What position would be best for me, as a consultant, to take up in a company? How is the market going to react to this new product? These are just a few examples taken from the thousands of questions about work and organisations that were brought by participants to organisation constellations. The systemic-phenomenological approach provides often surprising and un-expected insights into work, careers and organisations. This book is a collection of many of these insights, together with real-life examples, personal experiences and a theoretical framework for it all, that has developed out of five year’s of working with the systemic approach to questions about work and organisations. The book reads as a selection of articles. Light, always in touch with reality, and with many moments of recognition for the reader it will be stimulating and inspiring for anyone who works in or with organisations.