The health of the corporate body: illness and organizational dynamics

Article Abstract:

The search for ways to cut health care costs in organizations has rarely considered the direct relationship between organizational variables and health. This article hypothesizes that health and illness within a particular organization may be related to the social dynamics of the work setting. Data was gathered from a survey of a corporation with 13,000 employees who work in 16 organizations. An index of reported health symptoms was correlated with scales developed from questions related to organizational issues. Using stepwise multiple regression, 20% of the variance of the aggregate health symptoms was accounted for by three organizational scales (organization-person balance, managerial treatment, and discrimination) after controlling for demographic variables. A second analysis, which focused on the collective dynamics of the 16 organizations, supported the findings of the first analysis. This study found that issues of support, balance, change, and inequity are crucial factors in fostering a healthy work environment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Occupational health and safety, Occupational safety and health

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"Fix the women": an intervention into an organizational conflict based on parallel process thinking

Article Abstract:

This article discusses an intervention into an organizational conflict expressed by fighting between two women in a troubled unit of a state hospital. After gathering data through observations and interviews with the staff, the authors prepared a diagnosis and intervention based on parallel process thinking, which postulates that conflict in one part of a system may surface elsewhere, sometimes in a different form that disguises its source. The women's hostility was thought to be actually fueled by feelings of competitiveness among the three senior men in the unit. An intervention using a microcosm group methodology was conducted, which resulted in the women's repairing their relationship and other improvements in the unit's morale and performance. The authors conclude that parallel process thinking, and methods of diagnosis and intervention based on its tenets, have relevance for managing human behavior in all arenas. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Human behavior, Thought and thinking, Thinking

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Organizational reflections: parallel processes at work in a dual consultation

Article Abstract:

Differing recommendations from two consultant groups about redesigning business culture are examined. Multiple groups attempting to assist a third institution can uncover systemic tensions.

Management, Practice, Surveys, Business consultants, Management consultants, Workers, Eastern Bank

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